SAN ANTONIO — UTRGV’s first football game is a little over a year away, but the Vaqueros took center stage Monday at Southland Conference Football Media Day at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio.

Head coach Travis Bush was flanked by freshman running back Brennan Carroll and freshman linebacker Jaxson Maynard as the trio shared their excitement on their upcoming practice season and becoming the newest Division I football program scheduled to hit the field Aug. 30, 2025, at home against Sul Ross State.

“We’re excited to have these two men with us here, two hometown guys from San Antonio,” Bush said. “The main thing (in Year 1) is setting the foundation and culture for the team. We have to build that from the ground up, and as far as practice, everyone’s going to be a true freshman, everyone’s going to redshirt. Anywhere else in the nation, they’re just playing scout team, but they’re going to have the opportunity to get every rep, learn the offense, learn the defense, compete for spots, and really have that practice season to really develop. Coming in from August 18 to the end of the season on November 28, they are going to develop more than any other redshirt freshman in the nation, so really making sure we maximize that time and our efforts to develop them the best we can.”

The Southland Conference is composed of 12 full-time members — Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce,Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV.

Carroll and Maynard, who attended high school at San Antonio Roosevelt and Smithson Valley, respectively, spoke on what swayed them to commit to play college football for UTRGV, the challenge of building something new and how the Vaqueros will approach the 2024 practice season, set to begin with practice in early September.

“It means a lot for Coach Bush to have trust in both of us to come in here as freshmen and represent the Valley. We’re just excited to get down there,” Carroll said. “I’m ready for it, ready to get down there and hopefully win some games for the Valley. … I had never really been down to the Valley, but Coach Bush had a vision and he showed me his vision and I fully believed in it and trusted him, so I told him I’m ready to be a part of this first class. Seeing the school, seeing everything around there definitely played a big part in my decision.”

“We’re definitely going to try and set the tone in Year 1,” Maynard said. “It’s going to be a different environment. Having that extra year is going to make us get a lot closer, especially on defense. We’re going to have a whole year to get bigger, stronger, faster and just smarter on the field, which will help us develop on the field.”

The UTRGV football team will arrive on campus on Aug. 18 and begin strength and conditioning two days later. The Vaqueros won’t hold their first official football practice until after Labor Day in early September. The Vaqueros will then spend the entire 2024 season preparing for their Division I Football Championship Series debut on Aug. 30, 2025 at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

“I know we’ll enjoy watching the battles, too,” Bush said. “They (Carroll and Maynard) played against each other in an all-star game, just those battles at running back and linebacker, those will develop all through the season. As coaches, it’s about understanding the process, seeing who the guys that are going to come in and grow and develop, who’s going to take over what spot, that’s the fun part for us, just watching that competition everyday and those battles on the field.”

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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday that the UTRGV football team will host Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 4, 2027.

“As we build our schedules for the next few years, it was important to us to make sure that in the spirit of camaraderie, we host the closest college football team outside the Rio Grande Valley,” UTRGV vice president and director of athletics Chasse Conque said. “I appreciate athletic director Steve Roach and his willingness to make scheduling this matchup a priority for our fans. We have a great relationship between departments and coaching staffs. [UTRGV head] coach [Travis] Bush and [Texas A&M-Kingsville head] coach [Michael] Salinas are good friends and have already worked together to host multiple camps. This should be a great contest for both our teams, our fans, students, and alumni.”

UTRGV Football currently has four nonconference football games scheduled from 2025-2030 — Sul Ross State on Aug. 30, 2025 at home, Texas A&M-Kingsville on Sept. 4, 2027 at home, Texas State on Sept. 11, 2027 on the road, and Texas State on Sept. 14, 2030.

$25 for ‘25

Fans can reserve season tickets with a $25 deposit for the inaugural season of UTRGV football in 2025 at GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable and will be applied toward season ticket purchases.

UTRGV Athletics is still finalizing details regarding ticket prices and will announce prices in September. The plan is to offer a variety of price points with season tickets as low as $99 to ensure there is something for everyone.

Season tickets will include games at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium. UTRGV will host one game at Sams Stadium in Brownsville every year. Season ticket holders will have the option to purchase tickets for the Brownsville game during the select-a-seat process.

UTRGV Athletics is giving priority for choosing seats to current V Club members, season ticket holders of any sport, and corporate partners as part of the Vaqueros Loyalty Points program. For more information on Vaqueros Loyalty Points, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit GoUTRGV.com/LoyaltyPoints.

Fans with questions can contact the UTRGV Athletics ticketing team of Eddie Galvan (956-665-3415) and Ryela Rodriguez (956-665-3747) over the phone or through email at [email protected].

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EDINBURG — UTRGV officially became a member of the Southland Conference on Monday with July 1 marking the turn of the NCAA athletic calendar. UTRGV athletics held a ceremony Monday afternoon to unveil new Southland Conference logos on Sam Williams Court inside the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

“Definitely woke up with a little bit different pep in my step and I think our coaches and staff and hopefully student-athletes would say the same thing,” UTRGV vice president and athletic director Chasse Conque said. “So much has transpired since we made the official announcement back in March, but going back to the reasons why, this was solely focused on our student-athletes. It was in their best interest, we felt, to put them in a league that had a regional footprint. I love the institutions that we’re going to compete against, and now with the addition of Stephen F. Austin over the last couple weeks, you’ve got seven (schools) from right here in the state of Texas, five in Louisiana, so we’re really excited about today and excited about the future of UTRGV in the Southland Conference.”

The Southland Conference is composed of 12 full-time members — Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce,Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV.

UTRGV will compete in the Southland Conference in volleyball, women’s soccer, cross country, basketball, golf, tennis, track & field, baseball, and football beginning in 2025.

UTRGV’s men’s soccer and women’s swimming and diving teams will continue to compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UTRGV was a member of the WAC from 2013-2024.

UTRGV FOOTBALL NOTES

UTRGV football will begin fall practice at the beginning of September, UTRGV head football coach Travis Bush said Monday.

“We’re not having a training camp in August. They won’t come until school starts, we won’t practice really til September, but it’s going to be broken up like three mini spring trainings,” Bush said. “We’ll go about three weeks of good practice and give them an open week at the end of each month and do that September, October, November, so really you’re looking at about three spring balls worth of practice.”

Conque and Bush both confirmed UTRGV’s first football game in program history will be played on Aug. 30, 2025 against Sul Ross at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg.

“We are going to kickoff against Sul Ross on Aug. 30, 2025 at night at Vackar Stadium. Excited about that, excited about that opponent, and we’ll have more information coming with the rest of our schedule,” Conque said. “Obviously, we’ll play a full Southland Conference schedule that first year giving us eight conference games — four at home, four on the road — so we’re getting close. It’s hard to believe we’re 420 or so days away.”

“They came up to Division II and they’ve got a good program. They’re a good quality opponent,” Bush said. “There’s a lot of Sul Ross alumni down here, a lot of coaches down here, so I think it’ll be a good game with a good fan base for them and a good opener for us.”

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The PSJA North Raiders won five games Saturday morning to capture the 2024 Texas 7on7 State Tournament consolation bracket championship at Veterans Memorial Park in College Station.

The Raiders, who went 1-2 on Day 1 of the Division I state tournament Friday, defeated Harker Heights 26-24 in the consolation bracket championship to cap off a five-game winning streak.

Your 2024 Texas State 7-on-7 Tournament
Consolation Bracket CHAMPIONS: The PSJA North Raiders!@TexasGuard | #txhsfb #tx7on7 | @PSJANORTHECHS | @GPowersScout pic.twitter.com/PiQVaz5Krh

— Dave Campbell’s Texas Football — TexasFootball.com (@dctf) June 29, 2024

PSJA North also defeated rival PSJA High 13-7 in the semifinals to earn their spot in the consolation bracket title game. The Raiders won in Round 1 against Terrell 34-19, in Round 2 against San Antonio East Central 27-20 and in Round 3 against Friendswood 34-27.

PSJA High made its way to the consolation bracket semifinals against PSJA North with wins over Katy Cinco Ranch 26-20 in Round 1, El Paso Pebble 27-26 in Round 2 and Willis 27-26 in Round 3.

PSJA Memorial was the lone RGV team to qualify for the championship bracket but fell against eventual state champion DeSoto in the opening round by a score of 27-6 on Saturday. DeSoto defeated Austin Anderson 38-20 to win the Division I state title.

McAllen Rowe lost its Round 1 consolation bracket game against San Antonio East Central 26-7 and Mission High lost its Round 1 consolation bracket game against Willis 30-20.

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PSJA Memorial had a strong opening day at the 2024 Texas 7on7 State Tournament on Friday at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station to advance to Saturday’s championship bracket.

Five RGV teams — PSJA Memorial, McAllen Rowe, Mission High, PSJA High and PSJA North — are in College Station competing in the Division I state 7on7 tourney, while Santa Rosa was the lone Valley team to qualify and compete in the Division II & III tourneys, which concluded Friday.

PSJA Memorial finished second in Pool P on Friday with a 2-1 record to advance to the Division I championship bracket. The Wolverines defeated Lucas Lovejoy 24-13 and Friendswood 20-18 in pool play while losing 28-12 against Keller Central in pool play.

PSJA Memorial will meet DeSoto in the first round of Saturday’s Division I championship bracket at 8:45 a.m. 

The top two finishers in pool play advance to the championship bracket, while the bottom two finishers in pool play advance to the consolation bracket. Saturday’s championship and consolation brackets are single-elimination.

PSJA North finished third in Pool E with a 1-2 record, picking up a win over Dickinson while losing two against Coppell and Austin Anderson. PSJA North will meet Terrell at 8 a.m. Saturday in the Division I consolation bracket.

McAllen Rowe went 1-2 to finish third in Pool F with a 28-26 victory against Mesquite Horn and losses versus Tyler 34-20 and Richmond Randle 21-14. Rowe will face San Antonio East Central at 8 a.m. in the consolation bracket.

Mission won a tight game over Conroe Oak Ridge 27-26 but lost two against Frisco Wakeland 26-20 and Austin McCallum 20-14 to finish fourth in Pool I at 1-2. Mission will play Willis at 8 a.m. in consolation play.

PSJA High went 1-2 in Pool L with three close games. The Bears defeated Midlothian Heritage 33-28 but lost against Houston Strake Jesuit 22-20 and Buda Johnson 33-27 to finish fourth in pool play. PSJA High will square off against Katy Cinco Ranch at 8 a.m. in the Division I consolation bracket.

In the Division III tourney, Santa Rosa went 1-2 in pool play on Thursday with a 19-14 victory over Alpine. The Warriors lost to Gunter 25-6 in the first round of Friday’s championship bracket, as Gunter went on to win the Division III state title.

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WESLACO — Three more Rio Grande Valley teams punched their tickets to the Texas 7on7 State Tournament with victories at the RGV Mid-Valley Classic 7on7 State Qualifying Tournament on Saturday at Weslaco High School and Weslaco East School.

McAllen Rowe, Mission High and PSJA Memorial each won their respective brackets on Saturday to advance to next week’s state tourney in College Station, joining PSJA High and PSJA North, who advanced by winning at the Sharyland Snake Pit Classic two weeks ago.

The Texas 7on7 State Tournament takes place June 27-29 at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex in College Station featuring qualifiers from across the state.

Bracket 1

McAllen Rowe emerged victorious in Bracket 1 with Pool B wins against PSJA Southwest, 19-0, and Laredo Alexander, 33-20, before falling against Edinburg North 12-6. Two wins was enough to advance to the state qualifying round against the surprise Edinburg Economedes Jaguars, who defeated Weslaco High, 34-19, and McAllen Memorial, 14-13, in Pool A.

The Warriors scored on their final possession against the Jaguars on a touchdown throw from Elijah Garza to Alek Anzaldua for a 19-13 win, earning their third consecutive 7on7 state berth.

Bracket 2

Mission High took down Mercedes 31-27 in a back-and-forth state qualifying round matchup in Bracket 2 to clinch their second state tournament berth in three seasons.

Quarterback Diego Salinas drove the Eagles offense down the field with time ticking away to score the game-winning touchdown against the Tigers with just seconds remaining.

Mission made its way to the state qualifying round by defeating La Joya Palmview, 27-20, and Laredo United South, 33-21.

Mercedes won two games in pool play, 26-20 against Weslaco East and 26-7 against Sharyland High.

Bracket 3

PSJA Memorial is heading back to the Texas 7on7 State Tournament for the first time since 2010 after going undefeated in three games Saturday.

The Wolverines won a pair of tight games in pool play, 20-18 over Sharyland Pioneer and 21-20 against Harlingen South. PSJA Memorial then held Edinburg High to just one score in the state qualifying round for a 13-6 win to earn their spot at state.

The Bobcats also won two games in pool play with a close 21-20 victory over Mission Veterans and 13-6 win against Edcouch-Elsa before falling against the Wolverines.

 

RGV Mid-Valley Classic Results

Bracket 1 – At Weslaco High

Pool A

Weslaco High 21, McAllen Memorial 7

Brownsville Lopez 27, Edinburg Economedes 18

Edinburg Economedes 34, Weslaco High 19

McAllen Memorial 41, Brownsville Lopez 7

Weslaco High 25, Brownsville Lopez 15

Edinburg Economedes 14, McAllen Memorial 13

Pool B

Laredo Alexander 26, Edinburg North 20, OT

McAllen Rowe 19, PSJA Southwest 0

McAllen Rowe 33, Laredo Alexander 20

PSJA Southwest 26, Edinburg North 14

Edinburg North 12, McAllen Rowe 6

Laredo Alexander 24, PSJA Southwest 13

State Qualifying Round

McAllen Rowe 19, Edinburg Economedes 13

Bracket 2 – At Weslaco East

Pool C

Mercedes 26, Weslaco East 20

Sharyland High def. Laredo Nixon, FF

Weslaco East def. Laredo Nixon, FF

Mercedes 26, Sharyland High 7

Sharyland High 20, Weslaco East 8

Mercedes def. Laredo Nixon, FF

Pool D

Mission High 27, La Joya Palmview 20

Laredo United South 19, San Benito 14

Mission High 33, Laredo United South 21

La Joya Palmview 21, San Benito 7

Laredo United South 33, La Joya Palmview 14

San Benito 26, Mission High 12

State Qualifying Round

Mission High 31, Mercedes 27

 

Bracket 3 – At Weslaco East

Pool E

Edcouch-Elsa 18, Harlingen High 7

Edinburg High 21, MIssion Veterans 20

Edinburg High 13, Edcouch-Elsa 6

Mission Veterans 33, Harlingen High 21

Harlingen High 21, Edinburg High 13

Mission Veterans 22, Edcouch-Elsa 13

Pool F

PSJA Memorial 20, Sharyland Pioneer 18

Harlingen South def. Brownsville Veterans, FF

PSJA Memorial 21, Harlingen South 20

Sharyland Pioneer def. Brownsville Veterans, FF

Harlingen South 14, Sharyland Pioneer 13

PSJA Memorial def, Brownsville Veterans, FF

State Qualifying Round

PSJA Memorial 13, Edinburg High 6

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UTRGV Football will play its first game in program history at home against Sul Ross State on Aug. 30, 2025 at Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium in Edinburg, according to a report from FBSchedules.com.

A copy of a contract between UTRGV and Sul Ross State was obtained from UTRGV via a Texas Public Information Act request, according to the report, which states the Vaqueros will pay the Lobos a $50,000 guarantee for the game. UTRGV Athletics had no comment.

Sul Ross State, located in Alpine, is scheduled to move up from Division III and begin competing at the Division II level in Fall 2024 as part of the Lone Star Conference.

UTRGV Football will compete in the Southland Conference beginning in 2025. The Vaqueros will play an exhibition season in 2024 before kicking off Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) action on Aug. 30, 2025 against Sul Ross State.

The Vaqueros now have three nonconference games scheduled from 2025-2030 with Sul Ross State on Aug. 30, 2025, and two road games against Texas State on Sept. 11, 2027 and Sept. 14, 2030 in San Marcos.

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