Photo Courtesy UTRGV Athletics
From two-time team captain of Rudder High School to making his mark in college, Marcus Heard Jr. is determined to give it his all as UTRGV’s football season kicks off.
Originally from Bryan, Texas, he began his football journey in high school before spending two years playing at Davidson College in North Carolina. Now, he has arrived at UTRGV ready for the next chapter of his football career.
Heard reflected on his challenging journey from North Carolina coming down to the Rio Grande Valley and how he has worked through the significant culture shift.
“I’m blessed to be a part of it,” he said. “I feel a lot of responsibility being a first in building the foundation to start this program up. I would be lying if I said it was easy; it is pretty tough. You got to have an open mind, being coachable, have a lot of humility and things I be willing to work on in a so-called different environment culture, whether it’s football on the field or off the field. It has been an open book.”
Heard discussed what drew him from North Carolina down to compete for UTRGV.
“One was our amazing coaching staff,” he said. “I think coach Bush, coach Gamble, DC, coach McDonald, coach Coleman, our guys on defense, I think they have a great system and they wanted to build a program about it.”
Heard acknowledged such change may not be for everyone. However, his determination to succeed gets him out of bed each morning with a fire that inspires him to give it his all as a college athlete.
He views pressure not as a negative force, but as a privilege and a drive to win and succeed.
“There is pressure to winning and succeeding,” Heard said. “I don’t see it as a negative. I think pressure is more of a negative when people say it. I think it’s a privilege. I think it’s something you should be grateful every day and wake up with that on your mind.”
For Heard, it wasn’t just about joining a team, it was about contributing to the foundation of a program built on vision and collaboration.
Although his biggest goal is to reach the NFL, Heard focuses on achieving those smaller goals that will pave the way toward his long-term goals.
He explained his primary objective to lead his team, earn the respect of his teammates and coaches, and grow into a leadership role.
“I think I set small goals and small things that keep me going,” Heard said. “Small and steady goals I can achieve each and every week, [which] one now is to lead the team and be that captain I want. It’s a small step in my ultimate goal, which is to reach the NFL. I kind of don’t try to think about the big goal right now. I think about the small ones, which right now [is to earn] the respect and trust of my guys [and] my coaches.”
He emphasized the importance the community is to him to continue to work hard each and every day.
“You can see the support and the love,” Heard said. “It makes it a lot easier when you have people to support you. You have a community behind your back listening to you and investing into you and your future, and we’ve done a lot of community events and to see people come out and the support we have is amazing. That’s something we keep in the back of our mind. We’re working each and every day”
Heard will be hitting the field with his team to prepare for the upcoming season this fall.
For more information, visit goutrgv.com.
This is Leonardo Guajardo for Vaquero Radio.
