In a world brimming with information at our fingertips, it’s both a travesty and a comedy that, quite expectedly, the UTRGV Football program remains an enigmatic ghost on the internet. The powers that be within UTRGV couldn’t even spruce for some lonely student, and future reddit mod, to create a Wikipedia page for the team.
Of course, your friends at The Bench Wire are here to save the day and help answer all your burning questions about the next thing the Valley will soon enough ignore.
When will UTRGV Football play their first game?
UTRGV Football will play their inaugural official game on Saturday, August 30, 2025. Their first opponent has not yet been determined. UTRGV Football has plans to play several exhibition games starting in the Fall of 2024.
Where will UTRGV Football play their home games?
UTRGV Football will play their home games in Edinburg, TX at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium and in Brownsville, TX as UTRGV has co-campuses in both cities following the merger of UT – Pan American in Edinburg and UT – Brownsville in Brownsville in 2015.
Currently, the City of Edinburg is in the process of acquiring HEB Park from Toros Stadium LLC., which lists South Texas business magnate Alonso Cantu (Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Lone Star National Bank, RGV Vipers) as its registered agent. The university’s board of regents voted in late 2023 to acquire HEB Park from the City of Edinburg if they are able to successfully acquire the stadium.
UTRGV Football has committed to playing at least one home game a year in Brownsville’s Sams Memorial Stadium.
UPDATE 2/28/2024
UTRGV officially announced that they have acquired HEB Park, renaming it UTRGV Stadium.
UPDATE 3/21/2024
UTRGV announced the stadium will be re-named from UTRGV Stadium to the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.
Who is the head coach for UTRGV Football?
UTRGV Football’s head coach is Travis Bush.
From UTRGV: Collegiately, Bush held positions including assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and running backs coach at Houston from 2012-14, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UTSA from 2010-12, associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and wide receivers coach at Texas State from 2004-10, and assistant offensive line coach and graduate assistant at TCU from 2001-04.
Prior to accepting the position, Bush was most recently the head coach for the New Braunfels Canyon High School.
Bush’s family has ties to the Rio Grande Valley and is the son of 2011 RGV Sports Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Bush, who currently serves as UTRGV Football’s Director of High School Relations.
Who else is on UTRGV Football’s coaching staff?
Here is UTRGV Football’s current coaching staff:
| NAME | TITLE | EMAIL ADDRESS | PHONE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Bush | Head Coach | coachtbush | ||
| Brian Gamble | Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach | [email protected] | CoachBGamble | |
| Jeff Bowen | Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach | [email protected] | CoachJeffBowen | |
| Mike Schultz | Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach | [email protected] | CoachMcSchultz | |
| Adrian McDonald | Pass Game Coordinator/Safeties Coach/Recruiting Coordinator | [email protected] | CoachAdayMac11 | |
| Marcus Coleman | Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach | [email protected] | ||
| Chris Brasfield | Wide Receivers Coach/Player Development | [email protected] | ||
| Mike Barela | Tight Ends Coach | [email protected] | Coach_Barela | |
| James Lockhart IV | Outside Linebackers Coach | [email protected] | COACH__LOCK | |
| Nate Langford | Defensive Line Coach | [email protected] | coachlangford46 | |
| Marco Regalado | Running Backs Coach/Recruiting Coordinator | [email protected] | CoachRegalado |
Who is on UTRGV Football’s current roster?
Here is UTRGV Football’s current roster:
| Name | POS | HT | WT | YR | Hometown | Last School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Alvarado | DE | 6-2 | 220 | Fr. | Laredo, Texas | John B. Alexander HS |
| Ja'Marcus Anderson | DE | 6-2 | 240 | Fr. | Houston, Texas | Dickinson HS |
| Sergio Aparicio | QB | 5-10 | 165 | Fr. | Pharr, Texas | PSJA North HS |
| Caleb Blocker | RB | 5-9 | 190 | Fr. | Katy, Texas | Katy Tompkins HS |
| Mehkhi Blue | OL | 6-6 | 275 | Fr. | Harlingen, Texas | Marine Military Academy |
| Ian Box | OLB | 6-3 | 230 | R-So. | Seguin, Texas | Lamar University |
| Trey Bright | LB | 6-2 | 225 | Fr. | Mont Belvieu, Texas | Barbers Hill HS |
| Zion Brown | QB | 6-0 | 181 | Fr. | Atascocita, Texas | Atascocita HS |
| Brennan Carroll | RB | 5-8 | 170 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas | Roosevelt HS |
| Atzel Chavez Jr. | QB | 6-1 | 170 | Fr. | Laredo, Texas | United HS |
| Tristan Compton | LS | 6-1 | 235 | Fr. | Hutto, Texas | Hutto HS |
| Kayden Cooper | DB | 6-1 | 185 | Fr. | Houston, Texas | New Caney HS |
| TJ Dement | RB | 5-8 | 180 | Fr. | Boerne, Texas | Boerne HS |
| Tony Diaz | WR | 5-11 | 175 | Fr. | San Marcos, Texas | San Marcos HS |
| Danny Garcia | DL | 6-1 | 275 | Fr. | Pharr, Texas | PSJA North HS |
| Dante Garcia | OL | 6-2 | 280 | Fr. | Pharr, Texas | PSJA North HS |
| Landen Gaskamp | LB | 6-0 | 215 | Fr. | Mont Belvieu, Texas | Barbers Hill HS |
| Cameron Glenn | WR | 6-2 | 170 | Fr. | Humble, Texas | Atascocita HS |
| Jose Gonzalez-Vargas | OL | 6-2 | 260 | Fr. | Laredo, Texas | United HS |
| Mateo Grajeda | TE | 6-4 | 235 | Fr. | El Paso, Texas | Coronado HS |
| Jaiden Haygood | LB | 6-0 | 195 | Fr. | Converse, Texas | Judson HS |
| Roman Hernandez | OL | 6-7 | 275 | Fr. | El Paso, Texas | Eastlake HS |
| Nick Hughes | OL | 6-4 | 275 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas | Central Catholic HS |
| Aidan Jakobsohn | QB | 6-0 | 150 | Fr. | Ingleside, Texas | Ingleside HS |
| Brenden Jones | OL | 6-6 | 300 | Fr. | San Marcos, Texas | San Marcos HS |
| Jaylan Jones | DL | 6-1 | 265 | Fr. | Cibolo, Texas | Byron P. Steele II HS |
| Nathan Luschen | TE | 6-4 | 220 | Fr. | Cuero, Texas | Cuero HS |
| Jaxson Maynard | LB | 6-2 | 230 | Fr. | Bulverde, Texas | Smithson Valley HS |
| Dakories Moment | DB | 5-10 | 170 | Fr. | Fort Worth, Texas | Brewer HS |
| Gunner Naivar | WR | 6-0 | 165 | Fr. | Converse, Texas | Prestonwood Christian Academy |
| Oscar Nnanna | DB | 6-10 | 170 | Fr. | Cypress, Texas | Bridgeland HS |
| Boone Partee | K | 5-11 | 165 | Fr. | New Braunfels, Texas | New Braunfels HS |
| Nicholas Peace | DB | 5-11 | 170 | Fr. | Texas City, Texas | Dickinson HS |
| Jamal Polley | RB | 5-8 | 170 | Fr. | Edinburg, Texas | Robert Vela HS |
| Alijah Prosser | DB | 5-10 | 160 | Fr. | Manor, Texas | Manor HS |
| William Rogalinski | P | 5-11 | 220 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas | Sandra Day O'Connor HS |
| Jaxson Shupe | ATH | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | Edinburg, Texas | Robert Vela HS |
| Aidan Smith | LB | 6-2 | 215 | Fr. | New Braunfels, Texas | Canyon HS |
| Tyler Staton | DN | 6-4 | 220 | Fr. | Lockhart, Texas | Lockhart HS |
| Juan'Yae Taylor | ATH | 5-10 | 175 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas | Wagner HS |
| DaCorien Thompson | DN | 6-1 | 250 | Fr. | Crowley, Texas | North Crowley HS |
| Luke Valdez | WR | 6-2 | 190 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas | Sandra Day O'Connor HS |
| Joe Derek Vecchio | OL | 6-2 | 284 | Fr. | Pharr, Texas | PSJA North HS |
| Jayven Villasenor | DB | 5-11 | 175 | Fr. | Laredo, Texas | United HS |
| Cah'lil Ward | DB | 5-10 | 175 | Fr. | League City, Texas | Clear Creek HS |
| Caleb Warren | LB | 6-3 | 235 | Fr. | Lake Jackson, Texas | Brazoswood HS |
| Shane Werner | DB | 5-11 | 170 | Fr. | Round Rock, Texas | Stony Point HS |
| Nolan White | DB | 6-0 | 180 | Fr. | Port Arthur, Texas | Port Arthur Memorial HS |
| Jarius Williams | DB | 6-3 | 190 | Fr. | League City, Texas | Clear Springs HS |
| Jaden Wincher | DE | 6-3 | 240 | Fr. | Pearland, Texas | Pearland HS |
| Blake Zeller | OL | 6-5 | 280 | Fr. | New Braunfels, Texas | Canyon HS |
When will tickets go on sale for UTRGV Football?
There is no information on when UTRGV’s season tickets will go on sale or how much they will cost. However, you can place a $25 deposit to secure season tickets to UTRGV Football’s inaugural season for whenever they do go on sale.
As UTRGV’s inaugural season schedule has not been released, there is currently no information on single-game tickets.
What NCAA division will UTRGV Football play in?
UTRGV Football will play in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.
What conference will UTRGV Football play in?
UTRGV Football will play in the United Athletic Conference beginning in the Fall of 2025.
What is the UTRGV Football exhibition schedule for 2024?
UTRGV Football has no exhibition games currently on the schedule for 2024, although, this is likely to change by the Summer of 2024.
What is the UTRGV Football schedule for 2025?
UTRGV Football currently only has one opponent scheduled for 2025, the Houston Christian Huskies, to be played Saturday, September 27, 2025 in Houston as part of a home-and-home series that extends through the 2026 season.
As far as the rest of their schedule, being that they belong to the United Athletic Conference, they will likely play games against the following opponents:
Abilene Christian
Austin Peay
Central Arkansas
Eastern Kentucky
North Alabama
Southern Utah
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton State
Utah State
West Georgia
To date, UTRGV Football has not made any formal announcement regarding other non-conference opponents for the 2025 season.
What other teams is UTRGV Football scheduled to play?
UTRGV Football currently has two future opponents scheduled beyond their inaugural 2025 season.
For the 2026 season, UTRGV Football is scheduled to play a home game against Houston Christian in the final game of a home-and-home series.
UTRGV Football has also scheduled the Texas State Bobcats, a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent, for a series starting with games played at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos on September, 11, 2027, and September 14, 2030. Texas State will pay UTRGV $300,000 for their first game and $350,000 for their second game.
Will UTRGV Football have a marching band?
Yes, UTRGV Football will have a marching band. Currently, the marching band is being headed by new UTRGV director of bands, Ronnie Rios, who previously served as the longtime band director for Harlingen High School.
Will UTRGV Football be in the EA College Football 25 video game?
Nope.
We’ll keep this page up until someone at UTRGV Football decides to legitimize this team and provide them with a Wikipedia page.
