Jacob Garcia: More than a football player
LOGAN — Two days remained until the Utah State football team was set to take the field in their season opener against UConn. Thursdays are when the Aggies walk through their playbook to ensure the team will be on the same page come kickoff.
For long snapper Jacob Garcia, those practices can be mentally draining. That, combined with anxiety about the impending first game of the season, prompted Garcia to go home at the end of the day — and take a breather from football with his favorite hobby. He cooked.
After practice, he packed up his gear and returned to his apartment. He borrowed kicker Connor Coles’ grill, bought beef and potatoes at the grocery store and gathered his friends at his apartment. It was time for burgers.
“It’s super therapeutic for me just to cook,” Garcia said. “Making food is fun.”
Garcia savored the American classics and the time he spent with his buddies away from the passion that fills a majority of his time. It’s one of the ways Garcia balances his life as a student-athlete — emphasis on the student aspect.
But Garcia didn’t always know he loved to cook.
Discovery
Back in March 2020, Garcia was a high school senior in Yorba Linda, California. When the pandemic hit, he decided to make the most of his extra free time during lockdown by training. Garcia dedicated his time to get into the best shape possible before he joined his new football team after high school graduation. To maximize his gains, he started experimenting with his diet and incorporating healthier foods.
Cooking wasn’t new to Garcia — his mom, Nancy Garcia, said he was always interested in helping his family in the kitchen — but he was the one leading the meal now. More than just a tool to get in shape, cooking was another way to connect with his family.
With his brother Christian, who would go on to be a chef in a SoCal restaurant, parents Jim and Nancy who love to cook and grandmas Felícitas Reed and Theresa Garcia with plenty of recipes to share, Garcia had all the resources he needed to develop his skills.
“We just enjoy food a lot in our family, and it kind of just brings us together as one,” Garcia said.
Besides, Garcia knew he had to learn how to cook before he moved because he would be “missing those home-cooked meals.”
Jacob Garcia sizzles beef for empanadas during his class on Sept. 17. (Elise Gottling/The Utah Statesman)
Sausage Rolls and Tim Tams
Starting in Garcia’s freshman year in 2020, he began sharing his cooking skills and favorite meals with his teammates. Garcia roomed with other specialists and one day had the opportunity to help Australian punter Stephen Kotsanlee get a taste of home.
It was almost Kotsanlee’s birthday, and Garcia couldn’t think of a gift to give him. He knew that Kotsanlee was feeling homesick; he had mentioned how much he missed some of his favorite Australian foods. That’s when it clicked — Garcia would surprise Kotsanlee with some food from down under for his birthday.
On Kotsanlee’s birthday, Garcia came home from conditioning and started working on Tim Tams, biscuits covered in chocolate with a chocolate creme filling. Later in the day, Garcia whipped up another Aussie staple, sausage rolls. Kotsanlee loved the food and appreciated the endeavor from Garcia even more.
“It was the effort and that sort of thought he has for others,” Kotsanlee said. “Made my day and really made my whole year… Just made me happy to have that sort of taste of home, which is something I miss — and that’s what I expressed to him too, so he’s been listening.”
For Garcia, it was a no-brainer.
“It was super easy, super simple, but it was what reminded him of home the most,” Garcia said. “It was kind of special to me and to him.”
Kotsanlee enjoyed the food, but he razzed Garcia by saying that they “weren’t quite as good” as the way his mom makes them.
“Nothing can get as good as mom’s cooking,” Garcia said. “If anyone tried to make my mom’s cooking, I would definitely say it’s not as good either. So I totally agree with that, and if it’s just as close, then I’ll take it.”
Balancing Life
Garcia jogged off the football practice fields above Maverik Stadium and looked forward to the rest of his evening. It was another Thursday night when Garcia could make a home-cooked meal to settle in before the team locked in for gameday. Beyond the connection cooking provides with his family, it helps him destress during a hectic college football season.
“It takes a lot of stress off of football,” Garcia said. “It’s 24/7 here, so you just got to find that balance of something else.”
Sometimes his schedule doesn’t permit this time, and Garcia notices the difference.
“My routine’s a little off,” Garcia said. “Cooking is definitely a big part of me and a big part of the season too, just because I find that one little day, one little hour that I need to take to kind of relieve my stress.”
Later that week, things didn’t go according to plan for Utah State. They lost to Weber State, an FCS team, for the first time since 1978. It was also the Aggies’ first FCS loss since 2000. Luckily, USU had a bye week to reset before the rest of the season.
Long snapper Jacob Garcia prepares to snap the ball during the Air Force game. (Paige Johnson/The Utah Statesman)
Low
The score was 7-7 near the end of the first quarter in USU’s game against UNLV on Sept. 24. The Aggie offense had stalled, and the punt team was called on to flip the field on 4th and 17 from the USU 18-yard line.
Garcia took his place over the ball and got set to deliver it to Kotsanlee. He heard the signal caller and snapped the ball, but immediately he knew something was off.
“As soon as I snapped the ball, I kind of felt it release low off my hand,” Garcia said.
The snap was low. Kotsanlee crouched to grab it and punted the ball downfield.
There were whistles blown and flags on the field as the play ended with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Aggies. But even worse for Utah State, the play was under further review to see if Kotsanlee’s knee had touched the ground when he reached for the ball.
“I ran downfield, not knowing what happened behind there,” Garcia said. “I was just told that, ‘Hey, it was a low snap, and Stephen’s knee might have been down.’”
After minutes of replay review that felt like an eternity for anxious Aggie fans, the officials ruled that Kotsanlee was indeed down and the Rebels would get the ball inside the Aggie five-yard line. UNLV scored a touchdown in just over a minute, took a seven-point lead and never looked back as they led the remaining 45 minutes, defeating USU 34-24.
It was a tough moment for the specialists who know how key their few plays can be, but Garcia and the team had to move on.
“The next play is what matters most,” Garcia said. “I just stayed calm and composed… Not really showing my emotions, just moving on to the next one and knowing that my team had my back and had Stephen’s back.”
Good from 50 Yards
Nearly 60,000 fans stood on their feet jeering Utah State Football. The Aggies were down at LaVell Ed-wards Stadium in Provo, playing BYU in a rivalry game for the Old Wagon Wheel.
The Aggies’ kicking unit trotted onto the field on 4th and 25 to attempt a 50-yard field goal.
While jogging onto the field, Garcia locked in and took some deep breaths.
“I’ve done this a million times,” Garcia thought. “This one out of a million should be perfect.”
The roar of thousands of fans sounded like “white noise” to him. He was ready.
The snap, hold and kick were good, and the ball sailed through the uprights, chipping BYU’s lead down to four points.
It was one of the best special teams plays the Aggies have had this season, but Garcia passed all the credit to Coles, the kicker.
“Huge kudos to Connor. He’s been working his tail off,” Garcia said. “I was lucky enough to obviously snap that ball and, you know, be a part of that, but it was huge.”
Enjoying His Day Off
Back in the kitchen at Love to Cook in September, the empanadas sizzled as Garcia carefully dropped them into the bubbling oil.
Empanadas fry in a pan during a Garcia’s class on Sept. 17. (Elise Gottling/The Utah Statesman)
Eleven students listened to Garcia describe the proper technique for frying empanadas during a cooking class in September.
“Wait until they’re golden brown,” Garcia instructed.
It was Saturday night — primetime for playing or watching football — but Garcia took advantage of Utah State’s bye week and taught a cooking class instead.
For Garcia, teaching the classes is a rewarding opportunity to share his family’s culture and get more practice with a hobby he enjoys.
“Sharing the recipes with other people of my culture is super fun,” Garcia said. “And seeing people smile and stuff off the food that, you know, I created — that I helped them create — is super awesome.”
The class grabbed bowls of freshly blended salsa for their empanadas. Garcia explained how he likes to eat the pastries.
“It’s a whole process,” Garcia said, laughing.
First, he dips the empanada in salsa, takes a bite, then squeezes lemon juice inside. Another bite and the cycle repeats.
Students described the empanadas as flaky, soft and buttery with a chewy, savory filling.
Earlier in the day, Oregon had upset BYU, Bowling Green knocked off Marshall in overtime and Notre Dame barely snuck by California. A student asked Garcia if he had seen any of the games, but he said no. He enjoyed his Saturday away from football.
The students continued to eat their empanadas and chat with Garcia. After they left, Garcia helped his coworker clean up the kitchen.
Featured image by Elise Gottling.
Below are two recipes Garcia wanted to share with readers of The Utah Statesman.
Lomo Saltado
Ingredients
● 18 ounces sirloin steak cut into strips or cubes
● 1 red onion chopped into chunky slices
● 2 tomatoes chopped into 8 slices
● 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
● 2 tbsp olive oil ● 20 ounces white rice cooked
● 11 ounces thick potato slices, ready for frying
● 1/2 cup beef stock
● 4 tbsp soy sauce
● 4 tbsp plain vinegar
● Handful cilantro leaves
● 1/4 tsp oregano ground
● 1 tsp black pepper freshly crushed
● 1 tsp cumin ground
● salt to taste
Directions
1. Heat a Pan. Fry the potato slices in the vegetable oil and set aside until needed. 2. Cut the sirloin steak into strips or cubes. Marinate them in the cumin, salt, the 4 tablespoons of vinegar, a tablespoon of olive oil, black pepper and the soy sauce for 10 minutes before cooking. 3. Bring a tablespoon of olive oil to a very high heat in the wok. Strain and remove the steak strips from the marinade, and fry them over a high heat for around 4-5 minutes or until sealed. 4. Add the tomato and fry the ingredients in the wok for 30 seconds. Finally add the ground oregano and French fries, tossing everything together for another 10 seconds in order to integrate all the ingredients. 5. Serve immediately with white rice and decorate with a few cilantro leaves.
Aji Verde Salsa
Ingredients
● 1 cup mayonnaise
● 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 small limes)
● 2 large bunch fresh cilantro, trimmed, leaves and stems coarsely chopped (about 2 packed cups)
● 2 medium garlic clove, coarsely chopped
● 8 scallions, coarsely chopped
● 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
● 2 tablespoon seeded and coarsely chopped serrano or jalapeño chile
● 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Process on low, gradually increasing speed, until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover and chill sauce at least 1 hour before serving. (This allows flavors to meld and mellow out.) Sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.