RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Phil Steele recognized on Monday 12 players from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team as preseason all-Southland Conference honorees, including junior offensive lineman Nick Hughes (first team), senior offensive lineman Wes Thompson (first team), graduate student wide receiver Tavian Cord (second team), and fifth year offensive lineman Abram Nicklas (second team) on offense, junior linebacker Jaiden Haygood (first team), fifth year defensive back TJ Neal (first team), junior defensive back Alijah Prosser (first team), graduate student defensive lineman Josh Cashiola (second team), and postbaccalaureate linebacker Spencer Rich (second team) on defense, and fifth year punter Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling (first team), senior kicker Brysen Gardner (second team), and senior long snapper Connor Cortez (second team) on special teams.
 
The Vaqueros are the only team to have three offensive linemen honored, ahead of defending Southland Conference Champion Stephen F. Austin (SFA) and 2025 runner-up Southeastern, which each had two honorees.
 
UTRGV's 12 honorees rank second in the Southland behind only SFA (14) while finishing ahead of Southeastern (10). UTRGV is tied for the second most offensive honorees with four, behind only Southeastern (five) and SFA. UTRGV's five defensive honorees is second behind only SFA (six). UTRGV has the second most special teams honorees with three, behind only SFA (four).
 
Offensive Line
The offensive line allowed just 1.50 sacks per game, the 28^th best mark in the FCS and second best in the Southland last season. They consistently gave quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger, a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, considerable time to make passes, allowing him and the UTRGV offense to be among the best in the nation. The extra time also helped the UTRGV offense to go the entire season without committing a fumble.
 
The UTRGV offense led the Southland in five categories, ranking sixth in the FCS in points per game (39.6), eighth in passing efficiency (165.62), 15^th in passing yards per completion (13.72), 18^th in total yards per game (435.2), and 24^th in third down conversion percentage (45.0%). UTRGV also ranked 21^st in the FCS and second in the Southland in rushing yards per game (188.3), 24^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in passing yards per game (246.9), 28^th in the FCS and fourth in the Southland in red zone offensive conversions (86.5%), and 31^st in the FCS and third in the Southland in completion percentage (64.1%).
 
Hughes, Thompson, and Nicklas started all 12 games. Hughes earned FCS Football Central and Phil Steele Freshman All-American honors in addition to all-conference second team recognition from the Southland and third team from Phil Steele. Thompson earned Phil Steele All-Conference Fourth Team honors.
 
Tavian Cord
Cord ranked 140^th in the FCS and 12^th in the Southland in receiving touchdowns (4) last season. He appeared in 12 games (eight starts), with highlights including catching a 21-yard touchdown pass at McNeese (11/21), making a career-high four receptions for a career-high 84 yards, including a touchdown, while posting hit first-career tackle vs. Nicholls (11/8), catching a 4-yard touchdown pass at No. 18 Lamar (10/18) and making his first-career reception, a 61-yard touchdown, vs. Sul Ross State (8/30).
 
Jaiden Haygood
Haygood was named a Freshman All-American by FCS Football Central, Stats Perform, and Phil Steele while also earning Third Team All-Conference honors from Phil Steele last season. He also finished 11^th in voting for the Jerry Rice Award voting. Haygood ranked 36^th in the FCS and fifth in the Southland in tackles per game (8.5) and 98^th in the FCS and ninth in the Southland in fumble recoveries (1). He appeared in 12 games (11 starts), leading UTRGV with 102 tackles (45 solo), including 2.5 for a loss of 11 yards, a 10-yard sack, two passes broken up, a quarterback hurry, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. Haygood had six games of double-figures tackles, including a career-high 17 (seven solo) at No. 18 Lamar (10/18), 11 against No. 23 Stephen F. Austin (11/1), Houston Christian University (10/4) and Prairie View A&M (9/6), and 10 against UIW (10/25) and McNeese (11/15). Seven of his tackles at McNeese were solo.
 
TJ Neal
Neal ranked 98^th in the FCS and ninth in the Southland in fumble recoveries (1) last season. In 12 games (11 starts), he recorded 69 tackles (44 solo) and reached double-figures in tackles three times, with a career-high 11 at (RV) Southeastern (9/27), 10 at McNeese (11/15), and 10 vs. Nicholls (11/8). He recorded a career-high seven solo tackles in each of those games.
 
Alijah Prosser
Prosser was an FCS Football Central and Phil Steele Freshman All-American last season. He ranked 144^th in the NCAA and 16^th in the Southland in interceptions per game (0.17). Prosser started all 12 games, recording 47 tackles (24 solo), 9.0 tackles for a loss of 27 yards, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and five passes broken up. He recorded a career-high five solo tackles (six total) and an interception vs. East Texas A&M (11/22) after posting a career-high seven tackles (four solo), a forced fumble, and two passes broken up vs. Houston Christian University (10/4).
 
Josh Cashiola
Cashiola played his last three seasons at Sacramento State. In 2025, he play in the first four games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury but was still credited with 10 total tackles (three solo) after earning Preseason All-Big Sky honors. In 2024, Cashiola started seven games and totaled 23 tackles, including five for a loss and four sacks. He also had two quarterback hurries. In 2023, Cashiola played in all 13 games, recording 27 tackles (11 solo), including 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, and three quarterback hurries.
 
Spencer Rich
Rich earned Phil Steele All-Conference Third Team honors last season. He ranked third in the FCS and first in the Southland in fumble recoveries (3) and 58^th in the FCS and ninth in the Southland in total tackles per game (8.2) while starting all 12 games. Rich reached double-figures in tackles four times, including 13 (five solo) vs. East Texas A&M (11/22), a career-high 16 (nine solo) at McNeese (11/15), 10 (two solo) at No. 18 Lamar (10/18), and 12 (three solo) at Prairie View A&M (9/6). He also recorded nine tackles at No. 23 Stephen F. Austin (11/1) and vs. UIW (10/25).
 
Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling
Wallace-Dilling earned spot on Dave Campbell's Texas Football All-Texas Non-FBS Second Team and all-conference second team honors from both Southland and Phil Steele last season. He ranked 15^th in the FCS and second in the Southland in punting average (43.7) Across 12 games, Wallace-Dilling placed 17 punts inside the 20, including several inside the 5, with 14 punts over 50 yards, including one of 58 yards. Only four of his punts resulted in touchbacks and nine in fair catches. Wallace-Dilling made a career-long punt of 58 yards vs. Houston Christian University (10/4) and placed a career-high four punts inside the 20 at (RV) Southeastern (9/27).
 
Brysen Gardner
Gardner was a semifinalist for the Fred Mitchell Award and earned Phil Steele All-Conference Fourth Team honors last season. He ranked 30^th in the FCS and first in the Southland in field goals per game (1.08) and scoring (7.3), 41^st in the FCS and second in the Southland in total points scored (87), 42^nd in the FCS and fourth in the Southland in field goal percentage (.765), 115^th in the FCS and sixth in the Southland in points responsible for per game (7.3), and 118^th in the FCS and sixth in the Southland in points responsible for (87). Gardner kicked a career-high four field goals vs. East Texas A&M (11/22). He connected on all 48 PAT attempts, including a career-high eight vs. UIW (10/25). He also kicked off three times for career-high 175 yards vs. Sul Ross State (8/30).
 
Connor Cortez
Cortez earned Phil Steele All-Conference Fourth Team honors last season. He appeared in all 12 games and recorded his first-career tackle vs. East Texas A&M (11/22).
 
Phil Steele Southland 2026 Preseason All-Conference Teams
Offense
First Team
OL Nick Hughes
OL Wes Thompson
 
Second Team
WR Tavian Cord
OL Abram Nicklas
 
Defense
First Team
LB Jaiden Haygood
DB TJ Neal
DB Alijah Prosser
 
Second Team
DL Josh Cashiola
LB Spencer Rich
 
Special Teams
First Team
P Nathaniel Wallace-Dilling
 
Second Team
K Brysen Gardner
LS Connor Cortez

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