Dec 16, 2025UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Vaqueros Performance Center FCS-ready
UT-Rio Grande Valley football’s brand-new Vaqueros Performance Center is giving the university’s first-ever NCAA Division I FCS football team a training space worthy of a flagship program. At nearly 10,000 square feet — triple the size of the temporary room the team used last year — the Matrix-equipped facility represents a dramatic upgrade in both scale and sophistication.
“This is probably the 10th weight room I’ve helped design, and it was fun because nothing had ever been done here before,” said Don Sommer, UTRGV’s head football strength and conditioning coach. “It’s one of the best at the FCS level.”
The centerpiece is a line of 10 double-sided racks providing 20 platforms, flanked by two four-station cable units, 46,000 pounds of iron plates, and dumbbells ranging from 5 to 125 pounds. Each rack is stocked with seven specialty bars — from Texas power bars to transformer and trap bars — so athletes never need to share during complex lifts.
With 20-foot ceilings and no interior columns, the open “box” design creates a spacious training environment where even 6’7″ players can perform pull-ups without their feet touching the floor.
Just steps from the locker room and practice fields, the facility integrates seamlessly into the team’s daily flow. “We went from training in a basement with a swinging light and rusty weights to walking right out the door to the turf,” Sommer joked. “It’s a one-stop shop that shows recruits we’re serious about building something special.”
