Only 5.8% of NCAA Division I athletes are Hispanic. Across all three NCAA divisions, 3,963 football players identify as Hispanic. San Diego State kicker Gabriel Plascencia, who is in his redshirt senior season, is proud to represent his Mexican heritage.
“[My heritage] plays a pretty big role. My dad goes to every game, home or away, repping the Mexican flag. That’s where he came from, that’s where he grew up and that’s just the lifestyle I grew up in,” Plascencia said in a podcast interview after Tuesday’s practice at Fowler Athletics Center.
Plascencia was crucial in SDSU’s last victory on the road in a defensive battle at Northern Illinois, where the Aztecs won 6-3. All six points were scored by Plascencia, who converted two field goals. The second was a walk-off winner, sealing the third victory of the Aztecs’ 2025 season and their first on the road.
“Leading up to the kick, it was just all about our offense putting us in a great situation to make that game-winning field goal,” Plasencia said. “They put us pretty darn close to knock it in, which is great. So, for me, it was just clearing everything, all distractions from my mind and just help the team win.”
The southpaw has not had a smooth and simple road to playing football at the Division I level. His collegiate career began at a junior college program at the College of San Mateo.
“What makes him different is his mental toughness. This has not been an easy ride for Gabe. He came in and he’s worked at everything coming from [junior college] and some other stops,” special teams coordinator Zac Barton said after a Wednesday practice. “He’s come in here and nothing’s been given to him and nowadays that’s pretty rare. I’m really proud of how he’s handled everything mentally to get to where he’s at right now.”
Work ethic is something that is significant and ingrained in Hispanic culture. It is something that Plasencia’s immigrant father from Mexico has passed down to his son that has led him to kick at the FBS level.
“We call [work ethic] here [at SDSU Football] ‘blue-collar nasty,’ that’s the definition of my dad,” Plascencia said. “He came over [to the United States] when he was 23 years old. He started a life here from scratch, he worked construction, he put our family in a situation where we can have a better life than he had.”
Fabian Plascencia, Gabriel’s father, can be seen tailgating amongst the other parents before every home game, always carrying a tri-colored flag with him to support his son. At the game against Cal, Fabian had a customized version of the Mexican flag.
“The soccer ball bit is the foundation of who I am. I grew up playing soccer since I could walk,” Plascencia said. “I played [soccer] all the way to my senior year of high school. My dad played professionally in Mexico, two of my brothers played in college. It’s the foundation that got me started on my football journey.”
The flag illustrates how Plascencia’s roots, with Mexico being a soccer-loving nation, led him from kicking a ball into nets to now, kicking through uprights. Coach Barton, who has coached his fair share of kickers, believes that Plasencia’s soccer background makes him a top-tier athlete.
“I know his family has a background in soccer; his brother is a coach. That helps. He’s a good athlete; there’s no hiding that,” Barton said. “The best kickers I’ve had have been multi-sports athletes; they’re usually some of the best athletes on the team, so he falls in that category.” After two years playing [junior college] ball in the Bay Area, SDSU was not the lone option for Plascencia to take his talents to, as he had an offer to a Southeastern Conference (SEC) school at the University of Kentucky.
“For me, it was just the city. I grew up coming down here, playing in Surf Cup in Del Mar for those soccer tournaments. I always had a dream to come down to San Diego to live,” Plascencia said on why he decided to wear the Scarlet and Black over the other offers he had earned. “It’s definitely hard to turn down an SEC program, but at the same time, I thought about life outside of football. I thought San Diego State was a perfect spot for me.”
Another contributing factor that attracted Plascencia to San Diego was how much it felt like home.
“Oakland is very similar to San Diego; it’s one of the big reasons why I came down here,” Plascencia said.“There’s just so much diversity out there [in Oakland]. From food to buildings, I love it. I just love the Bay Area so much, especially Oakland,”
Again, less than 6% of Division I athletes across all sports are Hispanic. That figure is something that fuels Plasencia to send a message that Hispanics can be successful in a place where it is not Hispanic-dominated.
“That’s my background and that’s my heritage and I’m proud of that. I’m proud to represent that,” Plascencia said. “In a sport where there’s a low representation of it, showing the world and showing other people like me that there’s a possibility to do it.”
Plascencia and the Aztecs are set to face the Colorado State Rams on Hispanic Heritage Night at Snapdragon Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. under Friday night lights on Oct. 3.
