Ranthony Texada of the TCU Horned Frogs (left) with his younger brother Raleigh Texada of the Baylor Bears (right) in 2017.
There hasn’t been a head-to-head “Battle of Texada” since Ranthony Texada of the TCU Horned Frogs met his younger brother Raleigh Texada of the Baylor Bears in 2017. That game ended as a decisive 42-22 victory for the Frogs, giving Ranthony Texada one up on his brother.
Both Ranthony and Raleigh grew up in Frisco, Texas, part of a family that is all about football. A senior at Louisiana Tech in 1989, their father Keith Texada played for the Bulldogs.
In his playing days, Keith Texada played wide receiver, but all three of his boys became stellar defensive backs and cornerbacks, possibly indicative of having the daunting task of covering their father during family football scrimmages. The Texada boys are well-known at Centennial High School, in Frisco, where they anchored the football team’s defense for many years.
In fact, there is another son, Ridge Texada, who currently plays for the North Texas Mean Green. “Their baby brother Ridge Texada is an All American, 1st Team All Conference CB in Conference USA,” Keith proudly pointed out.
Since Ranthony was selected by the San Antonio Brahmas on January 1, 2023, in the 12th round of the 2023 XFL Supplemental Draft and Raleigh was selected by the Houston Roughnecks on November 16, 2022, in the first round of the Defensive backs phase of the draft, two of Keith’s sons are now playing in the XFL. Keep in mind, Ranthony had to wait to be cleared of his CFL contract before the Brahmas could draft him.
On Sunday, the “Battle of Texada” will reconvene in TDECU Stadium when the San Antonio Brahmas visit the Houston Roughnecks.
Looking back at their college careers, Keith is easily able to laud both his son’s achievements. “Both are very popular players. Raleigh is 4th in Baylor History in most games played. Ranthony is 8th in Big 12 history in most passes broken up. The only other time they played against each other was TCU vs Baylor in 2017. Now they get to do it as Pros.”
When Keith was asked if he would be in attendance the answer was clear.
“Yep. A good bit of family,” Keith confirmed there would be a large family contingent heading to the game. He was also clear that it was the game they were coming to see. “I’m telling you, this is going to be the best game of the season,” Keith said.
As for his sons, Keith sees the same competitive spirit as he saw in the Frogs-Bears game back in 2017.
“They were friendly that day. But for this game on Sunday, they haven’t said a word to each other,” Keith said. “It’s very intense. Both boys were All Big 12. Ranthony was an All-American. Both will start on Sunday.”
This is Ranthony Texada’s second time with the XFL as he played for the New York Guardians in 2020, up until the moment the league shut down because of Coronavirus. Prior to the XFL in 2020, Ranthony had a short stint with the NFL’s Washington franchise, and after 2020 he spent time in the Canadian Football League, mostly with the Ottawa RedBlacks. However, being back in the United States and playing for the Brahmas, a Texas-based team, must be the missing ingredient as Ranthony is currently one of the highest graded DBs in the XFL.
Before being selected by the Roughnecks, Raleigh Texada signed with the Green Bay Packers after going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft but was waived by the team not long after. He also had a workout with the Miami Dolphins. The 2023 XFL season is his first chance to strut his stuff at pro football.
Whoever wins Sunday’s “Battle of Texada,” we all know the real winners will be the XFL squads who have a player named Texada in their roster.
The Texada family is a class act! The work ethic these young men put forth is amazing. The XFL is fortunate to have these young men as athletes, but even more, they are wonderful humans that show character and family values above all else.
The Texada family is a class act! The work ethic these young men put forth is amazing. The XFL is fortunate to have these young men as athletes, but even more, they are wonderful humans that show character and family values above all else.