Justin Trejo is about as Texan as it gets, at least on the surface.
He played football at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth from 2008 to 2012 during the Horned Frogs’ rise to national prominence. After graduating in communications and Spanish, he continued to work in the Dallas area. Like any good Texan, he is still involved in football, coaching at WT White High School in Dallas.
When asked if he identifies as a Texan, however, the Detroit native balks at the question.
“I’m still a Michigander,” he said. “I can’t say I’m from Texas. I’m blue collar and from Detroit. There is no doubt about it.
Trejo also grew up as a Michigan football fan, which complicates things on December 1. Jan. 31, when his horned frogs take on the Wolverines in the college football playoff semifinals at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. This pulls on both his allegiances.
“I can’t lose in this game,” he said. “I get to see two teams that I’m super passionate about.”
Trejo was born and raised in the Eight Mile Wyoming neighborhood west of Detroit to parents Michael and Elzbieta. His father played football in San Jose State, and Trejo soon developed a dream of playing in college as well.
Like many Michiganders with grilling dreams, Trejo gravitated to the Michigan Wolverines. He remembers a childhood visit to Michigan Stadium as a pivotal moment in his fandom.
“He’s a footballing monument,” he said. “I thought I loved football, I thought I was into it, and then once you finally see it, you get it.”
As Trejo grew into a 6-foot-3, 270-pound offensive lineman, his family briefly moved to St. Louis. Paul, Minnesota to end his high school career. He considered marching to Michigan, but admitted he didn’t get into school.
“So I packed my bags, took a risk on myself, and came down to TCU,” he said, adding that the University of Fort Worth is very supportive of Hispanic students. like him.
Read more: First Look at TCU, Michigan’s College Football Playoff Semifinal Opponent
Trejo was the only Michigan native during his time at TCU, he said. This year’s Horned Frogs are also missing a Michigan native, as the roster only shows a handful of players who even hail from the Midwest.
He has always “absolutely loved” his time at TCU and formed “a brotherhood” with his teammates. The campus is beautiful, he said, with flowers still “made” and a huge Christmas tree unveiled just after Thanksgiving.
“It’s a different aesthetic compared to UM, but it’s really pretty,” he said.
Trejo played for TCU as the program ramped up nationally under former head coach Gary Patterson. The Horned Frogs were 54-11 when Trejo was on the team, winning the 2011 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin to cap an undefeated season.
Although he grew up loving Michigan, he likes to note that he won more Rose Bowls than the Wolverines during his college career in a conference that rarely plays in the game.
“My claim to fame is I’m a Midwestern guy, and I won the Rose Bowl, and I wasn’t even in the Big 10,” he said.
While Trejo, who grew into a 6-foot-4, 305-pound guard, has seen only a few shots in his career, he’s proud to be part of building the program into a program that has finally made its mark. first college football playoffs this year.
“TCU football is all about waking up early every day, working out in the weight room,” he said. “To learn that if you keep building and investing in yourself and investing in the program, you will eventually help build what we have now.”
When the Fiesta Bowl rolls around on New Year’s Eve, Trejo expects Wolverine and Horned Frog fans to get along. His childhood sweetheart will bump into the program that helped him grow into the man he is today, and he said it would make for the perfect viewing experience for him.
“I can’t be upset,” he said. “I support TCU but I won’t be upset if Michigan wins as well.”
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Michigan’s second college football playoff crack: What’s different in 2022?
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