And even though he’s 125 miles from his hometown of Sleepy Eye, the journey hasn’t been without a hometown connection.

Saenz, a 2023 Sleepy Eye High School graduate, played running back and linebacker in high school and was part of the final season of football for the Sleepy Eye Indians before the program joined Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s to form Sleepy Eye United in the fall of 2023.

After graduating high school, Saenz got an invite to check out Morris to continue his football career as a member of the DIII Cougars under a head coach with ties to Sleepy Eye and the Saenz family, that coach being Marty Hoffmann.

Hoffmann played and won a Class A state football title in 2000 with Saenz’s dad, Jose, as a member of the Sleepy Eye Indians.

“It’s been really good [playing under coach Hoffmann],” Saenz, who is now in his junior season, said. “It’s nice to know a little of some of the details of Hoff’s younger life. Lot of kids coming in, they don’t really know much about their coach. When I committed to Morris, my dad told me some stories about Marty, so I kind of knew what I was getting into and that really helped me prepare, too.

“I knew what he was expecting from players, what to expect from him. He’s a great coach. He is all in for this program and you absolutely need that to be successful. I’ve never met a guy that cares so much about a sport and it shows. … Us players, we feed off that and we want to play harder, we want to play better and it just makes us want to win, not only for ourselves, but for our teammates and coaches.”

While two decades separate their football careers, Saenz is a chip of the old block in his approach to football.

“He plays with tremendous effort and obviously, his dad did the same,” Hoffmann said. “Might not have been the most graceful or athletic, but just a hard-nosed, tough football player and I think that’s just like his dad.”

The early connection to Hoffmann didn’t mean any special treatment for Saenz as he had to work his way on to the field, playing mostly special teams as a freshman and sophomore.

“It wasn’t too bad transitioning from a guy that was mostly on special teams to finally starting,” Saenz said. “I had a guy in front of me [Alex Emmrich] that was great. I mean, great leader. He really helped mentor me and prepared me very well for this position. He even talked to me before the [2025] season and was like, ‘Hey, it’s your time to shine.’ Thanks to him, honestly, he played a big role.”

Saenz, who is currently studying exercise science, got his first taste as a starting linebacker last season after an injury allowed him a spot alongside Emmrich in a game at Carleton on Sept. 21, 2024. Morris ended up losing the game 28-7, but Saenz had a solid game with eight tackles, five solos, and was in on a sack.

“It definitely was one of my highlights from last year,” Saenz said of the game. “I definitely learned a lot. I’m not gonna lie, I was so nervous before the game. I was playing a different linebacker position than I had been playing the last year and a half at the time, so I was pretty nervous.

“I had to learn a couple things that week, but we got it all figured out. We ended up losing 28-7, but I just can’t really describe it. I mean, finally getting to play and you kind of realize what it all takes after.”

Hoffmann said Saenz works extremely hard and commits himself to the game in the offseason, something that’s led to a strong junior year of football.

“He’s really grown and developed and really developed his skill,” Hoffmann said. “He was kind of in a tough spot behind two very good upperclassmen linebackers that we had and this was kind of his year to break out. I kind of had the sense that he was going to break out just because even for one or two games that he got in last year, he was performing and just executing so well.”

So far this season, Morris sits 2-3 overall with a 2-0 mark in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Saenz is second on the team in total tackles with 51, 33 solos.

Hoffmann said while Saenz has always been a student of the game, he’s improved in several other areas this year also.

“He’s always been kind of a real good student of the game, he learns the game, he understands schemes and things like that,” Hoffmann said. “I think just his overall physical ability had increased so much that you know he’s one of our leaders when it comes to the weight-room stuff and really does a nice job of putting up good numbers. He just works hard. Obviously, he’s a great teammate. The guys love him and they have a certain respect of how he goes about his business.”

Saenz said that after getting to the college level of football, he realized how important developing a bond with his teammates was. While he had many friendships in high school with his teammates, the college level only amplified the importance of communication.

“Having a good relationship with [the players] makes it a hundred times easier to play with these boys because you’re all playing for one goal, you’re all playing for each other,” Saenz said. “When everybody’s for each other, wanting to see each other do their best, it just makes life easy. That was something I kind of had to learn.”

Saenz and the Cougars are now preparing to host the University of Northwestern Eagles in a UMAC game at Big Cat Stadium at 2 p.m. Saturday.