Quarterback Richard Torres (center) is congratulated by teammates as he gathers with family and friends to sign his letter of intent to play for Nebraska on Wednesday.
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Quarterback Richard Torres offers his thanks to members of the Southside High School coaching staff as he gathers with family and friends to sign his letter of intent to play at Nebraska on Wednesday.
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Southside football coach Ricky Lock was sitting in his office last spring when he received a call from Lincoln.
Lock said it was Huskers coach Scott Frost. After a few questions, Frost told Lock he wanted to offer Southside’s star quarterback Richard Torres a scholarship. Lock always knew Torres was a special quarterback with his rocket arm. Frost’s offer reinforced that belief.
Torres (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) officially set the course for Lincoln on Wednesday when he signed a national letter of intent with Nebraska on the first day of the early signing period, which ends Friday.
“This means a lot to me and my family,†said Torres, who will enroll at Nebraska in January. “We’ve looked so far ahead to this day, and I’m just happy we are here.â€
Torres selected the Huskers out of eight FBS offers that included UTSA, Utah, Washington State, Kansas State, San Diego State, Tulsa and UNLV.
Torres committed in June, and he said Frost never wavered from that pledge after Torres tore his ACL three games into the 2021 season.
“I wasn’t concerned really too much,†Torres said. “Coach Frost is a loving guy, and so I trusted him and he trusted me.â€
Torres had surgery three months ago and has recently started throwing again as part of his rehabilitation.
Before he was injured, Torres offered a glimpse of what’s to come in the season opener when he threw for 302 yards and eight touchdowns on 13-of-17 passing in one half as part of a 62-14 victory against Brownsville Lopez.
“It’s been really fun watching him and seeing how he’s matured,†Lock said. “There’s a lot of good ones who have come through here, but this couldn’t go to a better young man than Richard Torres.â€
Torres burst onto recruiting radars in 2020 after passing for 1,149 yards and 18 touchdowns in seven games, a season shortened by the pandemic.
Torres entered the 2020 season with no scholarship offers after completing just 2 of 3 passes for 23 yards as Southside’s backup quarterback when he was a sophomore.
“I think I’ve come a long way,†Torres said. “I didn’t think I was going to make it on such a big stage with a Big Ten program.â€
Torres said he didn’t pay much attention to speculation that Frost might lose his job as the Huskers struggled through a 3-9 season. He never second-guessed his commitment to Nebraska.
“I didn’t think too much about it,†Torres said. “Media is media and they are always looking for a story. I’m not really too focused on it.â€
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Quarterback Richard Torres (center) is congratulated by teammates as he gathers with family and friends to sign his letter of intent to play for Nebraska on Wednesday.
Quarterback Richard Torres offers his thanks to members of the Southside High School coaching staff as he gathers with family and friends to sign his letter of intent to play at Nebraska on Wednesday.