Dalton Sturm had a dream.
When his days of guiding the Goliad Tigers were over, the quarterback wanted to play NCAA Division I football.
Even though Sturm earned District 15-2A's Offensive Most Valuable Player honors and shined in basketball, baseball and track & field, he knew the odds of reaching that pinnacle were a tall order for someone coming from a small school. However, Sturm was up for the task. Thanks to his perseverance, he's living that dream to its fullest after leaping from walk-on to UTSA's starting quarterback for 21 straight games.
There's been plenty of highlights, including last season where he passed for 2,170 yards and a school-record 20 touchdowns while helping guide the Roadrunners to their first bowl appearance. Now, Sturm looks forward to creating more memories during his final season, including today's home opener against Southern.
"It's been a special ride," Sturm said. "I have made a lot of friends these past four years. It's been exciting to see the growth of this program. I always had a dream to play Division I football. I never let that go."
Sturm kept a firm grip no doubt. He had a few opportunities to play Division II football following his senior year. There were also suggestions to try his hand at the junior college level. But Sturm had his mind set on Division I and nothing else.
The key, however, was finding someone to give him the opportunity. Even though Sturm stood out in 2A football, Division I coaches weren't lining up at his front door. However, UTSA saw enough to offer him a chance as a preferred walk-on.
Sturm didn't have to be asked twice. He realized the odds of landing a scholarship, let alone getting into a game were slim, but being on the practice field was enough for the quarterback to show what he could do.
He worked on scout team and even saw action at wide receiver, while getting a few reps at quarterback.
Eventually, the coaches noticed something special.
"Starting out as a walk-on is always a tough thing," Sturm said. "You know that when you get into it. You try to keep a steady head and come to practice every day ready to work. It was something I really wanted to do. I was going to do whatever I could do to help the team.
"You're not going to get as many reps as everyone else. Of the short reps, you try to make the best of them. Even when I was playing receiver on scout teams I tried to beat the DBs. You have to keep a level head and not take anything for granted."
Eventually, it all paid off.
Sturm got a brief chance to show his stuff as a freshman when he entered UTSA's game against WKU and completed all three of his passes for 59 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown strike to Kerry Thomas Jr., in a 45-7 loss.
His big breakthrough came as a sophomore when Blake Bogenschutz went out with an injury against UTEP. Sturm finished the game and learned the following Monday he would be the starter against Louisiana Tech.
"It was a tough way to get the position," Sturm said. "You never wish an injury on anyone. It was an opportunity that was granted to me and I tried to make the most of it. I wasn't nervous when I found out. I was excited and ready to get the show on the road."
The show didn't get off to a booming start as LA Tech turned the first pass into an interception return for a touchdown.
Sturm shrugged off the miscue and ended up passing for 227 yards and five touchdowns. The Roadrunners came up short of a victory, as a field goal with 10 seconds remaining lifted the Bulldogs to a 34-31 win.
Still, Sturm's performance gave hints of a bright future. He started the final six games and ended up passing for 1,354 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Sturm used that experience to build for a much smoother junior campaign.
"When a pick six is your first throw that's tough," Sturm said. "The first thing I had to do was put it of my mind. You have a lot of guys looking up to you. They see you getting down and they're going do the same. You have to move on."
And move on he did with positive results.
Going into his junior season, Sturm had to prove he could run the show to a new coaching staff.
Once again, Sturm made an impression.
"Dalton Sturm has continued to progress," Wilson said. "He has always been a tough young man who did the tough things we asked. Now, he is a poised, intellectual young man who can lead us the right way."
Now, Sturm is set on leading UTSA to its best season.
Because of last year's 6-7 season and trek to the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, optimism is high. In addition, there's more respect as preseason predictions have the Roadrunners contending for the Conference USA title.
While the attention is nice, Sturm and the Roadrunners must answer the challenge week after week.
"It's been a great ride and I want to finish it off strong," Sturm said. "Our first bowl game was a great opportunity. It didn't end the way we wanted (a 23-20 loss to New Mexico). We learned a lot of lessons and we're going to come back stronger.
"The key for us offensively is execution. We're not going to make up a bunch of new plays. We're going to run the plays we know how to run and run them to our best ability. We have to execute and give maximum effort. Last year, we had a lot of close games. We have to be able to finish games like that."
Whatever happens this season, Sturm's biggest victory is beating odds to make his dream come true.
"You have to keep preserving," Sturm said. "You can't let the small things get to you. You can't worry about the things you can't control. You simply worry about what you can control.
"The other thing is don't count your reps. Some guys come in here and worry about their reps. It's a hard transition, because they come in here from being the big dog on their high school campus. There's a lot of big dogs here."
Dalton Sturm proved he is one of the big dogs.
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