High IQ Player: The Rafael Irizarry Story

Rafael Irizarry has become an asset with his wit, not his speed.

A ‘native’ of Houston, Texas, via time in Pennsylvania and Illinois, it could be said, since the holidays are right around the corner, that he actually comes from the Island of Misfit Toys. At an appropriately-sized 6’1” and 185 pounds, he is not undersized to play wide receiver, but he admits he lacks skills and athleticism to be a prototypical go-to target.

“I’m not the freak of nature that everybody wants, but I have spent a lot of time watching film and figuring out what I need to do, when I need to do it, and how I need to do it,” Irizarry said. “I watch film and figure out the opponents’ tendencies, and how I can take advantage of them. I use my brain, rather than rely on my athleticism.”

Rafael has never been the belle of the ball, having not even played on his high school’s varsity team until his senior year. A determination to prove the naysayers wrong, however, has lifted a previous oft-looked individual into a highly-reliable option for the William Penn football team, which is 9-1 this fall (4-1 Heart North) and is in the running for a possible berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series.

Rafael enters his final regular season college game at WPU with 29 career catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns, including career highs in all three categories this fall with 10 grabs, 194 yards, and 1 TD.

Overlooked

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Rafael’s family pulled up its roots for his father’s new job in Illinois when he was in fifth grade. A short stay in the Land of Lincoln was then followed by another move, finally to Texas when Rafael was in eighth grade.

“There were a lot of changes, especially going from a small town to a medium town to now a huge city in Houston,” Irizarry said. “But as far as football went, I was just the new kid and didn’t have a chance to build relationships with the coaches. The high school coaches would go down and check out the middle school kids, but they never really got to see me.”

Rafael participated on the JV squad through his junior year, finally breaking onto the top team as a senior. Even then, he saw limited playing time.

“I only got in on special teams or if we were up by 40,” Irizarry said. “I started as a slot receiver, but eventually moved to the outside because I knew I wasn’t as fast and shifty as I needed to be in the inside.”

Getting Discovered

Realizing his lackluster prep career was not going to immediately net him a football scholarship, he attended a camp for unsigned seniors in February.

“I didn’t have film, so I pretty much knew I had nothing to showcase my talents,” Irizarry said. “I figured I was done with football and was looking at either going to Texas Tech or Houston. However, I did have some friends who were attending the University of Iowa, so there was a chance I could have still ended up in Iowa if those other plans fell through.”

Grouped by Grade Point Average, Rafael wore a red t-shirt for having above a 3.5 GPA. Due to his academic prowess, he had a lot of eyes on him, including former Statesmen coaches Adam Farag and Noah Mayer.

“It wasn’t a skills camp, but more like running routes and remembering play calls,” Irizarry said. “I talked to Coach Farag and Coach Mayer at the end of the day, and they basically wrote me an offer on the spot. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that camp, I wouldn’t be here. I didn’t know anything about William Penn.”

“I’m obviously really glad it worked out,” Irizarry said. “I can’t imagine where I’d be now if I didn’t go to that camp.”

Rafael did his due diligence and took visits to all three schools who were interested in him. In the end, though, William Penn stuck out for both its facilities and its engineering program.

“You really don’t get facilities like this at the NAIA level, and then the fact they had an engineering degree, I was sold,” Irizarry said.

Earning His Spot

The new kid on the block in Oskaloosa, Rafael had no delusions of being the star, especially right out of the gate.

“I came in not expecting much,” Irizarry said. “I figured I would be a scout team guy my first year, maybe even red-shirt. Right before the first game, however, I got a text from my coach saying I was going to travel, which was awesome.”

The Statesmen, who finished 3-7 his freshman year (2022), were struggling offensively and wanted to shake things up, so Rafael was given a chance in the waning weeks of the season.

“One day at practice, I was put in as a starter, but I just figured it was because the actual starter wasn’t there yet,” Irizarry said. “They said, nope, you’re our guy now.”

Taking full advantage, Rafael hauled in six passes for 107 yards and a score in just four games on the turf.

“It was such an amazing opportunity,” Irizarry said.

Transitioning with the New Staff

Following his freshman season, WPU hired a new head coach in Marc Benavidez, who brought in not only new coaches, but also a new offensive scheme. Rafael again won a starting spot, but had a pair of lightly-utilized campaigns.

As a sophomore he tallied five receptions for 74 yards, while last year as a junior, he had eight catches for 60 yards.

“We, including me, didn’t really have the years we were hoping for, with Coach Benavidez” Irizarry said. “With the new coach, I just looked at it as how well can I perform to keep my spot. How can I prove myself by showing up to meetings, weights, and what can I do to show that I want to be here and want to play.”

“There were definitely some hiccups along the road, but it all paid off,” Irizarry added.

Rugby Skills Being Used

Although having never punted in his life, Rafael earned the backup spot last year, and is now the starter in 2025. His skills, surprisingly, were not honed on the football field or even the soccer pitch, but rather with a different oblong object, a rugby ball.

“After football my senior year of high school, my friend and his dad asked me to join their rugby team,” Irizarry said. “I was playing the fullback position, which does most of the kicking. Obviously a rugby ball is different than a football, but I guess I have a gift for it, so I decided I should utilize that gift.”

“I came into this year thinking that if it happens, it happens,” Irizarry said. “Coach (Jay) Burns said he trusts me, and to have the trust of a coach when you’ve been here for years, that’s awesome.”

That trust was never more evident than last Saturday on Senior Day when Irizarry called his own number on a fake punt. Despite having the ball at William Penn’s 21-yard line on a 4th-down-and-3 early in the second quarter, Rafael felt like the defense was giving him an opportunity. He took the snap, tucked the ball, and scampered untouched for 15 yards and a new set of downs. WPU scored four plays later as the Statesmen defeated Graceland 59-20.

“We installed the fake punt early in the season, and this was the first time I thought I could use it,” Irizarry said. “I’ve always been told if I had a lane, I should take it. I knew how they were setting up that I was going make it easily.”

“Coach Burns didn’t say anything afterwards; he just gave me a big hug,” Irizarry added. “It was an awesome moment, especially happening on Senior Day.”

For the year, Rafael has sent 29 balls away for a very competent average of 33.6 yards (long of 54), including seven fair catches and six inside the 20-yard line.

A dual-position player, Rafael has not put a lot of stress on himself to excel as a punter.

“I don’t want to say I came into this year with low hopes, but I was just viewing it as this is my senior year and I am going to have fun and play hard, no matter where I am playing,” Irizarry said.

Breakout Year

After three campaigns of solid contributions to the program, Rafael’s aforementioned paycheck has come in waves this fall, not only as a starting punter, but also with his enhanced receiving responsibilities.

He has caught at least one pass in seven different games with a high of two receptions on three occasions. His 85 yards versus Missouri Baptist on Homecoming last month were a career high as well.

It was evident early on that he would have a big season. In his team’s 34-31 win over MidAmerica Nazarene in September, he was targeted twice on critical third downs, with both catches netting fresh sets of downs.

“Having spent so much time with our coaching staff, the level of trust that they have with me and I have with them is so high,” Irizarry said. “I know they are working hard to put us in a position to succeed, and they know I am going to work hard to prepare for Saturday as well.”

During his season preview interview, Coach Benavidez said that, while the team was 4-6 his first two years, the real measure of change comes between the second and third year. With the Statesmen on the verge of their first playoff berth in over a decade, his words are ringing true. Rafael agrees that WPU is definitely on the right path.

“You can see it now; we have a ton of guys that are bought into the program,” Irizarry said. “This is by far the most wins we have had in my time here. It’s a lot of fun.”

While it was not always easy, Rafael has never come close to hanging up his cleats early, understanding that football, while fun, is just a way for him to reach his bigger academic and career goals.

“My biggest thing is that I am here to get my degree with football helping me pay for school,” Irizarry said. “I have definitely had moments where I didn’t want to do it anymore, but I look at the bigger picture, and I’m doing this for after WPU.”

Following in Dad’s Footsteps

“My dad has worked since he was 17, and we have moved around a lot because of it,” Irizarry said. “He provided for us, and I really appreciate everything he and my mom did for us three kids.”

Employed by a powder-coating company in Pennsylvania, Rafael’s dad was transferred for an assignment in Illinois, and the family relocated. After being hired by a rival company and working there for a couple years, he was let go and now continues to provide for the Irizarry clan with a heavy workload.

“When I was little, my dad would take us to work,” Irizarry said. “Seeing the warehouses, I just knew that was what I wanted to do as well.”

As previously stated, the engineering degree was a driving factor in his decision to come to WPU. He will be heading to Iowa State University as part of the partnership the two universities have.

“I was only supposed to be here three years with the 3 & 2 program, but I wanted to stretch out my time for a fourth year for football,” Irizarry said.

A mechanical engineering major, he is not painting himself into any corners, leaving the door open to possibly even being a personal trainer, something he does back in Texas.

“I just want to find something that I enjoy and that I want to do for the rest of my life,” Irizarry said.

Just as he does with football, one thing is guaranteed: he will be using his brain to figure out the best path forward.