Rice safety Jo Chavez proves he belongs

HOUSTON – Despite earning multiple all-conference selections and even garnering a 3-star rating by one recruiting service, Rice University safety Jo Chavez drew no interest from Division I college recruiters as a senior at Folsom (Calif.) High.

The University of San Diego, a D-II school that doesn’t offer scholarships, was the only university willing to offer Chavez a spot on its football team. Chavez aspired to play Division I, though, so he looked inward.

Chavez wondered why his 132 career tackles and three interceptions at Folsom High weren’t enough. He plotted a course from the Sacramento area in Northern California to Saddleback College in Southern California.

Chavez took a gap semester after high school to train and get stronger in the fall of 2023 as a part-time student before enrolling at Saddleback in the spring of 2024. Then he got to work on the path that landed him at Rice University last season.

“But at that point it was for me to look more inward and (ask), ‘What did these coaches not see in me that I saw in me? What can I improve on to make it more undeniable that I belong?” Chavez said. “So I went JUCO.

“It was more working on my speed, my size, my strength, just being a fast football player. When those offers finally started to come in when I was at JUCO, it was a great feeling because I just saw that the benefits of my work were just starting to come about.”

Work pays off

Jo Chavez signed with Rice after earning second-team All-Southern League honors at Saddleback as a freshman in 2024. Once Chavez arrived on Rice’s picturesque campus on South Main, he proved he belonged on the field and in the classroom at a so-called “New Ivy” that is considered the best academic institution in the Southwest.

Despite not registering a tackle in Rice’s first two games while combining for only eight tackles over the Owls’ first five games, Chavez finished the season with 40 tackles. 

More from Our Esquina

Legendary Rice professor Richard Tapia, a tireless advocate for Latinos, dies

Guard Victoria Flores finds greatness at Rice

Fernando Mendoza, Jacob Rodriguez, KC Concepcion lead 2025 Latino All-America team

He had a career-high 13 tackles against South Florida in the last game of the season. Moreover, the 6-foot, 190-pound safety earned American Conference All-Academic honors. 

Chavez played in 12 of the Owls’ 13 games last season, starting five. He’s expected to play a larger role as a junior this season. The 13-tackle performance in the season finale served as a confidence boost, Chavez says.

Jo Chavez embraces leadership role

“That just allowed me to know that I do belong,” he said. “This year … I’m taking more of a leadership role. The portal hit us hard. Then we had a lot of graduates too in the safety role.

“Knowing I have to step up in that role and start leading the safety room and even the defense and even the team too, I’m excited to play and excited to be out here.”

Chavez and the Owls finished 5-8 (2-6 in the American Conference) during coach Scott Abell’s first season last year. Abell has altered the roster to better fit his option attack.

The Owls will be tested early. After opening against Houston Christian on Sept. 5, they will travel to Fort Bend, Ind., to face No. 4 ranked Notre Dame. 

The visit to Fort Bend is the type that football players dream about since they were little. The Owls will be heavy underdogs, but Chavez is not overwhelmed by that role. He has seen hard work rewarded. He credits his Mexican American father Albert Chavez with being his inspiration and role model, and Eddie appears equally proud of his second of five kids.

“Joseph is a gym rat,” Albert Chavez said of his son. “If he’s not on the field, he’s in the gym. My kids work hard. He’s usually on the field on his own at night working on footwork or in the gym or doing treatment and recovery.

“They just outwork others. Basically just work your butt off. He’s not done. He still has a lot more in the tank.”