Seniors focus on instilling culture
Traylor: ’Runners more player-led
Having just finished his second season at UTSA, defensive lineman Lorenzo Dantzler admits he was slow to buy in when coach Jeff Traylor brought a new scheme and a fresh culture to the Roadrunners program.
Traylor arrived at the end of Dantzler’s junior year in 2019, promising a switch to a threedown defense that was unlike the four-man fronts Dantzler had played his entire career.
Traylor said he sensed “resentment” and a “lack of trust.”
“If he were to be honest, he probably was against what I was for, and probably against the culture,” Traylor said. “But every day, he just bought in more, and more, and more.”
Dantzler entered 2020 undersized and slotted outside the starting group. But defensive line coach Rod Wright encouraged Dantzler to give the new position a chance, and Dantzler said he saw improvement week by week. He ended the season as an all-conference USA honorable mention with 31 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss, matching the team high with seven quarterback hurries.
Dantzler now regards the culture he initially rejected as “one of the best in the country.” Exercising his option for an additional year of eligibility, Dantzler is using the spring to instill those values in UTSA’S younger players, with an eye toward taking a graduate assistant role on Traylor’s staff once his playing career is finished.
“I want to see this program take off after I leave, and I want to see the program succeed years down the road,” Dantzler said. “I just want to make history at this program.”
As UTSA’S 2020 senior class met with teammates and coaches to discuss the opportunity to return, Traylor made clear that the group would be expected to push the program’s culture to a higher level.
Continuing to emphasize the pillars that form UTSA’S foundation, Traylor said the coaches have been “word specific” in showing the dozen returning seniors how to communicate those values to the rest of the group.
UTSA is more of a “player-led” team this year, Traylor said, with seniors relaying tips for navigating life as a college athlete and confronting teammates who slip. Dantzler is one of the veterans heading the charge.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am
of Lorenzo and the change he’s made,” Traylor said. “He’s one of my dudes now. I trust him like no other.”
Dantzler said a desire to “perfect my craft” and position himself for an NFL opportunity factored into his decision to return, and linebacker Charles Wiley said he had similar aims in mind when he opted to come back.
Wiley entered this spring in much better shape compared to when he arrived as a transfer from Ole Miss last year, Traylor said, and UTSA’S defense will be tweaked to “feature him a little more” this season.
Wiley said the bulk of underclassmen declaring for the draft and his inability to hold a normal pro day at UTSA during the COVID-19 pandemic spurred him to try to boost his stock through an additional college season.
“I want to try to get my ranking up a little higher, position-wise in
the nation, to show what I really can do and show I can play on that next level,” Wiley said.
For safety Antonio Parks, the decision to use the additional year was about opportunity.
Following a redshirt and two quiet seasons at Arizona, Parks was a rotational option at UTSA in 2019 before stepping into a starting role in 2020. After “getting the game underneath me,” Parks said
he wants to see what he’s capable of with more playing time.
Traylor said Parks “really cares” about the program and his teammates, earning respect from the rest of the roster.
“I’m just one of those guys that bought into what he’s doing, and I’m all about what he’s building here,” Parks said. “So I wanted to come back and have some more fun and make some more plays for him.”
Kicker Hunter Duplessis said he decided early that “hands down I’m coming back, no matter what.”
Traylor described Duplessis as the “rare” kicker who is one of the strongest and toughest players on the roster — a leader beyond just the special teams unit.
While football does not project as part of Duplessis’ career path, he said the extra season provides him the opportunity to pursue a Master of Business Administration, which he could finish as soon as this year.
This semester, Duplessis is juggling four classes along with an internship as an information technology systems administrator at Southwest Business Corporation — a commitment of 35 hours or more per week.
Despite the challenges of time management, Duplessis said his academic and professional demands were another reason to pursue the extra season at UTSA, as he and his wife already felt rooted in San Antonio.
Duplessis was one of the earliest adopters of the Roadrunners’ culture, Traylor said, and he aims to instill that mentality in the rest of the program.
“At this time of the year, it’s really building a culture that will remain here after we’re long gone, and bringing our kids to UTSA football games,” Duplessis said. “That’s something I wanted to be a part of, personally, looking back on the legacy of UTSA football and being so proud to know that we were the guys who made that change happen, and we were at the grassroots level.”