{"id":408428,"date":"2026-08-16T21:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T21:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/408428\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T21:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T21:48:08","slug":"why-roy-alexander-chose-to-return-to-uiw-after-year-at-texas-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/408428\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Roy Alexander chose to return to UIW after year at Texas Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) runs with the ball during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n

Stepping into the transfer portal in January, receiver Roy Alexander said his top priority was finding a new home he could trust. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Even after a quiet year at Texas Tech last season, he said he entered the search process with \u201ca ton of options\u201d on the strength of his record-setting run at Incarnate Word in 2024. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cA lot of schools are going to be saying the same exact thing as everybody else. Like, \u2018Oh, we know how good you are. We know what you can do,\u2019\u201d Alexander said. \u201cBut do you really understand how good I am? Do you know how much I really put into this game? I\u2019ve got to go somewhere I can trust, where I can showcase my talents and help my team get to that level we\u2019re trying to get to.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

As he mulled his decision, he reflected on the \u201ctremendous love\u201d he felt from UIW coach Clint Killough and receivers coach Willis White during his first stint at UIW, recalling the Cardinals\u2019 commitment to help him reach his goals. Even after a year away, Alexander understood he would be welcomed back into the program. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Signing to return to UIW this summer, Alexander said he feels \u201clike I never left,\u201d standing as one of very few familiar faces on an overhauled offense as the Cardinals look for a bounce-back year in 2026. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cJust be myself,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cYou can\u2019t switch up how you got there just because you had a little success. I\u2019m going to come back to when I first started, nobody ever knew me. I had to come in and work my way up. I\u2019ve been doing that since I\u2019ve been here.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

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READ MORE: Why UIW football is aiming to \u2018restore the order\u2019 as 2026 season approaches<\/a><\/p>\n

Alexander claimed a starring role the last time he suited up for UIW, totaling 1,108 yards and 13 touchdowns on a school-record 100 receptions in 2024. The production earned him the opportunity to transfer to Texas Tech, completing his rise to the top of the FBS after he opened his career with three seasons at Albany. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas Tech became one of the hottest stories in the nation last year, finishing 12-2 with a Big 12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff. Alexander said he valued the opportunity to be around a group of players with NFL talent and aspirations, but a concussion kept him from showing what he could produce at the Big 12 level. He appeared in only the first three games of the season, totaling three catches for 31 yards. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI just had a concussion that I never really came back from,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cI worked through it over the year, and I was making progress, but once I fully got cleared of it, it was already too late, at that point.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) catches a pass during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) runs a route during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) runs a route during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) catches a pass during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) looks on during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) runs with the ball during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) catches a pass during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) looks on during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) prepares for a play during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News\"UIW<\/p>\n

UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) catches a pass during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday, Aug., 8, 2026.<\/p>\n

Zach Del Bello\/San Antonio Express-News<\/p>\n

Now fully healthy and with a medical waiver in hand to allow for a final year of eligibility, Alexander provides a needed boost to Killough\u2019s offense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Cardinals return just one offensive starter from a team that finished a disappointing 5-7 last season, as Jameson Garcia joins Alexander in the receivers group after hauling in 40 passes for 546 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only one Roy Alexander, in my opinion,\u201d Killough said. \u201cHe\u2019s a special human being. Obviously, he\u2019s a great player. … I\u2019m fortunate that he trusts us enough, and it\u2019s a testament to the quality of our relationship that he decided to come back and play football here. Because he had options. Trust me.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Given the high degree of turnover across college football, Alexander said returning to UIW is \u201cnot really much of a difference\u201d compared to other situations. Every player at every school is spending this time of the year learning a bunch of new teammates. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Defensive lineman Chase Carter is in a similar position to Alexander. He suited up for the Cardinals in 2023 and 2024, spent a quiet season at Memphis last year and then chose to return to UIW for his final year of eligibility. Carter said he and Alexander bring maturity and leadership skills because of their experience, but they still understand the need to battle for their spots. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the best thing about this team, is you have to see the cream rise to the top,\u201d Carter said. \u201cA lot of times as a player, you get comfortable when you know, \u2018I started here already, so I\u2019m not really worried about somebody pushing me.\u2019 But I think we have a team full of guys who are all trying to show and prove their value.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

Plenty of positions are in flux, as UIW enters the year with 53 newcomers on the roster and just three returning starters between offense and defense. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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But defensive lineman Terrell Elliott, one of the few veteran returners from last year\u2019s team, said the group is already meshing, highlighting Alexander\u2019s receivers room as one of the spots that appears to be improved. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to be back,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cI took a year off to go to a different school and explore my options, but it just always feels good, going back home.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UIW Cardinals wide reciever Roy Alexander (4) runs with the ball during practice in San Antonio, Texas, Saturday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408429,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-408428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}