Two Weeks Into UTRGV Camp, the QB Battle Gets the Attention. These Other Names Are Getting Interesting

Photo Graphic created by DITV956 intern Jayden Longoria

The quarterback battle is going to get the attention.

That is understandable.

Who takes the first snap for UTRGV will be one of the biggest questions surrounding this team until we have an answer.

But two weeks into camp, the more I look at what is happening around that competition, the more interested I am in the other roles starting to take shape.

RGVSports’ Week 2 camp report gave fans some valuable details to work with — from first-team reps to some of the players beginning to emerge deeper in the rotation.

Those observations, combined with what DITV saw firsthand at UTRGV’s open practice in Brownsville, give us a little more to connect now than we had even a few days ago.

Who is getting opportunities? Who keeps showing up in the rotation? And which players could make the difference between UTRGV having starters and actually having depth?

That is what I’m watching.

There is also an important distinction here.

One practice tells us who got the reps that day. A pattern tells us who the coaches may actually be starting to trust.

DITV saw some of those early clues in Brownsville.

That afternoon, Aidan Jakobsohn appeared to take the first quarterback reps, while Jaiden Haygood and Spencer Rich were working in the middle of the defense. Alijah Prosser and TJ Neal were also among the familiar names with the first secondary group.

Brownsville was only one controlled public practice.

RGVSports’ Week 2 observations now give us another set of notes to place beside what DITV saw firsthand.

That still does not make anything official.

UTRGV also has a closed intrasquad scrimmage ahead that could make some of these roles clearer — or change them quickly.

Yes, the QB Battle Still Matters

RGVSports reported Aidan Jakobsohn working with the first team, with Garret Rangel working with the second group.

That does not mean the quarterback competition is finished.

But Jakobsohn getting those opportunities matters, especially because DITV also saw him getting the early quarterback work in Brownsville.

That is starting to look less like one isolated practice note and more like a pattern worth tracking.

Now the scrimmage gives us another checkpoint.

Maybe UTRGV Doesn’t Need an RB1

Fabian Garcia and TJ Dement have been sharing first-team work, while Malachi Lane and Brennan Carrollgive UTRGV more options behind them.

Maybe the rotation itself becomes the strength.

The scrimmage could start separating roles in protection, short-yardage situations and explosive-play opportunities.

There may eventually be an RB1 on a piece of paper.

That does not necessarily mean UTRGV has to play like it has one.

Reid Mikeska Is a Name to Watch at Tight End

Reid Mikeska has been taking first-team tight end reps, which makes his role another one worth following.

This is not about declaring the job won.

It is about opportunity.

If Mikeska proves dependable as both a blocker and receiving option, the Vaqueros gain another way to create mismatches without changing personnel.

The Receiver Battle Is Bigger Than Three Starting Spots

Wide receiver might be the hardest position on this roster to reduce to a traditional depth chart.

UTRGV has multiple options with Alex Green, Jaydon Smith, Cameron Glenn, Tavian Cord, Kyran Lee and Clint Thomas Jr.

I’m less interested in which three names get labeled starters.

I’m more interested in which five or six receivers earn enough trust to stay in the weekly rotation.

That is where the upcoming scrimmage could become important.

The Offensive Line Has Something Valuable: Continuity

There appears to be less mystery up front.

Wes Thompson, Nick Hughes, Abram Nicklas and Gannon Lauer give UTRGV an experienced returning foundation, with TK Mina working at right guard.

That continuity gives the offense a solid base while the other battles develop.

DITV also observed Mina and Lauer in walking boots during the Brownsville practice, with no status announced by UTRGV at the time.

That does not tell us how serious anything was.

It simply makes the offensive-line combinations another area worth monitoring.

Jackson Waid Is a Rotation Note Worth Watching

We already know what Jaiden Haygood and Spencer Rich bring.

They finished first and second on the team in tackles last season, with Haygood recording 102 and Rich 98.

What happens behind them is where things get interesting.

One of the smaller details from RGVSports’ Week 2 observations that caught my attention was Jackson Waid’s place in the linebacker rotation.

Waid recorded 39 tackles in 11 games last season, so this is not a name suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

We are not declaring him LB3.

But somebody has to become the next linebacker UTRGV trusts behind Haygood and Rich.

Waid already has game experience.

Now he has another opportunity to make that role bigger.

JaMarcus Anderson Could Be Making the Leap

If there is one name outside the obvious returning headliners that I’m particularly interested in watching, it might be JaMarcus Anderson.

Anderson finished last season with 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and five quarterback hurries.

RGVSports has also highlighted his strong start to camp.

Put those two things together and there is a legitimate question worth asking:

How much bigger can Anderson’s role become?

UTRGV does not necessarily need one defensive lineman to carry the pass rush.

It needs enough disruptive players that offenses cannot identify one threat, adjust protection and feel comfortable everywhere else.

If Anderson keeps producing when the situations become more game-like, UTRGV’s defensive-line depth becomes something opponents actually have to account for.

Neal and Prosser Have Already Proven It

The secondary is another position group where the word “competition” needs context.

TJ Neal and Alijah Prosser are not projections. They have already produced.

Neal finished last season with 69 tackles and an interception.

Prosser recorded 47 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions.

Prosser’s nine tackles for loss from the STAR position are particularly interesting because they show how much he can affect plays near the line of scrimmage.

DITV also saw Neal and Prosser working prominently with the defense in Brownsville.

So the question is not necessarily whether UTRGV has pieces in the secondary.

It is who emerges around them.

Which corner earns more snaps?

Which safety becomes another trusted option?

Those are exactly the kinds of roles that can move during a scrimmage.

DITV Final Take

Two weeks into camp, yes, I’m watching the quarterbacks.

Everybody is.

But that is not the only thing that could determine how good UTRGV becomes in Year 2.

I’m watching whether Mikeska turns first-team opportunities into a real role.

I’m watching which receivers force their way onto the field.

I’m watching Waid behind two of the most productive linebackers on the roster.

I’m watching whether Anderson is actually making the leap.

And I’m watching who emerges around Neal and Prosser in the secondary.

Now comes another important checkpoint.

The closed scrimmage gives those players an opportunity to change the conversation.

The quarterback battle will get the headlines.

But the players who turn limited opportunities into trusted roles might ultimately tell us just as much about UTRGV’s ceiling in 2026.

DITV Note: RGVSports’ Week 2 camp reporting is cited throughout where applicable. DITV’s Brownsville observations, analysis and perspective are independent. Statistical context comes from UTRGV’s 2025 season statistics.