By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
LOS FRESNOS — Nico Valencia comes from a family that doesn’t make small plans.
His older brother, Kike, is a freshman at Yale, where he is a mechanical engineering major on a full scholarship. And now Nico is going to uphold his family’s Ivy League tradition, which he formalized Wednesday by signing his letter of intent to play football for Columbia University in New York.
“My brother and I, we always wanted to go to the best school possible,” Valencia said. “I guess my brother being the first one to do that, it made it more tangible to me and to show myself and people at my school that is possible (to excel in higher education) if you work hard at it.”
After dominating gridirons across the Rio Grande Valley, Valencia is now headed for the concrete jungles of the Big Apple, where he plans to study financial economics and pursue a career in consulting or investment banking.
“There were a lot of great schools, and really there was no wrong choice,” Valencia said. “It was just about finding the best fit for me and where I felt the most comfortable, and also the best academic choice for me.”
The senior wide receiver was a four-year varsity letterman who starred on both sides of the ball for the Falcons, racking up 1,474 career receiving yards and 516 rushing yards during his final season at Los Fresnos.
Valencia said his coaches told him his versatility, which saw him play several skill position roles for the Falcons — including running back and a brief stint at quarterback — would make him more marketable to college coaches and recruiters.
“It was an adjustment, I wouldn’t say it was so much a challenge,” Valencia said about being asked to play multiple positions. “Really, I did anything to get the ball in my hands or help my team out at the end of the day, whatever the team needed. Whether it be defense — I’m (also) big special teams guy.”
As for Valencia’s transition to life on the East Coast, the Los Fresnos football and track standout said his first official visit to Columbia also was his first trip to New York. It came after a prompt from coach Patrick Brown to widen his search beyond Yale, which appealed to him because of the opportunity to be close to his brother.
“I made him go up to New York City,” Brown said. “And he came back with a different twinkle in his eye. Their coaching staff came down here two different times. … We don’t get a lot of traffic down here period. So for a school in New York City to come down here and recruit him, it’s pretty unbelievable.”
Ultimately, Valencia and his family were grateful he took the leap of faith to forge his own Ivy League trail.
“I was kind of scared, I thought it would be a big adjustment,” Valencia said. “But being there, I felt very comfortable with the coaching staff. You’re in New York, so everything’s there. It’s a great fit, and I’m looking forward to everything.”
Being welcomed into a prestigious academic circle was cause enough for celebration — so much so that the signing ceremony was held in the gymnasium instead of the usual lecture hall. To further accommodate a large crowd of friends and family and fellow Los Fresnos student-athletes at the last minute, the pullout bleachers were fully extended, as they are on game days.
“He may be one of the single greatest young men (I’ve encountered),” Brown said. “(In terms of) quality, and (being a) ‘yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am, no ma’am’ type kid. You would dream that all young men would emulate him.”