Ali Halloum 2025 Vaqueros’ year in review
Draya Rios/THE RIDER
After seeming like a distant goal at the passage of the student referendum four years ago, the first-ever season in the history of UTRGV’s football program is now in the books.
The Vaqueros concluded the 2025 season with a 9-3 overall record, the most wins ever by a first-year Football Championship Subdivision program. They also made history by going undefeated at home.
Following the season finale, head coach Travis Bush, who was at the helm since the inception of Vaquero football, said what he saw during the last 13 weeks was “special.”
“We talk about that unity being the secret,” Bush said. “But [when] you get that bond, that love for the group, special things can happen.”
He said preparations for next season are already ongoing, and the priority is not only to reflect on their performances but to see how their roster will shape up in 2026.
“The challenge is to keep learning, keep growing and keep building,” Bush said. “We evaluate what we need in the offseason, start building the offseason, and really looking into where we’ve got to improve, looking at our stuff, looking at ourselves as a staff [and] where we’ve got to improve schematically.”
The head coach added while UTRGV’s 2025 roster prioritized adding seniors with college football playing experience, the Vaqueros will begin recruiting as soon as possible to construct the 2026 squad.
Of the seniors that made an impact in 2025, redshirt senior quarterback and Sharyland Pioneer alum Eddie Lee Marburger became the face of the team both on and off the field.
“I was emotional because I love each one of these guys,” Marburger said. “[The Valley] is the place to be, honestly. It’s such a strong brotherhood that you could have for the rest of your life.”
The Vaqueros signal-caller finished his final season in college football by going 9-3 with 2,780 yards, where he totalled 35 touchdowns (31 pass, 4 rush) against 7 interceptions.
The 2025 season was, in Bush’s words, “a perfect start for us and a perfect ending for [Marburger].”
The Vaqueros’ defense allowed an average of 13 points in wins. Graduate defensive end Amari Pouncy was great in the pass rush (36 tackles, 3.0 sacks) in his final season in college football.
Graduate running back Nathan Denney said the team was “fired up” after seeing a preseason poll where UTRGV was projected to finish dead last in the conference, while redshirt senior defensive back Logic Hudgens said he was “thankful,” adding this brought them together.
“We’re not just playing for us; we’re playing for the Valley,” Hudgens said.
Recruiting season began the day after the final game, and Bush said the team’s priority is finding players who fit UTRGV’s team culture and how it coaches and schemes its players.
“We start from scratch, but the standard set,” Bush said. “This is how we work. This is how we roll. It’s important that we’ve got to do our due diligence and go find those guys. But once they’re here, we’ve got to build that chemistry from the ground up again. So, that’s the biggest piece.”
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