UTRGV Has More Preseason Honorees Than Two Teams Picked Ahead of It

Is UTRGV closer to the Southland title race than fourth place suggests?

The Vaqueros were picked fourth in the Southland, but their 12 Phil Steele selections suggest the roster may be ready to push past that prediction.

Fourth place looks reasonable—until you start counting names.

UTRGV was picked to finish behind Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana and Lamar in the 2026 Southland Conference preseason poll.

Then Phil Steele’s preseason All-Southland teams came out.

The Vaqueros placed 12 players on the list, the second-highest total in the conference. Only SFA, with 14 selections, had more.

Southeastern had nine.

Lamar had five.

That does not automatically make the preseason poll wrong. It does suggest UTRGV may have more talent than its fourth-place position initially reveals.

There is a difference between being respected and being trusted.

The Southland clearly respects the Vaqueros’ roster. UTRGV had four offensive selections, five defensive selections and three special-teams selections. Six Vaqueros earned first-team recognition, and the honors reached nearly every part of the team.

This is not a preseason case built around one star.

It is three offensive linemen receiving recognition. It is Jaiden Haygood and Spencer Rich returning in the middle of the defense. It is TJ Neal and Alijah Prosser representing the secondary. It is a roster with proven players in the areas that usually decide close conference games.

But trust is earned differently.

SFA, Southeastern and Lamar were UTRGV’s three losses last season. All three reached the FCS playoffs. The Vaqueros won nine games, surprised nearly everyone and became relevant immediately, but they did not beat the three programs now sitting above them.

That is why fourth place is not disrespect.

It is the conference saying: We see the talent. Now show us the next step.

UTRGV will get that opportunity in Edinburg, where SFA, Southeastern and Lamar are all scheduled to visit in 2026.

Those games will determine whether the Vaqueros are simply one of the Southland’s most talented teams or whether they are ready to become one of its best.

The preseason honors have already changed the conversation. UTRGV has more recognized players than two teams picked ahead of it.

Now comes the part that matters more.

Can the Vaqueros turn those names into the wins that move them from fourth place into the Southland championship race?

DITV956 Final Word: 

The conference has acknowledged UTRGV’s talent. What it has not done yet is move out of the Vaqueros’ way. That part will have to be settled on the field.