THE PREP1 STORY | MEET JESSE TOVAR

MEET JESSE TOVAR CEO & Founder, PREP1 LLC | El Paso, Texas There are several chapters to the story of Jesse Tovar — law enforcement, national television, community service, education, recruiting, media and entrepreneurship. But the story of PREP1 begins somewhere much more personal: with a father trying to help his daughter. Today, Tovar is the CEO and Founder of PREP1 LLC, an El Paso-based athlete marketing, branding and recruiting platform built around one central mission: Elevating Student-Athletes. But PREP1 wasn't born in a boardroom. It was built from experience. A Career in Public Safety Before PREP1, Tovar built a career in law enforcement and public safety. As a member of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Tovar served as a public spokesperson during the administrations of three El Paso County Sheriffs — Leo Samaniego, Jimmy Apodaca and Richard Wiles. As a spokesperson, he became accustomed to communicating with the public and media during major investigations and public-safety events. Tovar also served as a SWAT operator, developing firsthand experience in high-pressure environments where preparation, communication and decision-making mattered. Those skills would eventually follow him into another arena: media. From Law Enforcement to National Television Tovar's law-enforcement background led to opportunities with national television productions and networks. He worked with productions associated with FOX's America's Most Wanted, History Channel's Gangland, National Geographic's Locked Up and other television networks and productions. His involvement wasn't limited to one role. Depending on the production, Tovar served as a consultant, interview subject, law-enforcement source and production participant, providing firsthand knowledge and perspective from his experience in public safety. The experience gave him another valuable skill set: understanding how to communicate a story. That ability to communicate — whether with the public, a television audience, a student, an athlete or a family — would eventually become a major part of PREP1. The Wave of Love One of Tovar's most meaningful community contributions began with his daughter. While his daughter was hospitalized at El Paso Children's Hospital, Tovar noticed the hospital's view toward Jefferson High School's football stadium. Inspired by a similar tradition in Iowa, Tovar and Ed Stansbury approached Jefferson football coach Tony Martinez with an idea. That idea became the Wave of Love. During Jefferson football games, players, students and fans turn toward El Paso Children's Hospital and wave to the children and families watching from the hospital. What started with a father looking out from his daughter's hospital experience became a community tradition connecting a football stadium with children who couldn't be there. The tradition and Tovar's role in its creation have been documented in media coverage. It is a fitting example of something that appears throughout Tovar's career: turning personal experience into something that can help other people. Then Came Love' Tovar — And the Recruiting Journey The most important chapter in understanding the creation of PREP1 is perhaps the most personal. Tovar became a recruiting parent before becoming a recruiting consultant. His daughter, Love' Tovar, was pursuing her own athletic future, and Jesse found himself learning the college-recruiting process from the inside. He had to figure it out. How do you get an athlete noticed? How do you communicate with college coaches? How do you create exposure? How do you market an athlete without making the process about the parent? How do you respond when an opportunity doesn't work? How do you change strategy? And what happens when something you thought would work… doesn't? Tovar experienced all of it firsthand. There were successes. There were disappointments. There were mistakes. There were moments when he had to step back, reassess and change the plan. He failed, re-strategized and succeeded. And that experience became the foundation for everything that followed. KVIA reported in 2019 that Tovar founded PREP1 after helping his daughter through recruiting and that Love' had received multiple scholarship opportunities at that point in her recruiting journey. The report specifically described PREP1 as an effort to help local athletes connect with college coaches. KVIA That is the part of the PREP1 story that matters. Tovar didn't learn recruiting from a textbook. He lived it. When Other Families Started Asking for Help What began as a father helping his daughter eventually attracted the attention of other athletes and families. Families began reaching out to Tovar. They wanted help. They wanted someone who understood recruiting. Someone who understood exposure. Someone who understood how to communicate with coaches. Someone who had already made mistakes and learned from them. That was the turning point. Tovar realized that the lessons he had learned through Love's recruiting journey could potentially help other families avoid some of the same obstacles. And PREP1 began taking shape. The business came after the experience. The mission came from the experience. And the strategy came from having already been through the process himself. El Paso Inc. — “The Next Level” Tovar's recruiting work eventually received attention from the El Paso business community as well. El Paso Inc. featured Tovar in its magazine in a story titled “The Next Level.” The feature is an important part of the PREP1 story because it places Tovar's recruiting and athlete-development work within the broader El Paso business and community landscape. Rather than simply being a story told by PREP1, the El Paso Inc. feature provides independent local-business media coverage of Tovar and his work helping athletes pursue opportunities beyond high school. That recognition fits naturally into the evolution of PREP1: a father learning recruiting → a family asking for help → other families seeking his experience → a recruiting and athlete-development platform. El Paso Inc. Article "The Next Level" (2024) PREP1 Becomes Bigger Than One Athlete What started with Love' eventually became a philosophy that Tovar continues to emphasize: It's not about “1” athlete. It's about “All” athletes. PREP1 evolved into a platform focused on: ◉ Recruiting Exposure ◉ Athlete Branding ➲ Media Days ➲ Event Coverage ★ PREP1 Athletes ★ High-School Sports Media Tovar's work has expanded across El Paso high-school athletics, covering athletes and teams while creating media opportunities designed to give student-athletes another avenue for visibility. His current public professional profile describes his work as recruiting analysis, marketing strategy, education, public safety communications and recruiting consulting. PREP1's recruiting focus has also continued to receive local media attention. In 2026, KVIA featured Tovar working with an El Paso high-school soccer player and described him as someone who monitors, strategizes and advises athletes pursuing college opportunities. The story also specifically notes that Tovar learned the recruiting process through his own daughter, Love'. The Educator & Mentor Tovar's work with young people doesn't end when the game does. He is also a high-school educator and mentor. That gives him a perspective that extends beyond recruiting statistics and highlight videos. He sees the student-athlete. Not simply the athlete. For Tovar, recruiting is about helping young people understand how to market themselves, communicate professionally, prepare for opportunities and take ownership of their own journey. That philosophy is consistent with what he learned as a parent: The athlete has to want it. Parents can encourage. Coaches can advise. Recruiting consultants can strategize. But ultimately, the student-athlete has to put in the work. The Media Side of PREP1 Tovar's background in communications and television also naturally became part of PREP1. He's comfortable behind the camera. He's comfortable in front of it. He's comfortable telling a story. And he understands that today's recruiting environment is increasingly visual and digital. An athlete's story can now be communicated through: - Photography - Video - Social media - Recruiting profiles - Interviews - Highlight content - Event coverage - Personal branding That is where Tovar's various careers converge. Law enforcement taught him communication. Television taught him storytelling. Fatherhood taught him recruiting. Education taught him mentorship. PREP1 brought them together. Community Has Always Been Part of the Equation Tovar's involvement in El Paso sports has also extended beyond recruiting. In 2019, following the August 3 mass shooting in El Paso, PREP1 and the 915 Showcase partnered to bring the local football community together for an El Paso Strong event. The Old Coach identified Tovar as a retired deputy sheriff and former SWAT operator and reported that he helped spearhead the effort after receiving messages from people who wanted the high-school football community to come together. Again, the connection is familiar: community first. So, Who Is Jesse Tovar? He's a father who learned recruiting the hard way. He's a former El Paso County Sheriff's Office deputy and SWAT operator. He's served as a public spokesperson under three El Paso County sheriffs. He's worked with national television productions as a consultant, interview subject, law-enforcement source and production participant. He's one of the people behind Jefferson High School's Wave of Love. He's an educator and mentor. He's a recruiting consultant and athlete-branding strategist. He's a sports-media entrepreneur. And he's the CEO and Founder of PREP1 LLC. But the most important part of his story may be the simplest: He was a recruiting parent before he was a recruiting professional. He went through the process with his daughter. He experienced the excitement. He experienced the uncertainty. He made mistakes. He faced setbacks. He failed. He re-strategized. He succeeded. Then other families started asking: “Can you help us?” PREP1 was the answer. The PREP1 Story Is the Jesse Tovar Story PREP1 wasn't created because Tovar wanted another sports-media company. It was created because he discovered firsthand how difficult the recruiting process could be for a family — and how valuable the right information, exposure, strategy and guidance could become. His experience with Love' gave him the blueprint. His law-enforcement career gave him discipline and communication. His national television work gave him media experience. The Wave of Love gave him another example of turning an idea into community impact. His career as an educator gave him another avenue to mentor young people. And his work with hundreds of athletes and families continues to shape PREP1. That's Jesse Tovar. Father. Educator. Mentor. Retired Deputy. Former SWAT Operator. Public-Safety Spokesperson. Television Consultant & Production Participant. Recruiting Strategist. Athlete Branding Advocate. Sports Media Entrepreneur. CEO & Founder of PREP1 LLC. But above all: Someone who went through the recruiting journey himself — and decided to use what he learned to help the next athlete. PREP1 wasn't just built by Jesse Tovar. It was built from Jesse Tovar's experience. PHOTO BY: Bridget Armendariz | PREP1 Network