Transfers boost Cardinals’ rise to No. 13 ranking
When UIW coach Eric Morris flipped on film of his team’s last meeting with Nicholls State — just six games and 16 months ago — one of his first observations was all the sincereplaced faces in the Cardinals’ starting group.
The lineup UIW trotted out on Nov. 2, 2019, has been overhauled, with just one starter on offense and two on defense reprising their roles in the Cardinals’ most recent game Saturday.
UIW’S last matchup against Nicholls ended in a 27-23 defeat, marking an early stumble in a fivegame losing streak to cap the year. The Cardinals have reversed course to start this spring season, winning their first three games to climb to No. 13 nationally — the highest rank in program history.
The boost has come from across the roster, with freshman quarterback Cameron Ward and other incoming recruits emerging, while players who were previously in reserve or rotational roles have morphed into standouts. But one of the more atypical sources of production for UIW has been a group of four-year transfers, including wide receiver Tre Wolf, defensive back Moses Reynolds and defensive lineman Darien Townsend.
All three have made a mark early, bolstering a new-look UIW roster that faces its stiffest test to date at 11 a.m. Saturday in a road Southland Conference matchup against No. 17 Nicholls (3-1).
“We still have a lot to prove,” Townsend said. “We want everybody to know we’re out here, and ready to play anybody who wants to step against us.”
Morris said he’s gotten rid of more FBS transfers than he’s kept during his tenure at UIW, finding that incoming players often enter “all big and mighty on their high horse,” expecting to have an easy time carving out a prominent role in an FCS program.
At the first sign of struggle, they “get down on themselves and don’t buy into the team,” Morris said.
Wolf joined UIW with a much more unselfish mindset, Morris said, willing to take a role as a perimeter blocker if the defense dictates targets should go elsewhere.
Wolf was rewarded with a breakthrough game Saturday, hauling in eight catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. A 6-foot, 175pound junior who had 34 catches for 433 yards and two touchdowns with UTEP in 2019. Wolf said he was drawn to UIW by a young, energetic coaching staff and the opportunity to be closer to his family and 2-year-old son in Victoria.
Wolf described the situation at UIW as “a way better move than where I was,” and he used fall practices to develop his grasp of the offense. Coming from a more run-focused attack at UTEP to UIW’S air raid, Wolf said he felt out of shape through the first couple weeks of practice as he tried to keep pace with the Cardinals’ tempo.
The process of picking up UIW’S scheme was “confusing at first,” he said, adding that he had to “completely move on” and “erase my previous knowledge” to begin understanding new concepts.
“It’s pretty nice to come in, fit in right away, and jump in with the flow of the program and keep going forward,” Wolf said. Townsend faced a much quicker integration, joining the UIW program in January as a graduate transfer from Marist, where he made 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks as a junior in 2019. Shifting from a three-man front to UIW’S four-down look was an adjustment, Townsend said, but he found his comfort and confidence with time in his more natural role at defensive end.
The move to UIW allowed him to be closer to his family in Austin, offered him a better scholarship situation and gave him the chance to return to the field after the pandemic wiped out 2020. Following Townsend’s arrival at UIW, Marist announced the cancellation of its spring football season, reaffirming his decision to transfer and enter a masters program that will keep him on the Cardinals’ roster through the fall.
The 6-foot-3, 260pounder has emerged as a disruptive presence with two sacks and three tackles for loss.
“The first couple weeks were rough,” Townsend said. “Once I got adjusted to everything and was able to get more confident in what I was doing, that gave me the ability to just play better and make the best impact for this team.”
Reynolds, the younger brother of Tennessee Titans receiver Josh Reynolds, has started all three games at cornerback for the Cardinals this season, hauling in his first interception Saturday against Southeastern Louisiana. The Jay product returned to San Antonio after four years at A&M yielded a redshirt season in 2016, two seasons without playing time in 2017 and 2018 and brief stints in three game in 2019.
Reynolds said the attitude at UIW and the chance to get closer to home made a transfer a “win-win,” though he said he feels like he’s still “knocking the rust off ” after a few quiet seasons.
“This is my first year getting back on the field, so right now everything is brand-new to me,” Reynolds said. “But the team is excited, I’m excited, and we’re all ready to go.”