Where Are They Now -- Brett Valdez
Former Texas lineman Brett Valdez
started something in 2002 that would become magical for the Horns a
few years later. That “something” was being the first commit to
a recruiting class that would eventually
bring the National Championship back to Austin. In our first edition of “Where are they now?,” Brett talks with Inside Texas about recruiting, being a Longhorn, the Rose Bowl, the transition
from Vince Young to Colt McCoy and more.
Brett grew up in Brownwood, a small town known for its rich high school football history. During his tenure with the Lions, he played with guys like Kirby Freeman (Miami), Nick Rhodes (Texas A&M), Freddie Stoglin (TCU) and many more. After a breakout sophomore season, schools began taking notice of Valdez and his talents. “All of the sudden, you start getting recruited by all these schools,” Valdez told Inside Texas. “It’s happening so fast, it’s like a whirlwind and it’s crazy. The whole experience was amazing. I mean here I am just a 16-year-old punk playing football at Brownwood, then all of the sudden my dad is telling me Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno or Mack Brown is on the phone for me. It’s a crazy feeling. ” Valdez heard from schools from around the country including Texas, USC, Penn St, Florida St, Michigan and many more. He ended up having a top three of Texas, USC and Florida State (a childhood favorite), with intentions of taking an official visit to all three. However, those intentions came to a sudden halt after visiting the University of Texas. “Texas was the first one to offer me, then everyone else followed suit,” said Valdez. “I planned on taking my visits to all three places and wait until the end to decide. But it was just one of those deals where you are in Coach Brown’s office and you just do it. I knew Coach Brown was going to be competing for a national championship soon and he said you need to be a part of it. When you have Mack Brown telling you he wants you to lead his recruiting class, it’s hard to tell him no! That’s all it took; he’s great at what he does!” After committing to the Longhorns, one recruiting moment stuck out more than any. “Mack Brown came down to Brownwood to visit me at my house after I committed. He came to have dinner with us and visit with me and my family. That probably was the most amazing part of the recruiting experience. I mean you have Mack Brown, who’s one of the most important people in college football, catching a flight to Brownwood to visit with you. It was just absolutely crazy to me.” After finishing up high school at Brownwood, it was time for Brett to head to Austin to officially begin his time as a Longhorn football player. He redshirted his freshman year, learning the ropes and adjusting to college life. By his second year Brett started playing, rotating in and out with other offensive linemen. Unfortunately the injury bug struck Valdez, who ruptured a disc in his back. That injury ended up costing him a ton of playing time, benching him for the rest of the season and half of the season after that. The next season Brett was back to playing. That particular season gave him many fond memories, ones that still give him chills today just thinking about them. “We worked hard and had one goal, we worked our tails off to make that season what it was. I was blessed to be a part of it.” said Valdez. “The Ohio State game was magical. Being a night game, that was just unreal. There were literally 110,000 people there and it was so loud. Then we win on pretty much a last second touchdown pass to Limas Sweed. It was just crazy.” After that game, the Longhorns went through their schedule, pounding on pretty much everyone they faced. They were the new Big 12 champions and were ready to head to Pasadena, Calif. for what would become one of the biggest games of their lives. It was No. 1 USC versus No. 2 Texas for all the marbles, the National Championship. “Obviously that was my favorite game ever,” Valdez said. “That game can’t compare to anything else. When we beat USC, it was just one of those deals you can’t explain how it felt. Once again we won on the last second by the guy who came in as our leader and quarterback. It was cool stuff to be a part of. That game, to this day, gives me chills just talking about it.” Valdez has a moment from that game that he’ll remember forever. It came after the Texas defense stopped LenDale White and the Trojans on 4th and 2. “Before the offense goes in and takes the field, the offensive line, running backs and quarterbacks huddle up. There were five starters on the line, with four of us that would be rotating in. He grabbed all nine of us and looked at us, telling us to give him three or four seconds each time and we’ll go win this thing. He literally believed it, and we believed it, and we did it. We won it all. It was magical. I’ll never forget it.” Soon after the game, Young told all of the linemen that he had to go to the NFL. They all understood and encouraged him. “We didn’t blame him. He had to do what he had to do. He was on top of the world and was going to be a top five draft pick. We supported his decision 100 percent.” However, Valdez wondered about the next quarterback and who it would be. Eventually that person would be Colt McCoy of Tuscola, Tex., which was only an hour away from Brett’s hometown of Brownwood. Valdez still laughs when thinking about seeing McCoy for the first time as a redshirt freshman. “I’m going to be honest with you, and this is nothing personal against Colt or anything. I can remember the first time I saw Colt at practice. They sent him down to do some run drills for the offensive line. He literally just came in for two-a-days, he reported in, and was 6’1 maybe 175 pounds soaking wet. I honest to god thought he was a walk-on quarterback.” McCoy ended up surprising Valdez and the rest of the offensive line his first year as a starter at Texas. “He came on quick, and did a great job,” he said. “I think a lot of that was due to him listening to everything Vince said as a redshirt freshman. He listened to every word and studied the game. When it was time to shine, McCoy and the offensive line pulled through. “The good thing about Colt was that he had three senior returning starters, plus me as a senior. I rotated in, so Colt had four senior offensive linemen, and 3 juniors behind us. We were pretty stacked. He was put in a good position to come in and learn with a great line, and to build his confidence. Obviously he flourished from there, winning all of those awards as a freshman and having a great overall season.” After playing in the Alamo Bowl, and finishing up the season ranked No. 13, it was time for Valdez to move on. He was a fifth-year senior and gave everything he had to Texas. He first decided to try to go the NFL route, but some bad news came his way. “My back never felt 100 percent from the injury I had. Even after rehabbing it, it never felt the same. We were doing workouts for the NFL and I did a team physical. That physical showed that I still had a rupture in my back, and I figured my football days were over with.” Brett decided to stay in Austin and see what he could come up with job-wise. It ended up paying off for him, as he found a great job that he still loves to this day. “I work for RAM (Reinking Asset Management) Financial Group. It is a small privately owned company, and what we basically do is investments for people. We handle money, manage money and invest money for high net worth individuals.” It turns out Brett’s former job as a football player is just what RAM was looking for. “They have wanted to work with athletes, as they have never worked with them before. They wanted to bring on athletes as clients, and long story short we started talking about that kind of stuff. One thing led to the next and I ended up getting a job with them. He gave me an office, an assistant and then told me to go to work. I have been there ever since and I love it.” Since then Brett has had great success at RAM Financial. He has brought on several athletes, along with regular clients as well. Those athletes include many NFL players, including his best friend and former Texas lineman Justin Blalock. But it’s not all work and no play for Valdez anymore. He still finds time in his busy schedule to work with children. He currently coaches a pee wee football team, and speaks to youth about problems they face today. “I like to try and give back as much as I can,” says Valdez. “I really enjoy it. I like working with these kids, doing stuff like coaching flag and peewee football. I also love talking to them about making right choices to be able to succeed in life.” Even though Brett never made it to the NFL, he is still a great ambassador to the University of Texas. Justin Blalock (left) and Brett Valdez at graduation. Valdez and former U.S. President George W. Bush. Brett Valdez and Matthew McConaughey.
Brett grew up in Brownwood, a small town known for its rich high school football history. During his tenure with the Lions, he played with guys like Kirby Freeman (Miami), Nick Rhodes (Texas A&M), Freddie Stoglin (TCU) and many more. After a breakout sophomore season, schools began taking notice of Valdez and his talents. “All of the sudden, you start getting recruited by all these schools,” Valdez told Inside Texas. “It’s happening so fast, it’s like a whirlwind and it’s crazy. The whole experience was amazing. I mean here I am just a 16-year-old punk playing football at Brownwood, then all of the sudden my dad is telling me Bobby Bowden or Joe Paterno or Mack Brown is on the phone for me. It’s a crazy feeling. ” Valdez heard from schools from around the country including Texas, USC, Penn St, Florida St, Michigan and many more. He ended up having a top three of Texas, USC and Florida State (a childhood favorite), with intentions of taking an official visit to all three. However, those intentions came to a sudden halt after visiting the University of Texas. “Texas was the first one to offer me, then everyone else followed suit,” said Valdez. “I planned on taking my visits to all three places and wait until the end to decide. But it was just one of those deals where you are in Coach Brown’s office and you just do it. I knew Coach Brown was going to be competing for a national championship soon and he said you need to be a part of it. When you have Mack Brown telling you he wants you to lead his recruiting class, it’s hard to tell him no! That’s all it took; he’s great at what he does!” After committing to the Longhorns, one recruiting moment stuck out more than any. “Mack Brown came down to Brownwood to visit me at my house after I committed. He came to have dinner with us and visit with me and my family. That probably was the most amazing part of the recruiting experience. I mean you have Mack Brown, who’s one of the most important people in college football, catching a flight to Brownwood to visit with you. It was just absolutely crazy to me.” After finishing up high school at Brownwood, it was time for Brett to head to Austin to officially begin his time as a Longhorn football player. He redshirted his freshman year, learning the ropes and adjusting to college life. By his second year Brett started playing, rotating in and out with other offensive linemen. Unfortunately the injury bug struck Valdez, who ruptured a disc in his back. That injury ended up costing him a ton of playing time, benching him for the rest of the season and half of the season after that. The next season Brett was back to playing. That particular season gave him many fond memories, ones that still give him chills today just thinking about them. “We worked hard and had one goal, we worked our tails off to make that season what it was. I was blessed to be a part of it.” said Valdez. “The Ohio State game was magical. Being a night game, that was just unreal. There were literally 110,000 people there and it was so loud. Then we win on pretty much a last second touchdown pass to Limas Sweed. It was just crazy.” After that game, the Longhorns went through their schedule, pounding on pretty much everyone they faced. They were the new Big 12 champions and were ready to head to Pasadena, Calif. for what would become one of the biggest games of their lives. It was No. 1 USC versus No. 2 Texas for all the marbles, the National Championship. “Obviously that was my favorite game ever,” Valdez said. “That game can’t compare to anything else. When we beat USC, it was just one of those deals you can’t explain how it felt. Once again we won on the last second by the guy who came in as our leader and quarterback. It was cool stuff to be a part of. That game, to this day, gives me chills just talking about it.” Valdez has a moment from that game that he’ll remember forever. It came after the Texas defense stopped LenDale White and the Trojans on 4th and 2. “Before the offense goes in and takes the field, the offensive line, running backs and quarterbacks huddle up. There were five starters on the line, with four of us that would be rotating in. He grabbed all nine of us and looked at us, telling us to give him three or four seconds each time and we’ll go win this thing. He literally believed it, and we believed it, and we did it. We won it all. It was magical. I’ll never forget it.” Soon after the game, Young told all of the linemen that he had to go to the NFL. They all understood and encouraged him. “We didn’t blame him. He had to do what he had to do. He was on top of the world and was going to be a top five draft pick. We supported his decision 100 percent.” However, Valdez wondered about the next quarterback and who it would be. Eventually that person would be Colt McCoy of Tuscola, Tex., which was only an hour away from Brett’s hometown of Brownwood. Valdez still laughs when thinking about seeing McCoy for the first time as a redshirt freshman. “I’m going to be honest with you, and this is nothing personal against Colt or anything. I can remember the first time I saw Colt at practice. They sent him down to do some run drills for the offensive line. He literally just came in for two-a-days, he reported in, and was 6’1 maybe 175 pounds soaking wet. I honest to god thought he was a walk-on quarterback.” McCoy ended up surprising Valdez and the rest of the offensive line his first year as a starter at Texas. “He came on quick, and did a great job,” he said. “I think a lot of that was due to him listening to everything Vince said as a redshirt freshman. He listened to every word and studied the game. When it was time to shine, McCoy and the offensive line pulled through. “The good thing about Colt was that he had three senior returning starters, plus me as a senior. I rotated in, so Colt had four senior offensive linemen, and 3 juniors behind us. We were pretty stacked. He was put in a good position to come in and learn with a great line, and to build his confidence. Obviously he flourished from there, winning all of those awards as a freshman and having a great overall season.” After playing in the Alamo Bowl, and finishing up the season ranked No. 13, it was time for Valdez to move on. He was a fifth-year senior and gave everything he had to Texas. He first decided to try to go the NFL route, but some bad news came his way. “My back never felt 100 percent from the injury I had. Even after rehabbing it, it never felt the same. We were doing workouts for the NFL and I did a team physical. That physical showed that I still had a rupture in my back, and I figured my football days were over with.” Brett decided to stay in Austin and see what he could come up with job-wise. It ended up paying off for him, as he found a great job that he still loves to this day. “I work for RAM (Reinking Asset Management) Financial Group. It is a small privately owned company, and what we basically do is investments for people. We handle money, manage money and invest money for high net worth individuals.” It turns out Brett’s former job as a football player is just what RAM was looking for. “They have wanted to work with athletes, as they have never worked with them before. They wanted to bring on athletes as clients, and long story short we started talking about that kind of stuff. One thing led to the next and I ended up getting a job with them. He gave me an office, an assistant and then told me to go to work. I have been there ever since and I love it.” Since then Brett has had great success at RAM Financial. He has brought on several athletes, along with regular clients as well. Those athletes include many NFL players, including his best friend and former Texas lineman Justin Blalock. But it’s not all work and no play for Valdez anymore. He still finds time in his busy schedule to work with children. He currently coaches a pee wee football team, and speaks to youth about problems they face today. “I like to try and give back as much as I can,” says Valdez. “I really enjoy it. I like working with these kids, doing stuff like coaching flag and peewee football. I also love talking to them about making right choices to be able to succeed in life.” Even though Brett never made it to the NFL, he is still a great ambassador to the University of Texas. Justin Blalock (left) and Brett Valdez at graduation. Valdez and former U.S. President George W. Bush. Brett Valdez and Matthew McConaughey.
