Marburger, Smith Flores standing out in UTRGV QB and TE rooms

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EDINBURG — Spring ball is nearing its end for the UTRGV football team as the Vaqueros held their final full practice Monday at the Vaqueros Performance Center in Edinburg.

All that remains is a light walk-through Wednesday before UTRGV kicks off its first spring game in program history at 6 p.m. Thursday at Brownsville Veterans Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

“For us, it’s kind of a fun finish to spring and an opportunity for the fans to get out there and see the team, as well,” UTRGV head coach Travis Bush said about Thursday’s spring game.

For the past six weeks, Bush and the Vaqueros coaching staff have evaluated the roster as players have moved up and down running with the first, second and third teams. There is no official depth chart until August, but a strong spring sets guys up to compete for starting spots and playing time this summer and fall.

While UTRGV’s roster is still made up mostly of freshmen, a handful of transfers who joined the program in January have stood out. Bush said the Vaqueros will continue to look to improve the team during the April transfer window by bolstering a few key positions.

Two positions that have seen transfer players step in with strong springs have been at quarterback and tight end with Sharyland Pioneer alumnus and UTSA transfer Eddie Lee Marburger and Nebraska transfer Ismael Smith Flores.

The redshirt junior Marburger is the most experienced in the quarterback room with five true freshmen rounding out the group. He’s been running with the first team since Week 1 of spring ball.

“Eddie has done a great job. Definitely the experience and maturity has shown, and as he’s picked up the offense, you can see him really start to do some things that can make some big plays offensively,” Bush said.

Ingleside alumnus Aidan Jakobsohn has run as the second quarterback, Laredo United alumnus Atzel Chavez Jr. as the third, and the fourth quarterback spot has featured a rotation of Boerne alumnus Jaxon Baize, Humble Atascocita alumnus Zion Brown and Flour Bluff alumnus Jayden Paluseo.

Both Jakobsohn and Chavez have had some success moving the chains during 11-on-11 work and have thrown some good balls, but Marburger’s arm, experience and knowledge of the game has kept the offense growing each week of spring ball.

“It’s just a blessing to be part of this group. Being one of the older guys and helping lead this group, it’s just a great joy in my life, I would say,” Marburger said. “All the guys have taken with open arms and just really welcomed me. I’m really grateful for the opportunity. For the spring overall, I feel like we got better each practice, man. You can just tell, everyone’s just so excited and everyone’s ready to play that first game.”

Tight ends, meanwhile, have to be the best of both worlds. They have to be big and strong enough to block defensive linemen and athletic and agile enough to beat defensive backs in the passing game.

If a tight end can do both, they’re likely to see the field, and Smith Flores has been steady all spring.

“Ismael Smith Flores has done a good job for us coming in from Nebraska. He’s gotten better each week,” Bush said. “He was on defense there, we moved him to tight end, but you can see him really start to stand out. The things he can do in the running game and passing game with his size and athleticism, as we start to look at the personnel and how they evolve, then we can evolve our concepts around them offensively.”

Listed at 6 foot 5 inches and 255 pounds, Smith Flores uses his size to box out defenders and high-point the ball when targeted. He’s also held his own battling in the trenches as a blocker.

“You get to do a little bit of everything,” Smith Flores said. “You can go make a big catch and then go make a big block the next play. It’s the best of both worlds. You gotta be a smart person, it’s a great position and it’s one of the most important positions, but I might be a little biased.”

A few tight ends have been a bit banged up throughout the spring with Edinburg Vela alumnus Jaxson Shupe and El Paso Coronado alumnus Mateo Grajeda seeing time with the second team. Shupe has been sidelined the last couple of weeks but had a strong start to the spring as a pass-catcher.