MISSION — Mission Veterans senior receiver AJ Gonzaque signed a national letter of intent to continue his athletic and academic career at the University of Texas at San Antonio on Thursday with friends, family, coaches and teammates by his side.
UTSA is a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school which competes in Conference-USA.
“It’s just a blessing to see everyone come out, especially in a time like this. To spend time with me on my special day, I’m just very blessed to be in this opportunity,” Gonzaque said.
Gonzaque was the Patriots’ No. 1 receiver over the last three years and established himself as one of the top pass catchers in RGV football history.
As a senior, Gonzaque hauled in 45 catches for 758 yards and 11 total touchdowns in six games played for Mission Veterans.
A three-time APSE All-State player, Gonzaque finished his high school football career with 149 receptions for 2,731 yards and 34 receiving touchdowns. He also threw for 1,288 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 538 yards and seven touchdowns in five games as a quarterback during his junior season.
“I want to thank my family, my mom, my grandma, my uncle and aunt for putting this all together, and all my friends who have been here supporting me through everything,” he said.
Gonzaque is the third Class of 2021 recruit from the RGV to sign with the Roadrunners as he’ll be teaming up with former Sharyland Pioneer quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger and Edinburg Vela offensive lineman Ronnie Garza.
UTSA’s 2021 recruiting class also earned the No. 1 ranking in C-USA, according to recruiting websites Rivals and 24/7 Sports.
This past season, the UTSA Roadrunners went 7-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play under first-year head coach Jeff Traylor, which ranked No. 2 in C-USA’s West Zone.
“I’m very excited in the way coach Traylor runs his team. It’s not only to be a great football team, but to be great men on the field and off the field,” Gonzaque said. “He just wants us to be overall great people in the world. I’m very excited and I think we’re going to do a lot of damage and win some conference championships.”