Jeff Traylor swears UTSA doesn’t talk much about winning. The formula produces the results, so his Roadrunners remain grounded in the process. That process will be put to the test in 2024 as UTSA steps onto the field without quarterback Frank Harris and safety Rashad Wisdom – two foundational pieces of the Traylor era. 

At UTSA, players are voted into single digit numbers by their peers. The most important numbers are 210, San Antonio’s area code. The offensive and defensive player with the most votes wears the No. 0. Harris and Wisdom dawned that jersey number in each of Traylor’s first four seasons in the Alamo City. 

“We’ll never replace two guys who wore the No. 0 for four years ever again in my career,” Traylor said. “We were a brand new staff and they were incredible leaders at a young age. Those two were the first to wear the No. 0, so it’ll be fascinating to see who the next duo is at UTSA.” 

Avoiding the trap of discussing wins and losses is easier when you win. And UTSA wins…a lot. Traylor’s 39 wins since arriving at UTSA in 2020 are more than any other FBS program in the state during that span. The Roadrunners are 27-4 in conference play and 23-3 in the Alamodome over his four seasons. They are 31-6 against fellow G5 programs since the start of 2021. 

UTSA won consecutive Conference USA titles in 2021 and 2022 before darting to the American Athletic Conference with interstate rivals North Texas and Rice. Traylor’s squad suffered through key injuries, including multiple to Harris, during a 9-4 season that culminated in the program’s first bowl win. A three-point loss to Houston and an eight-point defeat at home against Army contributed to a 1-3 start in non-conference. Turnovers doomed the Roadrunners in a Week 13 loss at Tulane that cost them a trip to the AAC championship. 

“We were disappointed in our season last year,” Traylor said. “We’re not ungrateful. We know how hard it is to win nine games, but we felt we left a lot out there.”    

Conventional wisdom might lean towards writing UTSA off in 2024 as a rebuild. How can a G5 program without much success without Harris and Wisdom leading the way continue to dominate the G5 landscape in Texas? Surely, the loss of the program’s best offensive player, and one responsible for numerous last-minute comeback wins, can’t be replaced without a hiccup. Neither can the program’s all-time leading tackler (Wisdom) and receiver (Joshua Cephus). 

Right? Not if the formula produces the same winning solution. 

“You get good players, teach them what the plan is, and then hold them to that plan,” Traylor said of building and maintaining a winning culture. “We’ve done a great job of being player-led here. We’ve lost some really good players, but we think there are areas that we can improve.” 

UTSA returns 51 lettermen, including 16 starters. Eight of those starters play offense, including four offensive linemen and tight end Oscar Cardenas. The six returning starters on defense include the defensive tackle duo of Brandon Brown and Joe Evans, as well as linebacker Jamal Ligon, Martavius French, and Donyai Taylor.

The new landscape of college football also offers an automatic bid to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff to the top-ranked G5 program in the country. That nod often falls to the best team in the AAC. The conference isn’t as tough of a climb as it was in the past, however. Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF left for the Big 12 after 2022. SMU leaves for the ACC ahead of the 2024 season. Tulane’s loss of head coach Willie Fritz also opens the door for UTSA. A trip to Texas in Week 3 is the only unwinnable game for UTSA. A double-digit win season isn’t out of the question. 

“We have a strong enough belief in our athletes, and our staff, and our culture, and our history of success that we should be competing for championships every year,” Traylor said. “Do we talk about it? No. I’m as old-school, John Wooden as you’ll find. We truly trust the process and I know that’s boring, but we don’t deviate.” 

 

OFFENSE 

MVP - TE Oscar Cardenas is the leader of the Roadrunner offense. 

 

For the first time in the Jeff Traylor era, Frank Harris won’t be his starting quarterback entering a season at UTSA. The Roadrunners will turn to sophomore Owen McCown or junior Eddie Lee Marburger. McCown threw for 251 yards and two scores in the win over Marshall during the programs’ first-ever bowl win and was 18-of-20 in a standout performance against Tennessee earlier in the 2023 season. 

“I’m confident that both of those guys can lead us to great things,” Traylor said about his two quarterbacks. “But I hope we remember to grade them on a curve. They’re not entering the season with 50 starts like Frank did the last couple of seasons.” 

The wide receiver room could be boosted by the return of JT Clark if the senior can get healthy by fall. A new group of fast wide outs like Devin McCuin, Willie McCoy, and Chris Carpenter are ready to replace the lost production of Joshua Cephus. Tight end Oscar Cardenas returns as the leader of the offense and a quarterback’s best friend after years of clutch catches. 

A strong rushing attack would also alleviate some pressure on the new quarterback. Junior Kevorian Barnes is a two-year starter poised for a 1,000-yard season in San Antonio. He shares a talented running back room with proven commodities Rocko Griffin and Robert Henry. 

Few coaches in Texas feel better about their offensive line depth. Traylor says he believes 10 different Roadrunners are ready to contribute up front for UTSA. That includes transfers such as CJ James, Kamar Missouri, and Andrew Alvarado. Buffalo Kruize and Makai Hart, if healthy, are the favorites to start at tackle. Venly Tatafu, Luke Lapeze, and Cory Godinet return in the interior of the line. 

 

POSITION GROUP GRADES

QB: B-

RB: B

WR/TE: B+

OL: A-

 

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

WR David Amador II – The former state champion at North Shore is one of the young gun wide receivers ready to make their mark on the UTSA offense. He caught 11 passes and 1 TD as a true freshman. 

WR JJ Sparkman – The Texas Tech transfer is one of the bigger targets on the UTSA roster at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. He caught 23 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons in Lubbock. 

TE Patrick Overmyer – Earning snaps in a talented and crowded tight end room is not an easy task at UTSA, but the coaches rave about the upside and potential of the former prep quarterback from Kingwood.

OL Jaylen Garth – The former Texas and Houston transfer might find a home as a starter in San Antonio, especially if Hart can’t return to 100 percent. He impressed coaches during the spring. 

KEEP AN EYE ON

Few teams carry a true two-deep along the offensive line. If they’re lucky, the roster includes three capable tackles, three guards, and one center. UTSA was in a position in the recent past that resulted in walk-ons and converted defensive linemen to play in meaningful games at important times. A few injuries won’t cause a panic in the Alamo City this season because of the depth up front. CJ James and Luke Lapeze at center. Buffalo Kruize, Kamar Missouri, Makai Hart, and Jaylen Garth at tackle. Venly Tatafu and Cory Godinet at guard. Walker Baty and Demetrius Allen also possess starting experience. 

 

PROJECTED STARTERS

QB: 13 Owen McCown          Soph. 

RB: 31 Kevorian Barnes        Jr. 

WR: 88 JT Clark         Sr. 

WR: 19 Willie McCoy Jr. 

WR: 14 Devin McCuin            Soph. 

TE: 84 Oscar Cardenas         Sr.  

LT: 50 Buffalo Kruize Sr. 

LG: 75 Tatafu Venly   Sr. 

C: 76 Luke Lapeze     Jr.  

RG: 53 Cory Godinet  Jr. 

RT: 77 Makai Hart      Sr. 

 

DEFENSE 

MVP - DL Brandon Brown headlines a talented and deep UTSA defensive line. 

 

UTSA’s best unit in 2024 might be the defense. The group ranked 54th in the FBS in scoring defense while allowing 24.1 points per game. Defensive coordinator Jess Loepp has more talent at his disposal this season than any in the past because of a strong mixture of returning experience and incoming talent. 

Good defense begins up front and the Roadrunners are stacked in the middle. No pair of AAC defensive tackles measure up to UTSA’ duo of Joe Evans and Brandon Brown. Add in Nick Booker-Brown and the Roadrunners have a legit three-man rotation in the middle of the defense. Players such as Asyrus Simon, Vic Shaw, and Ronald Triplette operate at defensive end in UTSA’s odd-man front. Replacing the production off the edge lost by Trey Moore’s transfer to Texas falls to senior Jimmori Robinson.

“Those guys up front gives our second and third level guys a chance to go make plays,” Traylor said. “They don’t always get the stats, but they’re in the middle of it all.” 

The linebacker position might be even deeper and as talented as the defensive line. Jamal Ligon has a chance to leave UTSA as the program’s all-time leading tackler. He’s flanked by the returning Martavius French. Donyai Taylor and Owen Pewee play the “Money” position, which is a hybrid linebacker/safety role. Louisiana Tech transfer Brevin Randle drew rave reviews in the spring. 

Replacing the leadership and consistency of Rashad Wisdom at safety is paramount. Expect veterans Ken Robinson and Elliott Davison to man the deep safety positions with Zah Frazier starting at one cornerback spot. The other cornerback spot likely falls to former LSU and Texas A&M transfer Denver Harris. The former five-star from North Shore possesses all the talent to play in the NFL if he takes care of business off the field. 

 

POSITION GROUP GRADES

DL: A 

LB: B+ 

DB: B

ST: A-

 

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

DL Daemian Wimberly – A big-bodied defensive lineman who transferred to UTSA after one season at SMU. He’ll contribute as a redshirt freshman after playing in one game for the Ponies last season. 

LB Brevin Randle – His run at La Tech didn’t end well, but he has a new lease on life in San Antonio and took advantage in the spring. Talent was never a concern. 

LB/S Owen Pewee – The sophomore from Houston plays the Money spot behind Donyai Taylor, but he’s earned playing time after 6.5 TFL as a redshirt freshman in 2023. 

CB Zach Morris – New Mexico quietly does a great job identifying upside in cornerbacks and Morris is the next in line. He impressed the defensive staff with a solid spring. 

 

KEEP AN EYE ON

UTSA always seems to have a true pass rushing specialist on its defense, even before Traylor turned the program around. Whether it be Marcus Davenport or Jason Neill or Clarence Hicks, the Roadrunners usually terrorized quarterbacks. The tradition continued with Trey Moore, but he’s now in Austin playing for the Longhorns. UTSA was tied for fourth nationally with Florida State with 46 sacks on the season – Moore accounted for 14 of them. The team’s second leading sacker last season – Brandon Matterson with five – is also gone. Jimmori Robinson is the obvious candidate to lead UTSA in sacks in 2024, but the Roadrunners need a team effort to replace the production. 

 

PROJECTED STARTERS

DE: 17 Asyrus Simon Sr.  

DT: 90 Brandon Brown           Jr.  

DE: 94 Joe Evans      Sr.  

Edge: 40 Jimmori Robinson  Sr.

LB: 88 Jamal Ligon    Sr. 

LB: 10 Martavius French 

MONEY: 12 Donyai Taylor     12 

CB: 25 Denver Harris Jr. 

CB: 11 Zah Frazier     Jr. 

FS: 29 Elliott Davison Sr. 

SS: 21 Ken Robinson Sr. 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Jeff Traylor didn’t need to work hard to get in contact with Tyler Lee standout defender Jamal Ligon when the new UTSA head coach was building his first signing class early in 2020. That’s because Ligon played high school ball for a familiar face – Traylor’s brother, Kurt. 

“The transition was easy for me because they run a program in a similar way,” Ligon said. “The culture pillars were almost the same. I felt like things were going to change at UTSA and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Few players are more responsible for UTSA’s success more than Ligon, who enters the year with 46 starts in four years. He’ll be a super senior in 2024, cashing in on his free COVID season. He’s at 285 tackles and will eclipse recent graduate Rashad Wisdom as the program’s all-time leader in tackles with 28 more stops. 

Finding new motivation after so much success might appear difficult. After all, Ligon is a multiple-year starter on a squad that’s won two conference championships and more games (39) than any other FBS program in the state. But Ligon, along with his teammates, hear and see the doubters. They know the losses of legendary quarterback Frank Harris and all-time greats like Wisdom and Joshua Cephus provide skepticism for UTSA’s chances in the AAC. 

“We know what it is like to be the underdog,” Ligon said. “Maybe it has been a few years, but the older guys in this program remember what it took to become champions. We’re tapping back into that this offseason.” 

The UTSA offense received most of the press clippings in Ligon’s first four seasons on campus. Whether it was running back Sincere McCormick, Harris, or the wide receiver unit led by Cephus and JT Clark. Even tight end Oscar Cardenas became a folk hero because of his clutch catches in big games. UTSA’s defensive star the previous two seasons – edge rusher Trey Moore – transferred to Texas and will play against the Roadrunners in Week 3. 

Expectations remain high in San Antonio despite those losses. Eight wins feels like the floor with a loss to Texas and three coin-flip contests against Texas State, East Carolina, and Memphis. To compete for another conference crown, UTSA must rely on its defense, and Ligon. 

“We’re ready to keep the tradition going,” Ligon said. “The pillars are here to stay.” 

 

CEILING/FLOOR 

Ceiling 11-1 

Only the Texas game feels like a pipedream for Jeff Traylor’s Roadrunners. The rest of the schedule can be tamed if UTSA catches some breaks. Winning toss up games against Texas State, East Carolina, and Memphis is the key to a double-digit win season. 

Floor – 7-5 

Winning close games is a staple of the Jeff Traylor era at UTSA, but if those start turning against the Roadrunners, a slide is inevitable. The losses of long-time program leaders Frank Harris and Rashad Wisdom are hard to measure. A 1-2 start is possible and a trip to East Carolina to start AAC play is a tough draw.  

 

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN

A Week 2 trip to San Marcos to face rival Texas State might prove to be the best G5 matchup in the country. A week later, the Roadrunners travel north up I-35 again, this time to face a nationally contending Texas squad that includes former star defender Trey Moore. The AAC slate begins with road trips to East Carolina and Rice. Three out of the last four games of the season are at the Alamodome, including a Nov. 16 tussle with North Texas. The regular season ends with a trip to Army to face a team that won in San Antonio last season. 

 

2023 SCHEDULE 

DATE                      OPPONENT     RESULT

Sept. 2                  at Houston        L, 17-14

Sept. 9                  Texas State       W, 20-13

Sept. 15               Army     L, 37-29               

Sept. 23               at Tennessee   L, 45-14

Oct. 7                    at Temple           W, 49-34

Oct. 14                 UAB       W, 41-20

Oct. 21                 at Florida Atlantic         W, 36-10

Oct. 28                 East Carolina  W, 41-27

Nov. 4                    at North Texas                  W, 37-29

Nov. 11                 Rice       W, 34-14

Nov. 18                 South Florida  W, 49-21

Nov. 25                 at Tulane             L, 29-16

Dec. 19                 Marshall (Frisco Bowl)               W, 35-17

Record: 9-4 (7-1)

 

2024 PREDICTIONS

DATE                      OPPONENT     RESULT

Aug. 31                 Kennesaw State             W

Sept. 7                  at Texas State W

Sept. 14               at Texas                L

Sept. 21               Houston Christian       W

Sept. 28               at East Carolina             W

Oct. 12                 at Rice                   W

Oct. 19                 Florida Atlantic               W

Oct. 26                 at Tulsa                W

Nov. 2                    Memphis            L

Nov. 16                 North Texas      W

Nov. 23                 Temple                 W

Nov. 30                 at Army                 L

Record: 9-3 (6-2)