By Ernie Gonzalez – Football Insider
He was the first of 11 high school players to commit to San Jose State football during the newly-regulated NCAA signing period, and the first of 24 newcomers to say yes to SJSU.
He was also the first-place finisher at the 2018 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Track and Field championship with a career-best 59-feet-11 shot put.
Call the man strong. That same man is now a Spartan and he plays football. Don’t get it twisted, Jaime Navarro, pronounced with an “h,” has played football since elementary school.
“Football has always been first,” Navarro said. “It’s always been the priority when its in season.”
The mispronunciation has happened since Navarro’s childhood. According to the freshman Second-year offensive line coach Joe Bernardi even pronounced his name ‘Jay-me’ when they first met.
“He might have called me “Jay-me” on the first time, which was funny … but it was all good, we already knew that everything was going in the right direction,” Navarro said.
That leads to a bigger point, one that lifts the Spartan offensive guard up every morning.
“You don’t see a lot of Mexicans playing football … but its an extra motivator because I’m not just playing for myself, but for my culture,” Navarro said.
With only five hispanic players on SJSU’s football roster, Navarro takes pride in setting an example to those that come after him.
“I want to motivate future generations of Mexican-American athletes to branch out and not just live typical lifestyles … we are more than just immigrants,” Navarro said.
The Temecula, Calif. native ripped stereotypes to shreds for sure, but believes he’s only halfway to his dream.
The first step to making that dream a reality is becoming a starter on the offensive line.
So far, coach Bernardi sees no reason why the 6-foot-3, 275-pound guard won’t contribute, although he kept his comments short.
“Very talented freshman, Bernardi said. “We got to get him ready to roll.”
Getting him “ready to roll” is key for this group of linemen, who will be one of the most interesting pieces of the team to keep an eye on this season.
From 2017 to 2018, the Spartans went from having one of the more experienced O-lines in college football to one of the youngest.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, they have to contribute,” Bernardi said. “Every year it’s a different group of guys, you just have to put them in a position to be successful.”
Exactly one week until the start of the regular season, Navarro has the chance to start and says that’s the only thing on his checklist right now.
“We were talking about topics on the board the other day and one of them was ‘train like a starter’ and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do,” Navarro said.
“I’ve only been here about a month and I’m still trying to find my place, but that starts with earning to right to start.”
Sophomore quarterback Montel Aaron, whose success is heavily reliant on a functioning offensive line, says he’s got the utmost trust in his men in the trenches, regardless of the youth factor.
“They’ve been doing a really good job,” Aaron said. “They are in their playbooks every night, less and less mistakes as camp goes on … they’re busting their butts off.”
For the freshman, it’s not easy and he knows it’s not supposed to be. If Navarro tells you he’s not up for the challenge, that’s the wrong guy.
“It’s tough, especially being new … now being undersized and not stronger than everyone … it’s a big challenge mentally, yet it builds me everyday and it will all come together. ”
The truth is Navarro can make an impact, and it’s not a matter of if, but when.
Yet, to the big fella, when he’s lined up and the ball is about to be snapped, it boils down to one thing:
“When all is said and done, it’s just a bunch of fat guys with a dream playing football,” Navarro said.
Follow Ernie on Twitter @superego1012