UTSA announced its intentions to stay amongst the G5 powers by extending head football coach Jeff Traylor through the 2031 season. The Roadrunners are currently 8-0 and were ranked as high as 16th in the nation in national polls. The extension is valued at 28 million. Traylor’s annual salary will average $2.8 million dollars. UTSA announced it will also increase the salary pool for the assistant coaches and support staff. 

The news comes in the wake of Texas Tech firing Matt Wells. Traylor’s name immediately floated to the top of the list in Lubbock, and UTSA, which accepted an invitation to the American Athletic Conference, was forced to react or risk losing the coach responsible for the best start in program history. The buyout for Traylor’s services is more than $7 million for the first two years and essentially guarantees that he is out of the running for the Texas Tech job. 

“I would like to thank Dr. Eighmy and Dr. Campos for showing their deep commitment to what we are building here at UTSA,” said Traylor through a school press release. “They proactively engaged me on an extension discussion at the start of the season, and my staff and I are thrilled about what the future holds for this program. I say this all the time, but this game is about the players, and they are the reason we are in this profession to begin with. This is exactly why we have chosen to make this announcement today. We should all be talking about what they have accomplished this season, they are making history every week.” 

Traylor was named the third head coach in UTSA history in December of 2019. He made his name as the head coach at Gilmer for 15 years, leading his hometown to three state championships and five state title appearances. He cut his teeth at the collegiate level at Arkansas and Texas. Traylor is 15-5 in his first two seasons at UTSA and is one of 21 FBS coaches on the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year watch list. 

“Jeff saw something special at UTSA when he first expressed interest in this job and we likewise knew we had someone special when we hired him to take over our program,” said UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos. “He is an outstanding leader, a culture builder and a molder of young men. He has brought unprecedented national exposure and acclaim to both our institution and the San Antonio community. He’s taken UTSA Football to new heights in a short amount of time and this contract extension shows our commitment to him and his staff to continue to build and sustain this program for years to come.” 

UTSA travels to UTEP on Saturday in hopes of moving to 9-0 and closer to a berth in the Conference USA championship game. The Roadrunners close the season by hosting Southern Miss and UAB before ending the regular season at North Texas.