By Matt Weiner (@mattweiner20) – Spear Reporter| Photo via Christian Vieyra of The Spear
SJSU football redshirt sophomore left tackle Fernando Carmona Jr. paused and ran his hand through his black, curly, sweat-dampened hair. “Phew,” he exhaled while shaking his head.
Carmona “couldn’t imagine” what his life would look like if he never met senior right tackle Jaime Navarro. Just contemplating it makes him “sick.” The pair have evolved from teammates to brothers thanks to their Hispanic lineage – Carmona is Cuban and Navarro is Mexican. An offensive line boasting two Hispanic offensive tackles is extremely rare as only 3.1% of all FBS players are Hispanic.
Beyond the unique stat, Carmona and Navarro have used their Hispanic culture to build chemistry within SJSU’s offensive line AKA the “Hot Boys.” The pair believe their offseason adventures to swap meets could play a part in SJSU ascending from 1-5 to bowl eligible. Evidenced by last week’s 52-24 throttling of New Mexico, they might be onto something.
“I want to show them [“Hot Boys”] like the typical Mexican things that we do or like Hispanic things that we do just to bring them into my culture and it’s a way to bond,” Navarro said.
Just one week before last Saturday’s win, the Spartans (2-5) had blown their third-straight double-digit lead to Boise State.
Up 27-7 with four minutes left in the first half, the Broncos silenced SJSU’s offense and roared back to win 35-27. The “Hot Boys” were amongst those most criticized as SJSU’s offense compiled just one first down in the fourth quarter and went four-and-out on its final drive.
Following the disappointing loss, there was finger pointing, tension and frustration between the “Hot Boys.”
“We did lose a little bit of love for the game,” Navarro admitted.
In the thick of SJSU’s 1-5 start, Carmona recalled the “Hot Boys” held a meeting to confront the matters at hand. Such an occasion could turn a brainstorm into a hurricane of discord.
But Carmona said that they, “just sat down and things were said that needed to be said.” The group’s “heart-to-heart” was productive, capped off with a “big group hug” and the tension that previously hung in the room evaporated.
“We felt realigned,” Navarro said. “It was always there. We were just focusing on the wrong stuff.”
Some of that initial alignment was built through weekend mornings where they piled into Navarro’s beat-up Acura and spent hours at the San Jose Flea Market on Berryessa Road during the offseason.
“It’s just cool to show some of the other offensive linemen our culture,” Carmona said. “A lot of people [have] never seen a swap meet.” Among them is redshirt sophomore Ryan Stewart, who came to SJSU from Chicago. “He’s [Stewart] like, ‘This is a whole other world.'”
Upon arriving, the “Hot Boys” swam through an ocean of colorful pop-up tents selling items one doesn’t necessarily need, but purchases anyway because, well, why not?
From DJ sets to slingshots. From new rims to fake chains. From pro club t-shirts – the lone non-frivolous purchase – to t-shirts with comical, raunchy slogans.
“There is no regrettable purchase at the swap meet,” Navarro said, before Carmona added, “They’re all happy mistakes.”
And of course food. These are offensive linemen after all.
Elote – grilled corn on the cob typically blanketed in mayo, cheese and chili powder – was the first thing that popped up in SJSU center Anthony Pardue’s mind when he thinks of their trips.
“We do a full lap around. Had to hit the elote and get some pro clubs. They got some tacos there that are really good,” Pardue said.
Though SJSU offensive line coach Josh Olgesby has yet to accompany the “Hot Boys,” the native Wisconsin was introduced to elote via Navarro. “We were at a team barbeque and I grabbed mayo, corn and cheese,” Navarro said.
“It was good,” Oglesby replied with a chuckle. Oglesby also feels that “it’s invaluable” for the offensive line to partake in such a simple and organic activity.
“Just spending that much time together and especially on your time off is super important because now … we understand more of each other,” Pardue said. “We’re out on the field, we can talk and communicate a little bit better. It just builds a stronger bond with the guys.”
In a season like SJSU’s, where its schedule is ruthlessly top-heavy, entering a campaign tight-knit could ensure a poor start doesn’t unravel into a poor season. Because SJSU football still has plenty of ground to cover. The Spartans need to win four of their next five regular-season games to become bowl eligible.
This Saturday afternoon’s Homecoming game against Utah State (3-4, 1-2) is the first step in proving the UNM (2-4, 0-2) victory wasn’t a result of facing a bottom-tier Mountain West squad. While SJSU’s offense compiled 45 points and 259 rushing yards, the Lobos have allowed the ninth-most points (34.5) and tenth-most rushing yards (184) per game in the Mountain West.
Nonetheless, swapping a 1-5 start with a bowl appearance has to start somewhere. Perhaps that somewhere was the San Jose Flea Market on Berryessa Road.
“I would say and hope that everybody in the “Hot Boys” is a little part Mexican, [and] a little Cuban at this point,” Navarro said.