It's been said that you can measure a person's true success by how others think of them. In other words, it's all about the respect that person is given. When you ask those who were the teammates of UTSA's Brandon Garza what they think of him, to a person you will get that word “respect” back from them and all of them will comment about how great of a teammate he was during his stint as a Roadrunner.
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A celebrated athlete coming out of Harlingen High School, he was a 2013 5A All-State Honorable Mention and was named Offensive Player of the Year and All-South Texas MVP by High School Sports Magazine that same year. He would lead his team to two District 32-5A championships while throwing for a school record 2,821 yards and 28 touchdowns his senior year.
Because of the prowess he displayed with his right arm, Garza earned a preferred walk-on position at the University of Houston under then Head Coach Tom Herman. He would ride with the Cougars to an improbable upset over Florida State in the 2015 Peach Bowl. After that season, Garza would transfer to UTSA and walk-on with the Roadrunners in 2016.
While he only saw the field once, in UTSA's 44-14 victory over Texas State in 2017, Garza proved to be invaluable to his teammates and coaches. His value was fully recognized when he was rewarded with a full scholarship at the start of his junior campaign. He graduated in December of 2019 and is now pursuing his passion by offering private quarterback tutoring across South Texas. He took some time away recently to talk about his decision to come to UTSA, his passion for the school and program, and also weigh in on the helmet logo debate.
EM: So, Brandon, knowing that you started originally at the University of Houston, how did you ultimately decide on attending UTSA?
BG: Yeah, so I got offered a preferred walk-on spot there at the U of H and I got to take part in the Peach Bowl run in 2015. I got to be around Coach Tom Herman and Coach Major Applewhite. Being around that whole team and that whole experience was such a blessing for me. It was awesome to have a conference championship and a Peach Bowl championship be a part of my first college experience. After that year though, I was in the quarterback room and we had seven or eight quarterbacks and it got to be a little too crowded.
Funny story though, UTSA was actually my first choice coming out of high school. I told the coaching staff at the time that I had this preferred walk-on spot at Houston, but this was where I wanted to be at. They told me sorry, but they had already given out their preferred walk-on spot to someone else. The guy they offered that spot to? That was Dalton Sturm. I think it worked out pretty well for both of us and he is one of my best friends.
After that 2015 season, I talked to Major Applewhite and told him I was thinking about transferring and that there was only one school that I wanted to go to and that was UTSA. Major was willing to do what ever he could to help me. [Former UTSA Offensive Coordinator] Frank Scelfo actually recruited Major when Major when he was a high school player. So, Major called him and put in a word for me and I told him that all I needed was a walk-on opportunity and I'd do the rest. It all worked out for me and I walked on as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
EM: So, what was it about UTSA that really made you want to go here?
BG: I will tell you a story about that. So, I'm from the Rio Grande Valley and for me, UTSA was a realistic dream school that I had a chance that I could go to and play for. At the time, UTSA had a Hispanic quarterback in Eric Soza.
He kind of put the idea in my head when I was a junior in high school. I thought that one day I could go to UTSA and represent the school the way he did. UTSA also just had a lot of things I was looking for in a school. It was a new program, San Antonio has a lot of Hispanic residents, and it just looked like a great school.
EM: I personally think that those videos that they show of walk-on players getting their scholarships are some of the best things out there. How did you find out you were being put on scholarship? How did they break that news to you?
BG: Yeah, you know, as a walk-on, that's your main goal. Ask every single walk-on what they're looking for and they'll tell you the main things are that they want to play and that they want to earn a scholarship.
It was a funny story because I got home like two days before school started in 2018. I just told my parents that I wasn't going to get a scholarship because it was so late in the year and we were just about to have our inter-squad scrimmage at the Alamodome that day. I called them and said I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm going to get put on this year and I just wanted to let them know that I did everything I could.
That was actually going to be my last year of playing because I was going to graduate in December. So, I told them that and that day, we had our team meeting and they put a big PowerPoint up on the screen saying I was on scholarship. It was awesome. It truly hit me out of nowhere and I was shocked. Yeah, I would see those videos too and I thought one day, one day. To finally have it happen going all the way back to Houston was just such an honor.
EM: So, a lot has happened with the program since you left in December. What are your thoughts on the program and the new staff coming in?
BG: I've met [new Head Coach Jeff Traylor] once and I think everything that people have said about him is true. He's a standup guy, a great coach, and he wants to win and he will do everything he can to win.
He's doing things the right way and I trust [Athletics Director] Lisa Campos and the leadership of the university to bring in an individual that is going to do great things for us. I think they are doing that with Coach Traylor. I wish nothing but success for him and the school will always have my support no matter who is in charge. I hope all of the players feel the same way.
EM: Tell us a little bit about what you're doing now. You just recently started offering private quarterback coaching clinics. Was this something you've always wanted to do? Do you see yourself coaching at some point?
BG: This is something that I've had a vision of for a very long time. Obviously, as an NCAA athlete, I wasn't able to make any money doing this while I was playing. But I actually used to help and train guys for free when I was a player. I would help guys from my school back home and now that I've graduated, I wanted to get this thing going.
What I've learned about being a quarterback, I just wanted to put it all together and put it into practice and teach high school and college players the way of being successful at that spot. That's what I've been doing right now and the interest that I've gotten for it has been crazy. I make trips to Corpus Christi to train every other weekend and I make trips to the Rio Grande Valley every other weekend and of course when I'm home in San Antonio I'm training, as well.
I felt that I've always had a purpose in life so why not offer to teach something that I truly love which is being a quarterback in the game of football. As for coaching, of course. Not going into details, but there are opportunities out there and I did think about it, but right now I think what's best for me is offering what I'm doing in the private sector as an individual coach.
EM: Last thing for you, Brandon, what does being a Roadrunner mean to you?
BG: Being a Roadrunner, to me, means doing everything you can to represent the university. You have to do everything you can to represent that 'UTSA' across your chest. Wherever you are, whatever you do, you're doing your part to enhance the program and the university. If you're a UTSA Roadrunner, be proud to be a UTSA Roadrunner.
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way
