The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros will start a football program, the school officially announced on Friday.
UTRGV will play their first season of football in 2025 and will compete in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In their first year of competition, the Vaqueros will be considered a full member of the FCS and will be eligible for NCAA postseason play.
Below is a timeline release by the school for the building of their new football program:
- 2022-23 – The hiring of a head football coach and two coordinators in preparation for the program’s first competitive season in 2025.
- 2023-24 – The remaining assistant coaches and support staff will be hired.
- 2023-24 – Signing of the first recruiting class.
- 2024-25 – The football program conducts a practice year.
- 2024-25 and 2025-26 – The expected football roster will be named to include 60 and 90 student-athletes, respectively.
- Fall 2025 – First football game to be played.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is the southernmost member of the University of Texas system with their main campuses in Edinburg and Brownsville.
The Vaqueros plan to play at least one football game per season at Memorial Stadium in Brownsville, Texas. The remainder of their home games will likely be contested at HEB Park in Edinburg, Texas. HEB Park, which has a seating capacity of 9,735, is the home of the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros soccer team of the USC Championship.
Barring no additional changes, the WAC will have six football-playing members beginning with the 2025 season: Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton State, Utah Tech, and UTRGV.