Vaqueros Football returns

Position battles begin to emerge as players come back from Spring Break

As the countdown to the inaugural season of UTRGV Football continues, the Vaqueros hit the ground running as spring practices continue.

The team players picked up where they left off, practicing with full contact in their first practice after Spring Break as they did before they departed.

The Vaqueros have eight more practices remaining before they play their first spring football game on April 17 at Veterans Memorial High School in Brownsville.

The team began practice within skill groups, divided by jersey color into quarterbacks in black, offense in orange and defense in white. They later began running situational drills before playing 11-on-11.

Head coach Travis Bush said the team is currently focused on trying to “gel together as a team” and seeing what role new additions to the squad will hold as players battle for their spot on the team depth chart.

“[We’re] getting that chemistry built but, at the same time, evaluating and watching the battles that are going on at each position,” Bush said.

He said there is “good competition” at every position and players with experience at other programs are beginning to apply that to their work at UTRGV.

“You’re seeing some of the older guys show their maturity, which is what we need and what we want,” he said.

The battle for the “main” position, as coach Bush put it, is the one deciding who will start under center. Although freshman Aidan Jakobsohn was a standout in fall practice, the arrival of Mission native and Sharyland Pioneer alumnus Eddie Lee Marburger from the University of Texas at San Antonio has changed things significantly.

Marburger will play his senior year in 2025. He brings with him three seasons of collegiate experience, having played 18 games for the Roadrunners and is pulling ahead of the pack in that position battle.

Bush told reporters it will take the team seeing what their quarterbacks can do in game to decide who will start under center.

“We’ve seen what [Marburger] can do in ballgames now,” Bush said. “I think we’ve got a handful of good quarterbacks that can play at the highest level.”

In an interview with The Rider, Marburger said “it’s good to be back” from the break and be able to battle for the starting quarterback spot.

“The key is to take it day-by-day and just help everyone around us … try to help the team win games,” he said. 

Another position battle to keep an eye on as spring ball continues is the one unfolding in the Vaqueros’ backfield. All six running backs on the roster are freshmen eager to prove themselves.                          

Edinburg Robert Vela alumnus Jamal Polley told The Rider he is “blessed” to continue his football journey in Edinburg and, although they compete, he and the other running backs are close.

“We’re all vying for a position but, at the end of the day, we’re all family,” Polley said. “We work together. We have days where we go eat lunch and just team bonding. We’re all close. We all have each other’s back.”

Defensive lineman Nicolas Fernandez, who redshirted his freshman year at the University of Arizona before transferring to UTRGV, said it has been a “great” battle for position on the D-line.

“They know more guys are coming in, so they know spots are on the line,” Fernandez said. “So, it’s been good, especially with the younger guys. They understand that they have something to prove just like me.”