While most fans see these four walk to midfield for the coin toss before the game – including this Saturday in the season opener at Nevada (2:30 pm PT/4:30 pm CT) – their role goes beyond that, from position meetings to team talks to keeping the sideline locked in to the task at hand.
For Hatcher, he is in his first year with the Bobcats. A transfer from Arkansas State who has played in 32 career games in the Sun Belt, including 16 starts, he showed up this past January with an intent to make the program better. And in that time, from being at the facility on his own terms from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on what felt like every day, he did enough to be a unanimous selection by his teammates for the team captain role.
“I’d say Layne’s work ethic is unparalleled to anything right now,” said Texas State head football coach Jake Spavital. “I’ve coached a lot of good quarterbacks, a lot of NFL quarterbacks with extreme work ethics. He tops it all. He’s the first guy in here. He’s walking through with receivers before practice. He’s in the staff meetings with us all the time, learning the offense and understanding what needs to be accomplished. He turned the stadium lights on literally every single night throughout the course of the summer and throughout the course of spring to throw with receivers.
“He really dove into everyone on this team. They see a kid willing to sacrifice everything to be successful. That means a lot to everyone else out there.”
While Hatcher is the newest face among the four captains, Tupou is the oldest of the group. The Allen High School product began his career at UTEP where he was a two-year starter and played in more than 20 games. In need of a fresh start and having already earned his undergraduate degree, he elected to open the second phase of his college career at Texas State in 2020.
He played in all 12 games that year and then battled back to regain his starting spot last year. He ended the 2021 season second on the team in tackles.
“He’s grown up so much since we’ve got him here at Texas State,” said defensive coordinator Zac Spavital of Tupou. “He’s had so many things, adversity, setbacks, injuries. To watch him grow up and develop and have that leadership from just a work ethic. He’s not as vocal, but the way he practices, what he brings to our strength and conditioning program – and plus he’s played a ton of football. He knows how to do it.”
And Tupou elected to come back for another season this year. He’s already earned his master’s degree and working on a certificate this fall. The extra year of eligibility and the ability to further his education created an opportunity for him to give college football one more try.
“He came back for a reason,” added Zac Spavital. “When you look him in the eyes, you know what he wants to accomplish.”
Although he is a new face to the outside linebacker position for the Texas State defense, Revels is not a new face to the program. The North Shore High School product out of Houston has been with the Bobcats since head coach Jake Spavital took the reins in 2019. One of the original signees in the Spavital Era, Revels has grown and developed in the Texas State program through the traditional route.
“(Revels) has been here since day one,” said Jake Spavital. “He’s that guy who has had that chip on his shoulder, under-recruited, but he’s been at winning programs. He knows what discipline looks like. He knows what toughness is. I’ve just been proud of him of how he has progressed.”
Revels is moving to the outside linebacker position this year after playing every position along the defensive line in Zac Spavital’s system. And while Revels is changing up where he lines up, he has stood up in terms of leadership entering his junior season.
“He’s been one of the more overlooked guys in our conference,” said Jake Spavital. “A lot (of that is) because of his size. The thing is he always finds a way to make a play. He’s got a ton of respect from everybody in (the program) by the way he approaches the game.”
Hergel, meanwhile, has not been in the program as long as Revels, but his impact is felt throughout the football complex on a daily basis. Like Hatcher, he is constantly around the facility with a specific routine of lifting, stretching, watching film, and interacting with coaches and teammates.
“Just the impact since he’s been here,” said Jake Spavital of Hergel. “The toughness that he brings, the work ethic he brings. He and Layne (Hatcher) are probably the two hardest workers in our building. They’re here nonstop. You root for (Kyle) because he’s tough, he works hard, he cares. He’s turned into a great leader right now. He’s one of those guys that has potential to play at the next level. You’ll see him play at the next level because of how he approaches the game.”
Hergel joined Texas State in 2021 after transferring from North Dakota. The Canadian started all 12 games last year at right guard and has garnered numerous preseason all-conference selections this summer.
“We’ve been talking about wanting to bring in guys who work hard and change the narrative of this place,” said Spavital. “(Hergel) epitomizes that. “
The coaching staff believes the leadership on the team is born out of the amount of experience it has at the collegiate level. The Bobcats have nearly 50 players on the roster who have played in 10 or more NCAA games. But even with the depth of snap counts and games logged, the team features leaders everywhere who are making sure they are prepared and executing the details.
“This has been a strong group of leaders that we’ve had, but I’ve been even more impressed by everybody else, too,” said Jake Spavital. “(We) got some other guys who are speaking up and having leadership roles. Those are the four that got voted the most but I’m pleased that we have a lot more leaders on this team.”
For Spavital, who has been to nine bowl games as an assistant coach in his career, he has a pretty good idea of what it takes from a standpoint of intangibles. He knows what type of leadership is required and where it comes from for a team to take the next step.
“It can’t be coach-led,” said Spavital. “The best teams I’ve ever been a part of are player-led. This (team) is very similar to those successful teams I’ve had from a leadership standpoint.”
