McALLEN — When he walked into the RGV Combine on Saturday morning, Brownsville Pace senior running back Marc Garcia had no idea he would be leaving with a possible life-changing opportunity.
After blazing past the competition with a 4.61 40-yard dash, Garcia was named Combine MVP and earned the services of CJ Cavazos and his recruiting expertise free of charge.
“This is a major blessing,” said Garcia, who accumulated 788 total yards and 10 touchdowns in his senior season. “I’m from Brownsville where people don’t really get offers like this. It is a true blessing. I woke up in the morning not thinking I was going to do that well. I kind of had doubt. But it’s all in God’s hands.”
While Garcia’s combine numbers caught the eye of RGV Combine host CJ Cavazos, it was his (Garcia’s) drive that left a lasting impression.
“I always want to help one kid from the Valley when I come down,” Cavazos said. “I want to help change his life. To tell me that the kid woke up in his home this morning, drove himself over here from Brownsville and competed the way he competed? He’s pretty darn good. I can’t wait to see his film. His film is probably ridiculous. And I’m really excited to help him.”
The RGV Combine, which took place Jan. 15-16 at the Cavazos Sports Institute, gave athletes from the Valley and across Texas a chance to showcase their talents in front of two of the top recruiting websites in the nation — Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.
Upon arriving to the facility, athletes had their physical measurements, including height, weight, wingspan and hand size, taken before participating in a series of combine events.
Following the combine, athletes were addressed by a series of speakers. Among those speakers was 247 Sports recruiting insider Brian Perroni, who stressed the importance of combines and being realistic to both athletes and parents in attendance.
“Be realistic and do your work,” Perroni said. “It’s a job if you want to play college football. You can find scholarships. Even lower levels, if they are not technically allowed to give scholarship, they can find ways to get you some sort of money. It can happen through other means. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with playing at a lower level. Not very many people get to go play after high school. Most people their final high school game is the last time they put on pads. You want to put on pads again? Do the work.”
The event, which was originally slated for July 2020 but was postponed due to a rising number of COVID-19 case in the RGV at the time, featured more 50 athletes take advantage of an opportunity that has not been available to many amidst the ongoing pandemic.
“We had right over 50, close to 60 kids,” said Jaime Cavazos, CSI founder and co-host of the combine. “It was awesome. I think we weeded out a lot of the athletes that are not serious. Everyone here ran well, jumped well, exploded well. So, these are the kids that want to get to that next level. They welcome any and every opportunity to get there. Life is about opportunities.”
Among those athletes was Sharyland Pioneer standout sophomore wide receiver Joseph Graham Jr. Graham, who racked up 1,075 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this past season, joined Garcia in being recognized as one of the combine’s top performers after running a 4.66 40-yard dash.
“It just feels like it’s all paying off,” Graham said. “All the hard work I’m putting in. It feels good. I am trying to get more looked at. See who my competition is next year. Just trying to get prepared. It’s a very good experience, especially for the Valley. I really appreciate it.”
Overall, CJ Cavazos deemed the combine a success and hopes to come back soon with a bigger and better experience for the Valley.
“I think the Valley athletes learned a lot today,” CJ Cavazos said. “They learned that there is a baseline. They know that they have to start somewhere to get somewhere. Everybody knows that track times don’t lie. Jumps don’t lie. Everybody understands that that’s what football is. Football is a measurable sport. Height, weight and speed. It’s going to teach a lot of parents and a lot of kids how they can be prepared for tomorrow and be realistic about where they want to play college football.”