Coach Regalado Earns Spot in AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has announced that Marco Regalado, the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) football team, is part of its 2025 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. This year’s class was chosen from a field of over 200 highly qualified applicants.

The AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute is a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.

Members of the 2025 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute will be published in AFCA Magazine, the AFCA Insider weekly email blast, and/or have their articles and videos added to the AFCA Educational Library. Additionally, participants will be placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee and become a part of a prestigious network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits.

“This means the world to me,” Regalado said. “This is probably one of the biggest honors a young coach can have in his career. I’m so appreciative to the AFCA and Coach Mario Price for allowing me to take part in this prestigious institute. I am also very appreciative of [UTRGV head] coach Travis Bush and UTRGV for putting me in a position to be considered for this award. Being among some of the young brightest minds in college football, I hope to learn as much as possible to bring back knowledge to our football program.”

Regalado was previously named to FootballScoop’s Minority Watch List/Rising Stars in 2022 and the 247Sports 30 Under 30 Coaches List in 2021. He also gained experience with the Jacksonville Jaguars as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship during the summer of 2023.

“Marco is a fast-rising star in this profession,” Bush said. “He’s a one-of-a-kind coach on and off the field who does a phenomenal job of building relationships with athletes and coaches. Marco is a huge asset to our program and we’re so glad that he’s here with us at UTRGV.”

To be eligible, applicants had to be born on or after January 1, 1989, and must be currently serving as a high school head coach, two-year college full-time assistant or head coach, or NAIA/NCAA (all divisions) full-time assistant or head coach. Applicants were required to submit a resume, five references, and a 1,600-word article or 10-minute live instructional video on an offensive, defensive, special teams, or position-specific topic of the applicant’s choosing during the summer.

2025 AFCA 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute Class