Traylor set to sign his first Roadrunners
UTSA football coach Jeff Traylor said he woke up at 4 a.m. Tuesday, continuing a 10-day stretch of light sleep.
But as he reflected on the flurry of activity — including interviewing for the Roadrunners’ position, learning he had been hired and hitting the ground running — Traylor said he’s had “an absolute blast.”
After being announced as the Roadrunners’ coach Dec. 10, Traylor scrambled to assemble a staff and reach out to potential recruits before the NCAA’s contact period ended Saturday.
UTSA brought seven prospects to campus for official visits this weekend, and Traylor said Monday during an interview on Ticket 760 AM that all seven are expected to sign this week. On the eve of the NCAA’s early signing period beginning Wednesday, Traylor told ESPN Central Texas that the Roadrunners expect to announce “nine or 10” newcomers overall.
“That’s what makes it so fun, is that everybody says there’s no way you can pull off an official visit when you get the job on Tuesday and you do a press conference on a Wednesday. Well, we did,” Traylor said. “We pulled it off. Well, there’s no way you’re going to get all of those kids to recommit and sign on Wednesday. Well, all seven of those kids are excited to be here.”
Traylor said Wednesday’s additions will leave “about nine spots” to fill on Feb. 5, the final day to sign and what used to be the traditional signing day.
“We’ll re-evaluate where we are and what our needs are,” Traylor said, “and we’ll get that next one done in February.”
Most of the work so far has been retaining the players who committed before the coaching change. After Frank Wilson was fired Dec. 1, seven players who had previously committed chose to reopen their recruitment. The decisions left the Roadrunners’ 2020 recruiting class with nine players, per 247Sports.
Traylor added one new name to the list, with Tyler Lee defensive end Jamal Ligon announcing Sunday that he had flipped his commitment from North Texas to UTSA.
“This decision was not easy, but it is in my best interest to do what I feel is best for me,” Ligon tweeted.
Kurt Traylor, Jeff ’s brother and the head coach at Lee for the past two seasons, will be joining UTSA’s staff as the tight ends coach and fullbacks coach, Jeff Traylor told ESPN Central Texas.
Jeff Traylor also announced the addition of Lake Travis offensive coordinator Will Stein during his interview with ESPN Central Texas.
UTSA has 10 total commits, per 247Sports, but at least two from that group are expected to wait until February to sign. Traylor’s staff also sent out a flurry of offers this week, creating the possibility of a few unexpected additions Wednesday.
Liberty Hill defensive tackle Walker Baty, who committed before Traylor was hired, tweeted he would be part of the group intending to wait until February to sign.
“I was debating on de-committing from UTSA due to coaching change,” Baty tweeted, “but after I met Coach Traylor and the new coaches I want to say that I’m still 100% committed to UTSA.”
The Roadrunners enter the spring with numerous holes to fill. UTSA graduated both starting offensive tackles in Josh Dunlop and Treyvion Shannon, plus leading
tacklers linebacker Andrew Martel and safety Carl Austin.
Starting corner Cassius Grady and rotational players corner Clayton Johnson and linebacker LaDarian McFarland have also exhausted their eligibility.
The defensive line was considered UTSA’s strong point last year, but the unit lost three 12-game starters: defensive end Eric Banks, defensive end Jarrod Carter-McLin and defensive tackle Baylen Baker. Defensive tackle King Newton is also departing after making two starts in four games before a season-ending injury.
UTSA’s group of 2020 commits includes two defensive ends and a defensive tackle, but no players at offensive tackle, linebacker or in the secondary.