Football takes the field

Vaqueros hold first-ever team practice

The UTRGV Football Team held its first full-team practice in program history Sept. 9  in front of a crowd of 2,478 at the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District’s Richard R. Flores Stadium. 

This marks the first time the Vaqueros stepped onto a football field as a complete unit. The team broke out into separate groups, conducting several practice exercises, including 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

Travis Bush, UTRGV Football head coach, said that, similar to the start of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s football program in 2011, the practice year was to help the program develop players and team cohesion before kickoff in 2025.

“The way we’re structuring practices focuses on our player development piece right now,” Bush said. “[We’re] working on building these young men and building that chemistry in the locker room. … [I’m] excited to see what the next couple of months have to produce.”

In a news conference after the practice, freshman quarterback Aidan Jakobsohn said he thought the whole team was “firing on all cylinders,” particularly praising the efforts of the offensive line and wide receivers.

“I want to thank my o-line [and] my receivers,” Jakobsohn said. “They’re making the plays for me. I don’t have to do much. I just got to give them the ball, and they’ll do the rest for me.”

Freshman defensive back Marcus “MJ” Heard Jr. said the defense, which forced a couple of takeaways during team drills, was “young and progressing.”

“I think tonight we took a positive step in the right direction as a D unit,” Heard said. “[The mentality is getting] 1% better, be better than you were yesterday.”

Bush hopes second-year transfers, such as linebacker Ian Box and wide receiver Xayvion Noland, will bring leadership and Division I experience to a Vaqueros roster mainly consisting of freshmen.

Noland said it is “fun” to play a leadership role in a young and quick Vaqueros offense.

“I like this offense; it’s fast and action-packed,” Noland said. “And I’m glad that I’ve got some experience I could show some younger guys on the team.”

Box, who was previously coached by Bush in high school, said he did not hesitate to transfer to UTRGV.

“I already knew what [Bush] is about,” he said. “I know what he stands for, what kind of man he is. It wasn’t really a question [to join UTRGV] to be honest. If he said yes, I was going.”

The event was open to the public and was marked with much fanfare, featuring several performances from the UTRGV Marching Band as well as the dance, cheer and drill teams of the UTRGV Spirit Program. 

Hype has been building around the program since its inception. In addition to the crowd of over 2,400 at the practice, season tickets for the first year sold out Thursday, according to Jonah Goldberg, senior associate athletic director for Communications and Championships.

Bush said it was “awesome” seeing the fans show up for practice, saying it reminded him of an NFL training camp practice. In 2015, he was an offensive assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills.

“This is [the fans’] team; this is the Valley’s team,” Bush said. “It was a cool atmosphere. Think our guys loved it, they were fired up.”

The Vaqueros will continue to practice through the Fall 2024 semester and will begin their first official season of Division I FCS competition on Aug. 30, 2025, as a member of the Southland Conference.