S7 | E1 | Texas Tiger Podcast | Football Preseason | Calvin Ruzicka | Aug. 17, 2026

ETBU Director of Broadcasting Jacob Bumpas brings in the new athletic year by talking to ETBU head football coach Calvin Ruzicka. Listen to the excitement of the new year for ETBU football. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Coach Rue and the Tigers are back and better than ever. I'm the Pump, Jacob Pumpus, and you're listening to the Texas Tiger Podcast on the ETV Plus Network.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

It's been great to have all of our returners come back from summer. They came back in phenomenal shape. Very proud of them when they went home for the summer, got summer jobs, or some of them taking some summer school classes. Man, they really put in work in the weight room and on the field because they came back in great shape. Uh, and we noticed that right off the bat Thursday morning. With the addition of our new recruits out of the high school and a few of the transfers that have joined our locker room, they've blended in extremely well. The veterans, our older guys, you know, we try to mentor mentee program to where each returner is paired up with a new guy, and they'll have to stand up in front of their teammates and talk about each other, you know, share a little couple facts about one another. And so that's just a way to help them build bonds and break down some of the barriers to, you know, build more relationships within the team. So it's been great.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Now, as the players were busy putting all that work in this summer, Coach Rue had his own task at hand, finding and bringing in some new coaching staff to round out the crew before all the athletes returned.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

It's the best of times and worst of times. I believe that was from a book. Well, the worst of time part of it is, you know, I'm I'm gonna miss the four coaches that I had to replace. They were Coach Jenkins and Coach Willis. They've been with me a combined 17 years. You know, it was a long time that those guys, I mean, nine years apiece, eight for one and nine for the other, but they're part of this fabric of this program, but they're moving on and doing some things that I think is gonna be better for them as well as their families. The best of times is getting to bring in these new faces. Coach Kelly, he's gonna do a phenomenal job in our defensive back room. He already is. He's making an impact there with those guys. Coach James Wright, you know, he's prodigal son coming back home because I had the pleasure of coaching James here when he was a defensive end when I was the DC. And so now he comes back after a two-year hiatus and he's doing some great things in our D-line room. Kobe Chambers, you know, he just wrapped up playing as a fifth-year grad student last year and transitions into becoming the receiver's coach. And I can see a difference in that room already because he's holding them to a higher standard and really making them work, which is gonna pay off dividends down the line. And then adding another GA, one that just finished up, starting his master's, and that's Devin Phillips, local guy out of Henderson, Texas. And he's actually transitioning over to the defensive side, and he's gonna be helping Coach Kelly with the DBs. So very excited about those guys.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

As there's a mix of new and familiar faces on the coaching staff this year, there's one story that stands out to Coach Rue, and that's the second year offensive coordinator Jeb Spinney. Spinny graduated from ETBU, and while attending, he worked as a student offensive coach and eventually got promoted to the big OC position in January of last year. Coach Rue says it's been a pleasure watching him grow as a coach and a leader to these young men.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

It's rewarding for me, truthfully. I mean, I I know he wouldn't probably think I'd say something like that. Maybe you can say I'm uh proud father moment or mentor mentee moment, but yeah, you know, he came in, uh, spent two years with me on the defensive side of the ball when I was the DC, transitioned over to offense and learned all out of offense. And then that was his passion. He wanted to be on the offensive side of the ball all along. So it's just natural for him, and he's done a great job. Last year was a growing pains for everybody. It's a lot of new firsts. You know what I'm saying? It's like first time I'm calling a game, first time having uh halftime adjustments, first time leading a room. Now that's all kind of behind him, water under the bridge, and he's moving into year two. Him and Coach Kenshin, man, they were up here a ton this summer, just meeting, evaluating themselves, sitting down and looking at things that our game plans from last season and what we did well, what we need to tweak. I sat down with them and looked at some of the things that we did. And, you know, what will we do differently for this coming season? Like trying to put their brain already in that mode of this isn't working and we need to make an adjustment. What are we gonna go to? And and it was good to do that in June and July so that when it happens in September and October, they're gonna be prepared for it.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Speaking of leadership within the team, there's three quarterbacks that Coach Rue says has taken their leadership and playing abilities to a whole new level coming into this season.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

I mean, what a difference a year makes because a year ago we come out of spring with not a true number one quarterback, and it became a battle through fall camp. You know, and then now we went through spring. We had three guys taking snaps in the springtime that had played significant college snaps. They came back this week and have been phenomenal. That all three are looking really crisp and sharp, make good decisions with their reads. Uh, and then their leaderships. Jack is such a talker, and I don't mean that in a bad way, but he's just a very vocal guy. Shy is growing. This is just year two. I mean, 18 months ago, that Joker's still in high school. And so now year two going in for Shy Markajani, and I can see his growth and maturity in that role as well. And then Jalen Spriggs, you know, he started six ball games for us last season, and he's a quiet guy. That's just his demeanor. But what I'm seeing is him talking more and meeting more on the side, meeting with guys after practice is over with, and that's phenomenal just to take that step and kind of get out of his comfort level.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

One of the other big focuses for the team going into the season was making sure the players are getting closer and closer as a unit on and off the field like never before. Something that coach says is critical for a well-oiled machine.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

We started that very intentionally, trying to develop a more cohesive oneness back in spring. We did a boot camp for 16 days, brought it back from what we used to do at Cedar Hill when I was with Coach McGuire. And it was phenomenal. That was one of our goals try to bring more unity, circle the wagon mentality. It was us as coaches, kind of the drill sergeants against the players. So they had to really depend and count on each other for uh encouragement and enthusiasm and that sort of thing. And then you say, okay, well, now we're going to transition out of spring, now we're coming back into the fall. Do they remember the lessons that they learned? And so far the answer's been yes. It's been phenomenal to see that camaraderie and just unity coming together. Guys competing hard, but also competing to make each other better. It's not about me trying to show you up, it's about me trying to do my best and you do your best. I might get you on the first trip, but I know you're going to give me a great effort on the second one. So that's kind of what we were hoping to gain from it when we put boot camp in. And so far, it's uh that's what that's what it looks like.

SPEAKER_00 6:48

Along with his head coaching duties, Coach Rue manages special teams and shares the passion for what they do on a regular basis, and which he says usually goes overlooked.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

My only coaching responsibility right now, besides standing out there yelling, let's hurry up and go, go, go, you know, is uh getting to coach some special teams. Uh so I love talking about those guys because they're kind of unsung or uh maybe they go unnoticed their efforts until they miss a kick. If they make an extra point, like Pedro Cavasos or Mitchell White, then everyone kind of goes, Well, you're supposed to. And the deep snappers and long snapper, Casey Holly, Braden Huber, they're supposed to snap a good snap back there to the holder. They're supposed to snap it 14 yards on the money to the punter, and nobody notices it except when it goes bad. And man, they've been really good. I've I've been able to spend a lot of time with them early right now in fall camp, put them through different drills. They're EDD, things I want them working on. They're putting in great effort and great work. Mitch had to make a kick under pressure yesterday, or the team would have had some extra conditioning. Yeah, wink wink. That really wasn't gonna happen. But I didn't tell the players that. But nonetheless, you know, the whole field goal unit ran out on the field. He nails a 42-yarder right hash, which is excellent to see, and they didn't have to run, and the team went crazy, and we're excited for him, and we're really proud of Mitch.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

Coach Rue says that there's one main element in his program that they implement something that you won't be able to find anywhere else.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

Discipleship. That's our number one. If you look at our three pillars for football, it's faith in the first pillar, it's graduate in the second pillar, and then football comes third. That order does not ever change. And so not only do my coaches, we do a Bible study weekly, and then we meet with our players once a week on Wednesdays, and the players get to do a kind of a one-day summary of our four-day study. But it's been really phenomenal to see how players are growing in their faith. Last weekend we had two players baptized. I've got a third one that's going on this Sunday, fixing to get baptized, and that's what it's all about, man. We want to make an impact on them in a lot of ways, but helping them grow in their faith and be closer to Jesus Christ is number one.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Calvin Ruzika, head football coach of the ETB Tigers. I'm the pump, Jacob Bumpus, and you've been listening to the Texas Tiger Podcast on the ETB Plus Network.