QB Magazine Athlete Feature
Most weekends, Dax Rivas and his family are on the road.
Dax lives in Hobbs, New Mexico, close to the Texas line, but his football takes him much farther than that. He travels to Texas almost every weekend to compete, and sometimes his games take him across the country. When he talks about the biggest challenge in his football career so far, he points to all that travel. He also explains how he handles it. “I overcome it by training hard and working on my game during the week,” the Houston Middle School quarterback said, “so when I show up I’m always ready.”
Dax has been playing football since he was four years old. He has always loved sports, but football became his favorite through two important people: his dad and his Papaw. He watched games with them, and both coached him along the way. Those Sundays in front of the TV and those early practices helped turn a kid who loved sports into a quarterback.
He has a clear idea of why the position matters to him. “I love the overall learning experience of what being a true leader and teammate is,” he said. He also enjoys running the game and making quick decisions. His list of what a quarterback needs is long: high football IQ, mental toughness, accuracy and ball placement, and pocket awareness. At the top of that list, though, he puts leadership and character.
His coaches describe him the same way. They call him a natural leader and field general with a “dawg mentality,” unmatched intensity, poise, and a knack for clutch plays. They also point to his strong arm, quick release, and strong pocket presence. Dax isn’t only a quarterback, either. He also plays safety, which makes him a true two-way player.
His favorite quarterback is Patrick Mahomes, and Dax admires him for doing things differently. “He’s not your typical QB,” Dax said. “He’s always had his own way and technique of how he plays.” Dax hopes to stand out the same way, and he’d like to follow Mahomes to Texas Tech someday.
His development has come from a lot of different places. Dax trains with Gavin Hardison and has attended QB Universe along with many local high school camps. His flag football and 7v7 coach, Jade Duffey of Fort Worth, has had a big influence on him. “He’s held me to the highest standards, never taken it easy on me, and keeps me striving for bigger goals and dreams,” Dax said.
His dad has been there through all of it. Dax credits him for supporting his love of the game, doing whatever it takes to help him reach his goals, cheering him on, and giving him room to make mistakes and learn from them.
“My football career has only gotten started,” Dax said, but he already has plenty to be proud of. He has played on undefeated little league teams and has won world championships and the first-ever AAU Junior Olympics flag football title with his Texas Ice teammates, with those wins coming in 2023 and in summer 2025.
His goals are grounded in daily work. In the short term, he wants to keep refining his mechanics, stay in shape, keep his mental game sharp, improve a little every day, and absorb every piece of advice he can. Over the next year, he wants to become the starting quarterback at his middle school and help his team win a border conference title.
Follow Dax: @dax_4real_dawg
Two States, One Story
Dax’s football life is split between New Mexico and Texas. He goes to school and trains in Hobbs, then competes with Texas Ice on weekends. His teammates at home may not see everything he does on the road, and his teammates in Texas may not see everything he does during the week. An upgraded QB Magazine membership brings both parts of his story together in one place.
A feature article is a great way to tell that full story. Practice Squad includes one each year, and Starter includes two. There’s plenty to cover with Dax: the weekend drives, the Papaw who helped get him started, his championships with Texas Ice, and his goal of leading Houston Middle School to a border conference title. An article can show readers who he is as a person, not just as a player.
A custom graphic each month gives him another way to share his progress. Dax plays both quarterback and safety, so there are plenty of moments to choose from, like a quick-release touchdown on Saturday or a big hit on defense in a 7v7 tournament. Each graphic is designed around one of those moments and made for his family, coaches, and teammates in both states to share.
Reposts help his story reach even more people. Practice Squad includes two story reposts a month on X or Instagram. Starter includes four story reposts every week across both platforms, plus a monthly wall collab that appears on both his page and QB Magazine’s. For a player who already competes across the country, it’s a natural fit to share his work with football families and coaches from coast to coast.
Starter also includes several extras that fit Dax’s goals. Social media consulting can help @dax_4real_dawg reflect the leadership and character he values most in a quarterback. Top 50 QB Mag Watchlist consideration offers a chance at recognition for a two-way player with championship experience. Priority for the QB Mag College Bus + Camps TOUR gives him a chance to see college campuses up close, which is especially meaningful for a young player who already dreams of Texas Tech. Both tiers also include camp access, adding to the high school camps and QB Universe sessions he’s already done.
Dax is also starting early. By the time he gets to high school, the stories, graphics, reposts, and collabs from these middle school years will still be there. Anyone who follows his journey will be able to look back and see how much he improved.
Dax says his dad has done whatever it takes to make his goals possible, and that includes a lot of miles on the road. A membership gives the family a lasting way to remember those years: the weekend trips, the championships, and a kid from Hobbs who always shows up ready.
More info: quarterbackmagazine.com/memberships