What Contributes to Texas Football's Success – The Daily Texan

When teams win championships, the opportunity comes from the hard work of not only the players, but also the coaches and staff working together behind the scenes. Bryce Raygor, director of operations for the Texas football team, is one of the key people responsible for the program's success.

Raygor's relationship with sports began at a very young age, as his mother, Keri Sanchez, was a soccer player herself.

“Football has been a part of my life since I was born,” Raygor said. “My mother was a professional soccer player and I was born while she was coaching at the University of Oregon.”

Raygor grew up in Southern California and played college football there while his mother was an assistant coach for the Texas football team and worked with her former college teammate and current Texas football head coach Angela Kelly. Raygor considered her an inspiration and ultimately decided to transfer to the University of Texas.

“My mother and I knew Coach Kelly at the University of Texas and she convinced me to transfer to Texas where I could work for the program,” Raygor said.

During his studies, Raygor worked in the creative development department for all sports and also worked as a student manager for the volleyball team. Raygor also worked as a graduate student under the former director of operations for Texas Football before being offered the position in fall 2022.

“When I started my sophomore fall, the operations manager here ended up taking another position on campus, which gave me this opportunity, and I'm grateful enough that Coach Kelly offered me the position,” Raygor said.

With Raygor now taking on the role himself, his schedule is very busy. Raygor starts in the equipment room, making sure players have the equipment they need. After attending morning training with the team, Raygor's office duties begin, which include preparing for the next game by coordinating hotels, food, buses and also coordinating with the opposing team.

“Anything you can think of from A to ZI would try to help with that because ultimately the goal is to give our players the opportunity to focus on playing and our coaches to focus on coaching.” said Raygor.

Despite the workload, there are things Raygor does and enjoys, such as designing the uniforms and equipment the team wears each season.

“A lot of people might ask, 'Who gets to design the uniform, who picks the color jacket they wear, or where do their cleats come from?' And this is an opportunity that I'm proud of and that I enjoy, just trying to be creative and find something unique here,” Raygor said.

Raygor says that working for the program allowed him to network with other staff members such as athletic trainers, strength coaches, nutritionists and even sports scientists.

“There’s a whole family that doesn’t just revolve around the players and coaches,” Raygor said. “But our extracurricular staff in particular also contribute to the family environment and the great culture we have here.”

Although Raygor's job involves a variety of tasks, he does them out of his love for the sport that has accompanied him for years.

“It’s been a part of my whole life,” Raygor said. “The fact that I now have a job that revolves around the sport I love is something I will forever be grateful for.”