The bond between UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor and the McCown family began on East Texas basketball courts when the then 20-something Traylor was an assistant at Jacksonville High School, which is about 30 miles south of Tyler, Texas. There he coached three brothers – Josh, Luke, and Randy – as the trio starred for the Fightin Indians in multiple sports. 

“My main job back then was to make sure those guys made it from the basketball court to the fieldhouse so we could keep them in football,” Traylor joked. “I loved to hoop. I still love basketball. You know, I invented the Euro step. They always said I was traveling, but I was just ahead of the game.” 

Josh McCown went on to play college football at SMU and Sam Houston before becoming a third-round pick in the NFL and enjoying an 18-year career. Luke played at La Tech and was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft to launch a 12-year career. Randy played quarterback at Texas A&M. 

Traylor went back home at the turn of the century, becoming the head football coach at Gilmer High School, his alma mater, before the 2000 season. He went 175-26 in his 15-year tenure, capturing three state titles and 12 district championships. The football stadium in Gilmer was renamed Jeff Traylor Stadium in 2015. That same year, he left home, to accept a job as a special teams and tight ends coach at Texas. By 2020, he was the head coach of the UTSA Roadrunners. 

The only quarterback Traylor ever needed in his first four seasons as head man in the Alamo City was hometown hero, Frank Harris. With injuries mounting and eligibility shrinking, it was time for Traylor to find the heir apparent to Harris, who holds nearly every record as a Roadrunner. Coincidentally, a familiar last name was in the transfer portal after a coaching change at Colorado. His name was Owen McCown, Josh's son.

“(My dad and uncles) told me he’d keep it real,” Owen said about Traylor. “Some of my favorite stories growing up were about them playing basketball with Coach Traylor.”

His favorite is about his dad. Josh had a penchant for passing up open layups in transition, electing to pass the ball, sometimes behind the back, to a teammate. He was a quarterback, after all. Traylor wasn’t a fan. He’d bench Josh after each assist. Owen says the best basketball player in the family is Randy, anyway. The McCown family basketball games still go all night, and they’re more physical and intense than ever.

Josh and Owen are the first father-son duo to play for Traylor. It’s just another sign of time passing for Traylor, who has worked out every day since turning 50 so he doesn’t turn into “one of those old guys who can’t hoop.” He also became a grandfather recently. He says his basketball game no longer involves Euro steps or drives to the basket. He’s a role player now. A spot shooter. And Owen isn’t invited to the basketball games, Traylor says he’s retired from competing with the McCowns. He’s only coaching them now. 

“Owen is cut from the same cloth as his dad and uncles,” Traylor said. “He’s extremely tough. He’s not afraid of anything. You wouldn’t know he grew up the son of an NFL quarterback with how he acts. He has their same mentality those dudes had in Jacksonville living that small-town farm life.” 

Owen had to be tough. His dad played for nine teams in 18 years, forcing moves around the country. He was born in Dallas, spent most of his childhood in Charlotte, and eventually settled in Rusk to finish his high school career. He says it made him adaptable. He became good at making new friends and learning how to make his way. That came in handy as a transfer quarterback in 2023 on a team with an established starter in Harris. 

“He was a hard worker from the jump,” Harris said of his understudy. “He listened and never took criticism the wrong way, whether it was from me or the coaching staff. I was always jealous of the way he threw the post route.” 

Law 41 in the “The 48 Laws of Power” suggests avoiding stepping into a great man’s shoes. Owen never flinched. He and Eddie Lee Marburger competed through 2023 for the backup role and into the 2024 offseason for the vacant starter position at UTSA. Owen eventually won the battle to become the first starting quarterback at UTSA other than Harris since 2019 – outside of injury. 

"I tried to protect Owen and Eddie from that pressure of stepping in for Frank,” Traylor said. “We all know the blame always falls on the coach and the quarterback. I was worried that they’d be judged at the beginning of their careers against Frank at the end of his. That ain’t fair.” 

Owen and the offense struggled through mid-October as the Roadrunners went through growing pains. Harris was gone, as was star receiver Joshua Cephus. Injuries at wide receiver, offensive line, and running back added to the issues. UTSA was 3-5 after the Oct. 26 loss to Tulsa with Memphis, North Texas, and Army remaining. A bowl game looked bleak. Traylor was in danger of coaching a team with a losing record for the first time in his career – college or pro. 

Instead, Owen has led a resurgence with back-to-back wins. The win over Memphis was the first over a ranked team in program history. The 681 yards gained against North Texas were the most ever at UTSA. He’s thrown for 2,743 yards and 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions. He’s completing over 61 percent of his passes. And he has two years left. 

Most G5 teams with a surging sophomore quarterback would be dreading two words: Transfer portal. Not UTSA with McCown. The family history means the Roadrunners won’t have to worry about quarterback for a couple of more years. Traylor credits him and Marburger for elevating the team by competing for the job in the right way. 

“A healthy quarterback room sets the tone,” Traylor said. “Those two guys have stepped up for us and gone about it with respect. We’re a team. That starts at that position.”