Coach Marco Regalado on UTRGV Football, the Walk On Mindset, and Betting on Yourself

UTRGV football is being built from the ground up, and Coach Marco Regalado is right in the middle of that foundation.In this episode, Seth Saunders sits down with Coach Regalado to talk about his South Texas roots, his non-traditional climb through the coaching profession, and what it means to help build a new Division I football program in the Valley.Coach Regalado shares how his football journey took him from Zapata, Texas, to Texas State, to creating a football club when his own playing path did not unfold the way he hoped, to grinding through Texas high school football, recruiting, player personnel, Rice, Washington State, and now UTRGV.The conversation also covers Coach Regalado’s life as a Texas country music artist, the lessons he learned from mentors throughout the profession, and the walk-on values that shape the way he coaches: heart, hustle, toughness, humility, relentless effort, and doing the things that take no talent.This is a conversation about betting on yourself, building belief before results, and shifting from proving doubters wrong to proving believers right.Chapters:00:00 Introduction01:47 Coach Regalado joins the show02:11 Football coach by day, Texas country artist by night07:57 Coming home to South Texas and UTRGV09:00 Building a program from scratch11:00 Recruiting belief before results11:48 What UTRGV looks for in players14:11 Coach Regalado’s non-traditional climb15:14 Trying to walk on at Texas State16:00 Creating a football club from scratch17:11 Walk-on values and TNT traits20:10 Coaches who shaped the journey24:19 Washington State, Nick Rolovich, and taking a chance25:58 Lessons from Rice and Mike Bloomgren27:44 Coach Bush and the UTRGV opportunity29:19 What players remember years later31:34 Doc Brown's DeLorean 33:55 How to support UTRGV football“Instead of trying to prove people who doubted you wrong, focus on proving every single person who believed in you right.”“You’ll go very far in life if you work hard and treat people right.”“We have to find tough kids that love football.”If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to The Preferred Walk-On Show for in-depth interviews with the coaches, players, and leaders shaping college football. New episodes every week.The Preferred Walk-On is the people's college football show. Hosted by Seth Saunders, with James Kehm joining as featured co-host, the show covers college football's full Division I landscape: every Power Four conference, every Group of Six matchup, and every corner of the FCS. Walk-On grit. All-American tape.Apple Podcasts & Spotify — search "The Preferred Walk-On Show"Instagram — @preferredwalk_onTikTok — @preferredwalkonFacebook — facebook.com/PreferredWalkOnX / Twitter — @PreferredWOWant to reach The Scout Team? Sponsorship packages available:Walk-OnPartial ScholarshipFull RideInquiries: seth@preferredwalkonshow.comWalk-On grit. All-American film.