Wake Forest’s Carlos Hernandez goes off again
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Xavier Andrade,
- September 27, 2026
Carlos Hernandez leads Our Esquina's recap of Latinos in College Football
It says quite a bit about Wake Forest receiver Carlos Hernandez that his impressive 194 receiving yards on Saturday night weren’t even his career high. He actually had 197 receiving yards in a game last year, so it’s no surprise to see the speedy Californian go off.
Considering his latest performance was against a ranked Louisville squad, though, it’s fair to say it was the best performance of the senior’s career. Carlos Hernandez, who leads the ACC with 516 yards, repeatedly burned Louisville’s defensive backs for 194 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine catches.
Hernandez’s 77-yard touchdown reception was the biggest highlight of Wake Forest’s 30-27 victory over then-No. 19 Louisville.
Carlos Hernandez: Player of the Week
Hernandez is Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week for Week 4 in College football. The 6-foot, 190-pounder from Alhambra, Calif., accounted for all but 31 of Gio Lopez’s passing yards. Lopez was 12 for 19 for 225 yards and a touchdown for Wake Forest (3-1, 1-1 ACC). He also rushed for 15 yards on eight carries.
Here’s how most of the rest of the Latinos in college football performed in Week 4. If we missed a player who identifies as Latino, please email CarlosLeon@OurEsquina.com.
Ole Miss safety Joenel Aguero had three tackles, and Jonathan Maldonado added two in a 52-28 loss against Florida. Texas A&M kicker David Olano accounted for all of the Aggies’ points in a 35-6 loss at LSU. Olano hit a career-long 53-yard field goal for Texas A&M’s lone highlight.
Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had 13 tackles (three solo) in a 31-24 loss against Mississippi State. Kentucky tight end Willie Rodriguez had two catches for 18 yards in a 45-21 victory over South Alabama. Cyrus Reyes added three tackles for the Wildcats.
Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez had five tackles (three solo) in a 21-15 victory over Vanderbilt. Naseem Pacheco had a 17-yard kick return for Howard in a 58-7 loss to Rutgers. Michigan’s Nikai Martinez had four tackles (two solo) in a 31-13 loss to Nebraska. He also rushed for 15 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
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Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was 18 for 28 for 239 passing yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions in a 27-24 loss to Minnesota. Rodney Lora had three tackles for Purdue in a 49-10 loss to Notre Dame. Jacobo Echeverria Lozano made a 47-yard field goal and a PAT for the Boilermakers in the losing effort.
Ohio State defensive back Devin Sanchez had seven tackles (five solo) and three passes defended in a 42-19 victory. Oregon safety Peyton Woodyard had three tackles (two solo) in a 41-27 victory over USC.
Josiah Zayas secures Pick 6
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for a loss in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. Josiah Zayas had a 51-yard pick-6 in the loss. Receiver Tony Diaz had three catches for 46 yards to help Iowa beat Michigan 20-19.
UCLA receiver Noah Fox-Flores had two catches for 11 yards to help the Bruins beat Maryland 54-3. Mason Rivera added two tackles and an interception he returned 25 yards for the Bruins. Yale tight end Jaxton Santiago had five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown in a 38-25 loss to Cornell.
Columbia’s Austin Coronado had three tackles (one solo) in a 20-17 overtime victory over Georgetown. Luca Lopez had one tackle for Penn in a 20-7 loss against Lehigh. Jacinto Lopez had two tackles while helping Harvard beat Brown 14-10. Jadon Garza-Perez and EJ Perez each had two tackles for Brown in the loss.
Houston kicker Jonathan Dimas made all six PATs in a 42-28 victory over Georgia Southern. Colorado linebacker Tyler Martinez had two tackles in a 23-13 loss to Baylor. Texas Tech backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos completed 1 of 2 pass attempts for a 27-yard touchdown. He added 26 rushing yards on four carries in the 49-14 victory over Sam Houston.
Rico Flores finds end zone again
Virginia receiver Rico Flores Jr. scored his first touchdown of the season in a 42-3 victory over Delaware. He had nine catches for 113 yards overall. Jasiah Galvan had 10 tackles (six solo) to help Stanford beat Georgia Tech 34-27. Alberto Mendoza was 26 of 39 for 268 yards and two touchdowns with an interception against for Georgia Tech. He also ran for 16 yards on eight carries in the loss.
North Texas safety Bryce Garza had two tackles in a 63-14 victory over Houston Christian. Luka Matamoros had a four-yard catch in the losing effort. Florida Atlantic’s RJ Garcia II had two catches for 10 yards in a 45-17 victory over UL Monroe.
Fresno State punter Nick Verdugo averaged 52 yards on his three punts with a long of 55 yards in a 38-24 victory over Rice. Safety Jo Chavez had five tackles (two solos) for Rice in the loss. Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales was 9-for-16 for 68 yards and one interception in a 34-7 loss to Louisiana.
Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores was 5 for 7 for 20 yards in a 52-3 loss to Miami. He also ran for eight yards on three carries. East Carolina kicker Noah Perez made six extra points in a 42-9 victory over North Carolina Central. Curly Ordoñez had eight tackles (six solo) for Temple in a 21-17 loss against Army. JoJo Bermudez added two catches for seven yards for Temple.
Popo Aguirre racks up tackles
Raul “Popo” Aguirre had a game-high 11 tackles to help NC State beat App State 41-31. Florida State receiver Jasen Lopez had two catches for 18 yards in a 34-7 victory over Central Arkansas. Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez accounted for 238 total yards in a 24-20 loss to Alabama Birmingham. He ran for 134 yards on 34 carries. Gutierrez also threw for 104 yards while going 4 for 13.
UTSA receiver David Amador II had three catches for 44 yards and one touchdown. He also had three punt returns for 11 yards to help beat Colorado State 59-45. UNLV kicker Ramon Villela made one field goal and all eight of his extra points in a 38-10 win over Akron. Freshman linebacker Steven Perez made six tackles in Wyoming’s 27-10 win against Hawaii.
Cornerback Jahmir Torres recorded two tackles in a 42-18 win over New Mexico State. Oregon State kicker Caleb Ojeda made two field goals and three extra point kicks in the Beavers dominant 33-7 win over UTEP. FIU tight end Jackson Verdugo caught a 22-yard pass in the Panthers’ 20-3 win over Long Island University. Defensive back Felix Matos made six tackles in the Sharks’ loss.
Arkansas State defensive back Noah Flores recorded four tackles in the Red Wolves’ 17-14 win over Kennesaw State. Jacksonville State linebacker Jacob Cruz recorded one tackle in a 23-13 win over Middle Tennessee.
Morgan Suarez kicks it
James Madison kicker Morgan Suarez made four field goals and four extra points in a 46-20 win over Old Dominion. The four field goals were the most by a JMU kicker since 2021.
Cal Poly kicker Josue Lopez made a 43-yard field goal for the Mustangs in a 31-27 win over Eastern Washington. Wide receiver David Cabrera caught a 35-yard touchdown for the Eagles in the loss. Idaho State linebacker Jacob Perez recorded six tackles in a 28-14 win over Southern Utah.
Joel Cordoba recorded a team-high six tackles while also adding one sack in Kent State’s 26-13 win over Ball State. Sophomore defensive lineman Josue Cordoba also made three tackles in the victory. Eastern Michigan Defensive lineman Hector Gonzalez made two tackles in a 29-3 win over Lindenwood.
Xavier Andrade
Xavier Andrade, who played football at Luther College, graduated with degrees in Communications and Political Science. He previously worked in editorial and social media for Hola Cultura, a Latino publication in Washington, D.C. Andrade currently coaches football at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif.
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