UTSA Football: Roadrunners prepare for rapid rebuild in 2020

UTSA football is going through its third head coach in nine years as the Roadrunners look to get back to their winning ways in 2020.

As one of the youngest programs in the nation, UTSA does not have much on-field experience. The Roadrunners are a hungry program that demands success on and off the field.

The Roadrunners are now into their third head coach in their ninth year as an FBS program in Jeff Traylor. They wanted to establish a strong presence in the state of Texas to build their program. Traylor is a former head coach football for Gilmer High School (2000-14), where he appeared in five state championships while winning three of them. He was also the special teams coordinator/tight ends coach for the Texas Longhorns for two seasons in 2015-16.

The Roadrunners have accumulated three winning seasons in eight years as well as a bowl appearance in 2017. Their 6-5 record in 2017 was the last season of success that they had as a program. Since that season, they’ve encountered a 7-17 record.

UTSA is looking to get back into creating a hungry and aggressive program. They will have to start off the field as the Roadrunners have recruited the C-USA’s 13th best-recruiting class for 2020. The program has never won a conference title or divisional crown in seven seasons in the C-USA and one year in the WAC (2012).

Last season, the Roadrunners finished with a record of 4-8 (3-5) with conference wins at UTEP, at Old Dominion and against Rice. They found themselves in a gruesome schedule that resulted in six of their losses against teams that accumulated winning records. Four of those teams that they lost to in the C-USA were among the top four.

This program has already started rebuilding for the future but the effects of the pandemic have made preparations difficult. With spring training being canceled, it has made establishing the new system of Traylor difficult and stalled key position battles.

Another tough schedule awaits the Roadrunners in 2020 and they will use the time between now and fall camp to establish Week 1 starters. There are several areas where the Roadrunners can excel in this season but that will take careful consideration and preparations.