A famous surname can be a heavy weight for young athletes to carry, but for De La Salle Zobel rookie Jayden Gayoso, it serves as fuel rather than a burden.
Instead of being boxed in by expectations, the Grade 11 standout is embracing the name on his back as motivation to carve out his own identity in Philippine football, this time in green and white.
Jayden wasted no time announcing his arrival in the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Football Tournament, delivering a stunning hat-trick in his debut to power the Junior Green Booters to a commanding 6-1 victory over the Claret Red Roosters last Saturday.
The breakout performance inevitably drew comparisons to his older brother, Philippine national team mainstay Jarvey Gayoso. But for Jayden, the focus is not on living up to a legacy—it’s about writing his own chapter.
His decision to join La Salle marks a clear divergence from Jarvey’s path. The elder Gayoso became an Ateneo de Manila University icon, capturing two UAAP championships and multiple MVP honors during his run as a Blue Eagle from Seasons 78 to 81.
The family’s Ateneo roots run even deeper. Their father, Jayvee Gayoso, starred for the Blue Eagles before winning back-to-back UAAP basketball titles in 1987 and 1988, later cementing his status as a PBA legend with Ginebra San Miguel.
Despite that lineage, Jayden never felt pressured to follow the same route. He credits his family for giving him the freedom to choose his own direction.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Nothing much. They just told me, ‘Go with my dream.’ They didn’t force me to go to a specific school; they wanted me to choose,” Jayden shared.
“I’m very happy because you know my brother was in Ateneo, I get to represent my name in green.”
And while he is blazing his own trail, Jayden is not without family support in Taft.
Alongside him is his uncle, Alvin Ocampo — a La Salle football legend, two-time UAAP champion, and current coach within the broader Lasallian football program.
By donning the green and white, Jayden is also embracing his uncle’s legacy. Ocampo, a DLSAA Sports Hall of Famer, was a key figure in the Green Booters’ dominance in the late 1990s.
“Very happy, of course, it’s a dream of mine not just for my school but for my name as well,” he said.
“There’s no pressure because I could make a name for myself.”
Though his rookie campaign is only just beginning, Jayden’s goals are already firmly in place.
After spearheading a dominant opening-day win at the UP Diliman Football Stadium, his sights are set on ending La Salle’s long title drought in boys’ football. The Junior Green Booters have not won a championship since Season 70, when the tournament was still a demonstration sport.
For someone born into a family of winners, waiting is not an option.
“Keep on the hard work, and of course, get the championship,” he affirmed.
