The most important numbers in San Antonio are 2-1-0. For the Alamo City, the 210 is more than an area code. For their Roadrunners, the ‘Triangle of Toughness’ is more than a motto. Jeff Traylor will tell you himself – culture doesn’t graduate. Even if the guys wearing the caps are Frank Harris and Rashad Wisdom. 

Traylor steeled himself to establish culture in 2020 when he took over a talented but disorganized UTSA football team for his first head coaching job in the college ranks. Traylor instituted a vote within the team to elect players to single digits. Matt Rhule suggested reserving the numbers 2-1-0 for the three guys on each side of the ball who received the most votes because of the area code. The top vote getter would wear No. 0. 

Traylor liked the idea. So did his Roadrunners. They’ve won at least seven games in each of his four seasons and more than 10 twice. They’ve won two conference championships for the first time in history, as well as a bowl game. UTSA is 39-14 since 2020. The program was 41-55 in the nine seasons prior to his arrival. 

One of the first things Traylor did as head coach of the Roadrunners was to call the two young leaders on the roster – Harris and Wisdom. Those two won the vote and wore the No. 0 jersey in each of Traylor’s first four years. All great chapters close, however, and the Roadrunners went searching for new leaders in the offseason. Ones who could quiet doubters who predict UTSA to fall back to earth without their giants carrying the load. 

Tight end Oscar Cardenas and linebacker Jamal Ligon are next in line for the No. 0 jersey as the team’s top vote getters. They’ve heard the noise. They understand the doubt. But that doesn’t mean they buy into it.

“Nobody knows how good we’re going to be outside this locker room, but I can tell you, we’re going to be really good again,” Cardenas said. “We’ve got a lot of young talent and that makes it exciting. 

“Frank and Rashad were always the face of UTSA and we’ll miss them. But it is a mistake to think we don’t have a lot of talented kids ready for the challenge.” 

Cardenas is a 210 local with a reputation for clutch catches. He caught the game-winning touchdown in a 2021 victory over UAB to clinch the programs’ first conference championship, but it was a one-handed snag a year later in the Alamodome that he considers his best play so far. Ligon will leave UTSA as its all-time leader in tackles if health allows, passing Wisdom’s mark of 314. 

There was comfort in the shadows, however. Harris and Wisdom spent the most time in front of the media. They also provided the vocal leadership for a squad that is player-led. Both Cardenas and Ligon admit that they haven’t been vocal leaders. Age tends to reveal our voices. And the super seniors are ready for a new role. 

“I’m more likely to pull you to the side 1-on-1 and encourage you or to address something,” Ligon said. “I can be a vocal leader” 

UTSA was picked second in the AAC behind Memphis, a team that travels to the Alamodome in conference play. SMU is now a Power Four program. Tulane is replacing new Houston head man Willie Fritz. An AAC championship might provide a larger prize than normal with the expanded 12-team playoff guaranteeing a spot for the best G5 team in the country. In the past, that team would be the AAC champ most years, but that was before Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, and SMU bolted for larger pastures. 

Traylor is 9-7 in non-conference play as a head coach. He’s 29-4 against conference foes. A fast start is more important than ever, especially given a Week 2 clash against rival and fellow G5 CFP hopeful Texas State. The Roadrunners started 1-3 in 2023 and 1-2 in 2022. They know the new era requires a fast start. 

“We’re trying to be in midseason form by Week 1,” Ligon said. “We can’t afford to start slow. We gotta be our best right away.”