Traylor wraps up program’s top class
As UTSA coach Jeff Traylor sat to recap the opening day of the early signing period on Dec. 21, the tension and fatigue were evident on his face.
Traylor was nine days removed from the death of his father, five days past UTSA’S loss to Troy in the Cure Bowl and coming off a whirlwind of 18 official visits that weekend.
But after adding 24 players during the early period, with 17 already on campus, Traylor said the Roadrunners approached the start of the regular signing period Wednesday with just three scholarships available.
Of the three players Traylor targeted, UTSA landed one, adding Garden City Community College cornerback Marcellus Wilkerson to round out a 25player recruiting class on a relatively quiet signing day.
“We’ve just been targeting areas of need, specifically. We’ve turned down a lot more kids than we ever have,” Traylor said. “There’s a bunch of good players out there right now, and a lot of them are going to our opponents, because we just don’t have room for all of them.”
As the Roadrunners prepare to make the jump to the American Athletic Conference, the 2023 recruiting class ranked No. 62 nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings, trailing only No. 61 Memphis among programs that will be playing in the Group of Five next year.
In conversations with recruits, Traylor said he often asks what changed to help UTSA vault to the highest-ranked class in the program’s history.
Consecutive Conference USA championships and stints in the national rankings the past two years have raised the perception of the program, and the $40 million Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence facility catches eyes.
“Meep meep” and “Birds up” have brand recognition now, Traylor said, his 10-year contract offers stability, and prospective players see the chance to be the next Spencer Burford or Tariq Woolen — UTSA products who became NFL starters as rookies this year.
But the ability to reach more athletic prospects has also heightened recruiting battles with larger programs.
“It’s still hard to get them in the boat,” Traylor said, “because we’re competing against better people now.”
UTSA’S newcomers join a roster that Traylor said boasts 14 players using an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 — a list that includes quarterback Frank Harris, safety Rashad Wisdom, offensive tackle Makai Hart, defensive tackle Brandon Matterson and the wide receiver trio of De’corian Clark, Zakhari Franklin and Joshua Cephus.
The Roadrunners signed four players at wide receiver and on the offensive line as well as three running backs in the 2023 class, and Traylor said UTSA is deeper at all three positions than at any previous point in his tenure.
A defensive line rotation that returns every significant contributor aside from reserve Lamonte Mcdougle added three new pieces, and the Roadrunners also welcomed three cornerbacks.
UTSA’S 2023 class includes 13 high school players, eight junior college products and four transfers from four-year schools.
Pointing to future AAC opponent Tulane’s win against Southern Cal in the Cotton Bowl, Traylor stopped short of sizing up UTSA’S roster against the new league.
“I don’t know,” Traylor said, “but I know we’ll have a good football team.”
Traylor left a pair of scholarships available for transfer additions through the summer, adding that he’s also “trying to anticipate where our roster might lose some kids” to potential departures when the transfer portal opens again in May.
The Roadrunners’ No. 62 recruiting ranking in the 247Sports composite is 11 places higher than last year’s class, which previously marked the program’s best finish. UTSA spent much of the early signing period and up to Tuesday as the highestranked team in the new Group of Five before being edged by Memphis on Wednesday.
“I know it’s a way for everybody to stay involved, but I’ve said it a million times, and I stand by it,” Traylor said. “The evaluation piece is important. The recruiting piece is important. Those two of the three are done now, and it’s the development part that is most important.”