Yale’s Jaxton Santiago hits century mark again
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Xavier Andrade,
- October 4, 2026
Jaxton Santiago highlights recap of Latino performances in Week 5 of College Football
Ever since putting the nation on notice with a spectacular one-handed catch that made ESPN’s Top 10 plays of the day a couple weeks ago, Yale’s Jaxton Santiago hasn’t slowed down. The native from Bakersfield, Calif., delivered another stellar performance in Week 5.
Santiago had five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 41-24 victory over Merrimack. Through three games, the junior wide receiver with Puerto Rican roots leads Yale in receptions (22), receiving yards (392) and touchdowns (5). His five touchdowns already match his scoring total from 2025.
Jaxton Santiago’s performance against Merrimack earned him Our Esquina’s Latino Player of the Week in Week 5 of College Football, securing the award for the second time in 2026.
Here’s how most of the other Latinos fared in Week 5. If we missed any player who identifies as Latino, please let us know by emailing CarlosLeon@OurEsquina.com.
Gio Lopez goes off again
Wake Forest quarterback Gio Lopez threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns while completing 20 of 27 passes. He also rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns in a 57-3 rout over Stanford. Wide receiver Carlos Hernandez added seven catches for 87 yards for the Demon Deacons.
Jasen Lopez had a 12-yard carry for FSU in a 38-7 victory over Virginia. Coach David Aranda’s Baylor Bears improved to 4-1, 2-1 in the Big 12 with a dominant 55-19 victory over Arizona State. Kansas defensive end David Santiago had two tackles in a 55-0 victory over Middle Tennessee. Houston kicker Jonathan Dimas made two field goals, including a career-long 46-yarder. He added three PATs in a 27-17 victory over UCF.
Keyshawn Burgos had three tackles and half a sack to help Purdue beat Illinois 24-17. Rodney Lora added two tackles for the Boilermakers. Purdue kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano made three field goals with a long of 34 yards. Nebraska’s Jordan Ochoa had one tackle in a 48-23 win over Maryland.
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas had 12 tackles (five solo) with a sack in a 34-13 loss to Northwestern. Josiah Zayas had three tackles with a fumble recovery for the Nittany Lions.
David Olano sets career mark
Texas A&M kicker David Olano made a career-long field goal for the second week in a row. He made a 57-yard field goal to help the Aggies beat Arkansas 34-7. Olano made two field goals to improve to 6-6 to start the season. The Colombian American added four PATs.
The 57-yard field goal was the longest by a Texas A&M kicker since 1999. Moreover, he’s the first A&M kicker to start his tenure at the school 6-for-6 on field goal tries.
Tight end WIllie Rodriguez caught a winning two-point conversion in the back of the end zone to give Kentucky a 35-34 overtime victory over South Carolina. Rodriguez made five catches for 57 yards. He also had five rushing yards on two carries.
Auburn linebacker Elijah Melendez had nine tackles (five solo) with a sack and two tackles for a loss in a 24-14 loss against Tennessee. Missouri linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez had a game-high 11 tackles (five solo) and 1.5 tackles for a loss in a 45-17 upset victory over Florida.
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Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. was 15 for 26 for 198 yards and a touchdown in a 25-21 loss against USC. He also rushed for 26 yards on 13 carries. Tyler Robles added three PATs for the Huskies. Michigan State receiver Kai Rios had a five-yard catch in a 31-3 loss against Wisconsin. Nikai Martinez added two tackles in the loss.
Ohio State sophomore Devin Sanchez had three tackles in a 31-14 victory over Iowa. Tony Diaz had five catches for 59 yards for the Hawkeyes. He added an eight-yard carry in the loss.
Triple fumble recovery day
Popo Aguirre recovered three fumbles for NC State in a 31-28 victory over Louisville. He also had six tackles (three solo). Ramon Villela made a 31-yard field goal and four PATs to help UNLV beat Cal 39-31.
Bryce Garza had one tackle for North Texas in a 45-44 overtime victory over Tulsa. UTSA receiver David Amador II had a game-high seven catches for 48 yards and a three-yard carry in a 16-14 win over Rice. He also returned three punts for 44 yards. Rice safety Jo Chavez had eight tackles (five solo) with half a sack in the loss. Florida Atlantic receiver RJ Garcia II had a 19-yard catch in a 66-10 victory over Texas Southern.
Raymond Garcia had two tackles for UAB in a 33-14 victory over Samford. Navy quarterback Jackson Gutierrez was 7 for 15 for 140 passing yards and one touchdown in a 14-9 loss to Air Force. Gutierrez also rushed for 33 yards on 12 carries. Jayden Oquendo had one tackle for Air Force.
Charlotte quarterback Cole Gonzales was 6 for 14 for 73 yards and one touchdown in a 59-8 loss against Memphis. Temple’s JoJo Bermudez had three catches for 18 yards and a touchdown to help Temple beat South Florida 17-3. The senior receiver also had two carries for five yards. Curly Ordonez had a game-high 10 tackles (five solo) for the Owls in the victory.
Steven Perez shone in defeat
Wyoming freshman linebacker Steven Perez had 10 tackles (6 solo, one for loss) in a 28-0 loss to North Dakota. He also recovered a fumble. Jahmir Torres had two tackles to help New Mexico beat UTEP 61-7. He also returned an interception 26 yards. Jaime Guerrero had two tackles for the Miners in the loss.
JaMair Diaz added two tackles, one of them a sack, for Temple. USF kicker Nico Gramatica made 2 of 3 field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. Utah State receiver Anthony Garcia had two catches for 21 yards in a 37-18 loss to Boise State. Oregon State kicker Caleb Ojeda made eight PATs in a 56-26 victory over Colorado State.
Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Hector Gonzalez recovered one fumble in a 38-14 victory over UMass. Juan Salas added three tackles for the Eagles. Kent’s Joel Cordoba had six tackles (three solo) in a 13-10 loss to Ohio. Josue Cordoba added three tackles (one solo), and Rafael Terrero Jr. added one tackle for the Golden Flashes in the loss.
Fresno State’s Andrew Chavez had a five-yard carry in a 26-6 victory over Washington State. Nick Verdugo averaged 40.4 yards per punt on five punts, placing three of them inside the 20-yard line.
Angel Flores shows off legs
Central Michigan quarterback Angel Flores rushed for 154 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries to beat Akron 41-17. Flores, who scored on a career-long 55-yard touchdown run, also completed half of his 14 passes for 78 yards and one touchdown.
Princeton kicker Esteban Nunez Perez made five PATs in a 35-7 victory over Columbia. Brown receiver Jadon Garza-Pender had three catches for 66 yards in a 13-10 loss to Rhode Island. EJ Perez had three tackles for the Bears in the losing effort. Jacinto Lopez had one tackle for Harvard in a 20-17 victory over Colgate. Francisco Moscoso added two PATs from the Crimson.
James Madison kicker Morgan Suarez made a 22-yard field goal and six extra point attempts in the Dukes’ 45-17 win over Marshall. Sophomore running back Steven Blanco rushed for 42 yards across nine carries for Louisiana in a 23-20 win against Arkansas State. Cornerback Noah Flores recorded four tackles in the Red Wolves’ loss.
Featured art courtesy of Yale Athletics.
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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