CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) – Jesse Garza cried when he committed to a college out of high school, and not happy tears.

Garza, a linebacker out of Nipomo, California, always dreamt out of playing division one football. Instead, he wound up heading to junior college first.

“I just felt like a failure,” Garza said. “My identity was so wrapped up in what I did.”

At that time, Garza found his worth in football. If things were going well on the football field, he was proud and confident. When offers didn’t roll in, or big plays didn’t take shape, he thought less of himself.

It was at Allan Hancock College in California where Garza’s mindset shifted. His coach there was also the Fellowship of Christian Athletes leader on campus.

“He was like ‘FCA after practice, you’re going to be there,'” Garza recalled. “I was like ‘Okay, I’ll be there I guess.'”

From there, Garza got in touch with the area’s FCA coordinator who helped him grow deeper in his faith.

Now, the 6-foot-2, 235 linebacker is fulfilling his dream of playing DI football, but his mindset looks substantially different than the kid who hoped for this moment in high school. It’s a perspective he needed as he played only seven total games in 2023 and 2024 with the Panthers.

“It wasn’t until I learned – I’m so much more to these guys and with these guys [than just a football player,]” Garza said. “I have a bigger role outside of football, I’m learning that a lot right now. People need a leader, people need someone to love them. Guys need someone to have their backs, I’m going to do that. It just helps when you know who you truly are. They say if you know who Jesus is, you know who you are – I think that’s really true.”

His head coach can attest.

“Jesse is who he is all the time, whether it’s in the office or whether it’s in the weight room, on the field, whether it’s in the classroom or in the community,” EIU head football coach Chris Wilkerson said. “He’s the real deal. And there’s never any change in his personality and his priorities. He’s an unbelievable person and a heck of a football player.”

Garza has seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, through Eastern’s first two games of the 2025 season.

EIU hosts Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 13.