SAN ANTONIO — UTSA Head Football Coach Frank Wilson announced Thursday that he has hired Giovanni Vizza as an assistant coach.
A member of the Roadrunners football staff since 2014, Vizza spent the last two seasons as quality control for the offense, where he was responsible for game preparation, future opponent scouting, statistical analysis and film breakdown.
In his two years on Wilson's staff, he has helped lead UTSA to 12 wins and back-to-back years of being bowl eligible, including the program's first-ever bowl appearance in the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl. He played a key role in the development of the program's wide receivers, including All-Conference USA performer Josh Stewart and career receiving yards and touchdowns record-holder Kerry Thomas Jr.
"Giovanni is an exciting young coach who has continued to work his way up the ranks for the last six years," Wilson said. "He has an incredible work ethic, football 'intelligence' and teaching prowess. There's no one out there that loves San Antonio more than Giovanni. I am thrilled to have him as a member of the UTSA coaching staff."
Previously, Vizza was a graduate assistant coach for the offense during the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. He worked with the quarterbacks and assisted the offensive staff.
Vizza came to UTSA after spending two years as an assistant coach at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, the first as the quarterbacks coach and the second as the offensive coordinator.
A former standout quarterback at North Texas, Vizza started 20 games for the Mean Green during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He amassed 5,146 yards and 32 touchdowns through the air and an additional 415 yards and four TDs on the ground during his two-year career.
He garnered third-team Freshman All-America honors and was the 2007 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year after passing for 2,388 yards and 20 touchdowns in his debut campaign. He set an NCAA freshman record with eight TD tosses in a 74-62 loss to Navy and a North Texas school record with a 99-yard TD pass against Louisiana-Monroe. As a sophomore, he tallied 2,758 yards and 15 scores through the air and posted a pair of 300-yard passing games.
Vizza was the Dave Campbell's Texas Football Player of the Year and the Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 after leading Alamo Heights to a 14-1 record and the state championship with a 40-28 victory against Copperas Cove, which featured future Heisman Trophy-winner Robert Griffin III. He passed for 3,278 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior and finished his two-year Alamo Heights career with 6,054 total yards and 60 TDs.
Vizza earned his bachelor's degree in finance and real estate from Texas A&M in December 2011.
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