QB Magazine Athlete Feature
No one gets a first season as a full-time varsity starter without mistakes, and Santonio Ureña is honest about that.
“I learned to overcome adversity like failing at times,” the Imperial High School quarterback said, “as well as battling and playing through some injuries.” It was his first full year running the varsity offense, and it tested him. By the end, he says it had also made him mentally tougher. That’s what he’s proudest of.
The results were impressive, too. Imperial went 9-1, finished second in league, and earned a spot in the CIF playoffs. Two of the season’s biggest wins came on the road against crosstown league rivals, and those are the moments Santonio remembers most. He was named first-team all-league offense and shared team co-offensive MVP honors. Not bad for a player getting his first full-time look at the position.
For Santonio, now a Class of 2028 junior from Imperial, California, football has been part of life for a long time. He started playing at age five and is now in his eleventh year. The same thing he loved at the beginning still drives him. “Competing and winning with my teammates and friends is one of the best feelings you can ever experience,” he said.
That team-first mindset shapes how he thinks about the position. When asked what makes a great quarterback, he mentions leadership on the field, and then he adds something many young quarterbacks overlook: trusting your teammates to make plays when it matters most. He’s describing a quarterback who knows the offense works best when the ball goes to the right player, even if that means someone else makes the big play.
Santonio’s favorite quarterback is Tom Brady. What he admires most isn’t the rings but the work behind them. “He’s a player who never quits,” Santonio said, “and he always trusted the process to succeed.”
Santonio has his own process, too. He has trained with coach Jose Mohler of Leftcoast Athletix since 2024 and has attended the program’s camps for the past two years. More recently, he started working with former NFL quarterback Akili Smith. The coach who has been there the longest, though, is Anthony Hellum, who has coached Santonio since his first days in football. “He’s always believed in me as a player and has always pushed me to work hard,” Santonio said. “I love him like an uncle and he’s family to me.”
His goals for this year are big. In the short term, he wants to stay healthy and keep improving every day for his team. By the end of the year, he wants to lead Imperial to a league title and a CIF championship. Along the way, he hopes to put himself on the map for colleges and earn a chance to play at the next level.
He’s quick to say he hasn’t done it alone. “All glory to God in all of my successes so far,” Santonio said. He is also grateful for his family, his teammates, and his coaches. “Without them none of what I do would be possible.”
Follow Santonio: @santonio_urena on Instagram and @Santonio_Urena on X
On the Map
Santonio said it himself: he wants to put himself on the map for colleges. He already has a strong résumé to back that up, including first-team all-league, team co-offensive MVP, a 9-1 record, and a CIF playoff trip in his first full season as a varsity starter. An upgraded QB Magazine membership helps that story reach well beyond Imperial.
It starts with his story being told. Practice Squad includes a feature article every year, and Starter includes two. For a junior, that could mean one article during this season’s push for a league title and CIF championship, and another as he heads into his senior year. Each one tells readers who Santonio is, not just what his stats say: a quarterback who fought through a tough first year as a starter, trusts his teammates when it matters most, and credits the coach who has been with him since age five.
Every month, he also gets a custom graphic. A road win over a rival, a big drive, or a playoff performance can become a polished piece that his teammates, family, and coaches can share right away. Graphics like these make it easy for someone scrolling by to see what kind of season he’s having.
Reposts help that work travel. Practice Squad includes two story reposts a month on X or Instagram. Starter includes four story reposts a week on both platforms, plus a monthly wall collab that appears on Santonio’s feed and QB Magazine’s at the same time. That puts his name in front of quarterbacks, coaches, and football families across the country who follow the magazine, including many people who would never come across a game in the Imperial Valley on their own.
Starter adds a few benefits that fit his college goal especially well. Social media consulting helps shape @santonio_urena and @Santonio_Urena into pages that show college staff the same leadership and consistency his coaches see every day. Top 50 QB Mag Watchlist consideration spotlights quarterbacks worth watching, and his all-league season gives him a strong case. QB Mag College Bus + Camps TOUR priority gives him a chance to visit college campuses in person, a practical step for a player who wants to play at the next level. Both tiers also include discounted camp access, which helps him keep adding reps and coaching on top of his work with Jose Mohler and Akili Smith.
Together, these benefits build familiarity with his name. A college coach who sees a graphic in September, a repost in October, and a feature article during the playoffs will already know who Santonio Ureña is when his film comes across their desk.
Santonio admires Brady for trusting the process. A membership gives people a way to follow his process as it happens, from the five-year-old who started with Coach Hellum to the junior now leading Imperial.
More info: quarterbackmagazine.com/memberships