Four experienced safeties give boost to Roadrunners
When Kelechi Nwachuku and Ken Robinson were first settling into the safeties room at UTSA, most of their film study during position meetings was centered on pinpointing their role in the back end.
Now preparing for their fourth year under Roadrunners safeties coach and defensive coordinator Jess Loepp, Nwachuku and Robinson have raised those conversations to a new level. Rather than focusing on simply when a safety needs to pick up coverage on a No. 2 receiver, the group breaks down the shift by the Sam linebacker and the alignment on the defensive front that created the responsibility.
Though Nwachuku and Robinson have both played more than 1,000 career snaps for the Roadrunners, neither is among the group’s most veteran starters. With Rashad Wisdom preparing to enter a fifth year as a starting safety and Elliott Davison transferring after starting for three seasons at Incarnate Word, UTSA boasts a level of experience at the position that has heightened the top-down approach to film study.
“We’re big on ‘why?’ ” Nwachuku said. “It’s just really cool to learn all of that. We want to be an extension of our coaches while we’re out there.”
Nwachuku has elevated his own focus on improvement this spring, starting a routine of writing a bulleted list of corrections he can make from that day’s practice and reviewing them the night before the next session.
Despite emerging as a five-game starter last year and carving a significant role through the past four
seasons, Nwachuku said his emphasis this spring is “not to coast,” finding fresh focuses or points of emphasis each day. He particularly enjoys “noglove Thursdays,” when UTSA’S defensive backs try to prove they can nab interceptions barehanded.
“This spring, it was just really big on growth,” Nwachuku said. “I just wanted to grow as a man, as a player, in every aspect of my life. I really wanted to do it on the football field and give it my all. It’s my last ride. Give it everything I’ve got, so I don’t have any regrets later on.”
Nwachuku has played 1,252 snaps at safety for the Roadrunners since arriving on campus in 2018, per Pro Football Focus, while Wisdom has racked up 2,074 snaps across his 44 career games, including 42 starts.
Davison played 27 games for the Cardinals during the past three seasons, totaling 1,896 snaps. That leaves Robinson, with 1,162 snaps to his name, as the least experienced piece of UTSA’S
projected top two safety units.
Robinson has also shown the most versatility of the group, playing mostly corner in 2020 and 2021 before splitting time between safety, slot corner and the box last season.
Though he said he enjoyed bouncing around the formation, Robinson has been focused on his role as a field safety this spring, envisioning spending the bulk of his time at the position in 2023.
“Now that I’m more solidified in my part at the safety position this year, I’d like to be more comfortable back there and be more sound as far as communicating technique and just finishing off the ball,” Robinson said. “I feel like I’m doing a good job with that.”
Robinson and Nwachuku both said their one of their goals for 2023 is reaching the all-conference team, but neither is even guaranteed a starting role at UTSA.
Wisdom is limited this spring after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum, but he and Davison still hold an experience edge on Nwachuku and Robinson, who have each totaled 12 starts with the Roadrunners.
Nwachuku said he’s kept the mentality he’s held the last four years of being flexible as “another guy out there you can throw in wherever you need me,” and Robinson said the competition for positioning on the depth chart plays out daily.
“Whoever coach chooses to throw out there in Week 1, we’re going to support them 100 percent,” Robinson said. “But at the same time, we’ll be ready for when coach calls our name.”
UTSA coach Jeff Traylor said he approached Nwachuku’s father during the Roadrunners’ practice Thursday to express “what a great job his mom and dad have done” raising such an intelligent, self-motivated player. Those qualities helped Nwachuku earn the respect of his teammates, as he was voted into a singledigit jersey representing one of UTSA’S leadership roles last year despite not holding a clear path to a starting job.
Though questions around his role remain for 2023, Nwachuku said he knew early on that he wanted to pursue his additional season of eligibility this fall, valuing the culture of selflessness and competition Traylor has brought to the program.
“I was here before, where it’s more of a ‘Me, me, me’ type atmosphere,” Nwachuku said. “Now, everybody has that mentality, and it just trickles down from coach Traylor down to walk-ons.”