C-USA names McCormick Offensive Player of the Year
Even after earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors last season, UTSA running back Sincere McCormick felt he could’ve done more, and he set a series of lofty goals for 2020.
He wanted to eclipse 1,000 yards, set the program single-season rushing record, become a vocal presence for the Roadrunners, and lead UTSA to a bowl game.
After checking off all four, McCormick hit yet another milestone Tuesday when he was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year. UTSA punter Lucas Dean was selected as the league’s Special Teams Player of the Year, marking the first time a Roadrunners player had received either honor.
“This year has been the most successful year that has happened in UTSA history,” McCormick said. “All of the achievements, all of the accolades we won, all of
the goals, everything we wanted to happen, did happen. This whole year has been one heck of a year.”
McCormick ranks second in the country and set a school record with 1,345 rushing yards this season, racking up a program-record 11 touchdowns. His average of 134.5 yards per game is fifth in the nation.
Despite saying he felt a few pounds overweight coming into the year, McCormick set the UTSA single-game rushing record with 197 yards in a season-opening win over Texas State. He shattered the mark again in the regular-season finale against North Texas, picking up 251 yards with two scores.
Along with his heavy workload of 22.6 carries per game, McCormick often expended the most energy in practice based on the team’s tracking data, coach Jeff Traylor said.
“It couldn’t happen to a more humble young man,” Traylor said. “If you came and watched us practice, there’s no way in the world you would think he’s the conference player of the year, because he practices so hard. … He works his tail off every day, every play. He is the epitome of what our culture is
about, and we’re thrilled to have No. 3 on our squad.”
McCormick missed just one game this year, as he was in Fayetteville, N.C., during the team’s win over UTEP on Nov. 14 to witness the birth of his daughter, Legacy. He said becoming a father motivated him to “push 10 times more” the rest of the season.
McCormick said he hopes his college success after playing at Judson puts a spotlight on San Antonio’s talent and shows that UTSA
is a destination program for local standouts.
His first reaction to the honor was to deflect credit to the offensive line and the rest of the players around him, and he also pointed to the extra sprints and conditioning work he’s put in after practices. He said his drive comes from feeling overlooked in high school because of his 5-foot-9 frame.
“I wasn’t very highly recruited, and that burned a hole in my heart,” McCormick said. “They
said you’re too small, or you don’t fit the description, or I’m not the back that they want for their program. They thought I wasn’t going to be able to play at the next level, and all of that hate, all of that kind of pushed me to become where I’m at right now. … People around the world are seeing that I can do it. I can play at the next level. So it’s like a slap right back in their face.”
Sophomore safety Rashad Wisdom was one of McCormick’s teammates at Judson and said the two have fed off each other’s energy since first meeting in a youth league.
“He comes in every day ready to go and grind, and he’s never slacking,” Wisdom said. “An award like that for Sincere is something that’s much deserved for him, but it’s not something that came as a surprise for me. It’s something that’s expected.”
Dean, a sophomore, ranks fourth nationally in punting with a UTSA-record 46.3-yard average. He has placed 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, with 15 inside the 10yard line and seven inside the 5yard line.
Traylor has described Dean as a “weapon” through the year, calling him “the highlight of our offense” during some of the Roadrunners’ early struggles.
“I got excited to watch him go out there and punt it. I’m being slightly facetious, but I really am not. He is that good,” Traylor said. “Another great human. He works his tail off every day. He’s the epitome of our culture, again, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy than Lucas.”
Tuesday’s awards followed Monday’s announcement that 23 Roadrunners earned all-conference honors. McCormick, Wisdom, Dean and kicker Hunter Duplessis received first-team nods, and offensive linemen Spencer Burford, Makai Hart and Ahofitu Maka were second-team selections. UTSA also landed 12 honorable mentions and placed four players on the all-freshman team.
While the accolades marked a major turnaround from UTSA seeing zero players selected for the preseason all-conference teams, Traylor said many on the Roadrunners defense still felt overlooked.
“As thrilled as I was for everybody, our defense was that upset,” Traylor said. “I was very honest, and I told them, ‘We didn’t win the league.’ We didn’t win. If we want to get more first- and second-team players, we need to go win the league next year.”