Brazosport ISD’s Caleb Warren celebrated Signing Day with Linebackers Coach, and former Athletics Director, Alan Weddell. He'd been there for Warren in the past, and this coach stepped up again for the linebacker to help advance his football career. The picture between player and coach took place after Warren signed his national letter of intent to play football at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, a reality that seemed unlikely a couple of months ago amid de-committing from Louisiana Monroe! Congratulations to these two for their shared success and special connection!
Warren initially committed to the University of Louisiana Monroe in July. However, Head Coach Terry Bowden was let go in November, forcing Warren to de-commit from the Division 1 program in December and test the choppy waters of recruiting with the transfer portal in full swing. By January, he was “playing it by ear.” Vaqueros’ Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach, Brain Gamble, was a player for Weddell when Weddell coached at Texas A&M, Warren said. Gamble was a four-year starting backer of the Aggies from 1999-2002. Gamble and Warren have been in contact since Gamble coached inside linebackers at Texas State.
Meanwhile, Weddell gave Warren other options, including Texas State and Stephen F. Austin, but Warren said UTRGV was the right fit. Warren is part of the first signing class in school history. The Vaqueros will have a practice season in 2024 before ramping up for their first season of Division I FCS competition in 2025, according to the school’s athletics website. The Vaqueros are under the direction of Travis Bush, who became the program’s first head coach Dec. 12, 2022. Starting a new program is nothing new for Bush. He helped to start the University of Texas San Antonio program from scratch. The Roadrunners used 2010 as a practice year before winning four games with a team made up almost entirely of freshmen in 2011, according to the UTRGV athletics website.
The school broke ground on the Vaqueros Performance Center, a 45,000-square-foot facility, in 2023. The program will begin practicing in the fall, and the facility is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025. At UTRGV, Warren will go in as an inside linebacker and he was previously a second-team inside backer his senior year with 80 tackles, five for loss and an interception. In regards to his educational career, Warren plans to study mechanical engineering.
Blog by: Michelle Martinez, Intern, UT Austin
Sources: The Facts Article & Brazosport ISD website.