Strong leadership is vital for the success of any team. For UTSA Football, it is easy to see that Rashad Wisdom is an intricate part of his team's success.
Since the age of six, Wisdom has been playing football. His natural talent combined with his hard work on and off the field has led to many accomplishments. Earning First-Team All-Conference USA honors and leading UTSA in tackles for the past two years are just some of the highlights of his success. A little more than halfway through the season, Wisdom is third on the team with 21 solo tackles and recently moved atop the program's career list in that category.
"I've always loved football," Wisdom said. "Running around with the ball in my hand and making people miss touchdowns is fun, and it just always came natural to me."
This year, Wisdom is wearing the No. 0 jersey for the third year in a row, having earned the respect of teammates and coaches alike after receiving 100% of their votes during fall camp. Each preseason, single-digit jersey numbers are decided in a program-wide voting process and the Nos. 0, 1 and 2 are those who received the most votes and best represent head coach Jeff Traylor's 210 Triangle of Toughness culture.
Wisdom takes this role and responsibility head-on by being the best he can be on and off the field.
"They voted me into this position and I know I have a role to fulfill," Wisdom explained. "I try to fulfill the needs of this role to the highest level that I can. Each day I come into the building and try to put my best foot forward and honestly that's all I can really ask of myself. Trying to be the best I can be day in and day out, not only for myself but also for my team and everybody else that is in this building."
As a San Antonio native, Wisdom enjoys being able to share his personal and team successes with his family and his city. UTSA was the ideal school for Wisdom due to the newer football program, the cyber security degree program and the location.
"Making the decision to come to UTSA is probably one of the best decisions I've made this far in my life," Wisdom said. "Later on in life, this decision will have benefitted me in a lot of ways that I can't even imagine right now. It's been great and I wouldn't change it for anything else."
Focusing on his last season at UTSA, Wisdom hopes to bring home a conference championship and a bowl game win. He was named the C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, as well as being named to watch lists for the Jim Thorpe Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, before the season started. He is excited and looking forward to his future endeavors in football.
Wisdom wants to play professional football after he graduates.
"Going to the NFL has always been my dream," he stated. "I just want to be able to say that I was able to touch that level."
