The Georgia Call-Up: Riverwood's Brandon Vargas

This week’s Georgia Call-Up spotlights Riverwood junior Brandon Vargas, a dynamic attacking presence who continues to grow into one of the more impactful players in the state. With 9 goals and 6 assists through 17 matches, Vargas has been a steady source of production, blending creativity and composure in the final third. Whether he is picking out a decisive pass or finding space to finish, his ability to influence the game in multiple ways has made him a focal point for Riverwood’s attack.

As he continues to balance the demands of being a student athlete while taking on a larger role within the team, his growth has not gone unnoticed inside the program. The SDH Network caught up with Brandon and community coach Adam Beckman to get to know the Riverwood junior.

Brandon Vargas Q&A:

Q: Who is a player you model your game after and why? 

A: Mesut Özil because he controls the game with key passes and can also score goals.

Q: Who inspires you the most and why? 

A: My mom because she works hard everyday and she keeps me motivated to keep moving forward everyday.

Q: What’s one thing people don’t realize about your sport? 

A: You have to be mentally strong to achieve big goals

Q: Earliest soccer memory? 

A: Playing with my friends dad’s soccer team

Q: How would your teammates describe you? 

A: Funny and Passionate 

Q: How has been balancing being a student athlete? 

A: Good but also difficult because all the late night games catch up to you and maybe forget to do homework or a project. The late games can also lead to sleeping in class and may lose focus in class.

Q: Favorite memory with your teammates? 

A: Going out to Team dinners

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? 

A: I see myself playing college soccer and starting a business 

Riverwood Boys' Soccer community coach Adam Beckman Q&A: 

Q: How would you describe Brandon in one word?

A: Talented

Q: What has it been like to watch him develop as a player and a person during your time?

A: It has been extremely rewarding to watch Brandon mature and accept more responsibility this season. He has really developed into someone the team can count on.

Q: How would you describe Brandon as a player?

A: Brandon is capable of being the best player on the field at any given time. When he is playing well, the impact on the team is significant.

Q: What does their work ethic look like when no one’s watching?

A: Brandon has really matured in this area. He works hard off the ball to press and create space for others. He has really sacrificed for the team this year.

Q: What makes them unique beyond the stats?

A:  Brandon does a great job of bringing other players into the game. He is a great passer of the ball, and he links up very well with our midfielders and wide players. He may have 15 direct goal contributions, but there are very few goals from the run of play where he wasn’t involved at some point.

Q: What do people outside the program maybe not see about them?

A: Brandon is one of the friendliest and most engaging personalities on our team. He has a great sense of humor, and he is loved by all his teammates.

The Georgia Call-Up, in partnership with the Georgia Student Finance Authority, is our statewide initiative spotlighting high school players that college coaches should know. If there’s a student-athlete who deserves to be seen, we want to hear about them.

Send submissions to soccerdownhere@gmail.com or DM us @soccerdownhere and for educational resources from GAfutures, visit https://www.gafutures.org/

The Georgia Call-Up is an original SDH Network series, produced in partnership with the Georgia Student Finance Authority. Every profile features direct interviews with the player and a coach or program representative, conducted by SDH staff. No aggregated content. No secondhand reporting. Just Georgia soccer, up close.