Roadrunners prefer to remain on the ground. That was also true at UTSA thanks to star running back Sincere McCormick. But with him gone to the NFL, the passing game steps into the spotlight. UTSA was one of only three programs at the FBS level with three receivers – Zakhari Franklin, Joshua Cephus, and J.T. Clark – who caught at least 50 passes for 750 yards and six touchdowns. The Roadrunners are the only FBS program in the nation to return all three. 

Add in Conference USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Frank Harris at quarterback and the Roadrunners are set to fly in 2022. That’s great news for new offensive coordinator Will Stein. A former college quarterback himself, Stein spent the last couple of seasons coaching UTSA’s dynamic trio of receivers and will lean on him in his first year of calling plays for Jeff Traylor’s program. 

“Having three guys is huge because a defense can’t just take away one guy,” Stein said. “It allows me to call plays freely and to let the quarterback read the defense. Whoever is open gets the ball. We feel good about all three. They complement each other.”

Franklin, a 6-1 senior from Cedar Hill, already holds most of UTSA’s single-season and career receiving records with one year left of eligibility. He led the Roadrunners with 81 catches for 1,027 yards, and 12 scores in 2021. He’s a threat in the red zone and on third down who excels at intermediate routes. Cephus does his best work after the catch. The 6-3 senior from Dekaney was second on the team with 71 receptions for 816 yards and third on the squad with six touchdown receptions. Clark is the big play threat. The Fort Worth native nabbed 52 balls for 755 yards and seven scores. 

The trio accounted for a combined 204 catches for 2,601 yards and 25 receiving touchdowns in 2021. That accounts for 71 percent of the team’s receptions, 73 percent of its receiving yards, and a staggering 84 percent of UTSA’s receiving touchdowns. Harris enjoyed his best season in San Antonio with 3,177 yards passing and 27 touchdowns to six interceptions on a 66 percent completion percentage. No other receiver caught more than 12 passes for 148 yards and one touchdown. McCormick was fourth on the team with 22 catches. Tight end Oscar Cardenas, who also returns, was fourth on the squad with 233 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches. 

“They make defenses play us more honest,” first-year wide receiver coach Joe Price said of his trio of targets. “You can’t double a guy or roll your coverage to one specific guy because we have other weapons when the ball is in their hands, and a lot of teams don’t have that luxury.”

Price keeps the energy up by using music to motivate in meetings. The group has “Gospel Wednesday” and “Throwback Thursday” and even a “Freestyle Friday” to keep things loose. All three admit to wanting to be the best, but all three preferred talking about the other two receivers rather than themselves. They know the success of one elevates the play of the others. They compete in practice. They compete in games. And that’s with each other. 

“Iron sharpens iron. We push each other to be the best,” Cephus said. “I feel like we should each get to 1,000 yards receiving this year. I think y’all have only seen a little of what we can do in the passing game.” 

The first test takes place Saturday on a big stage against AAC favorite Houston. UTSA is joining the conference in 2023 as the Cougars exit to the Big 12. Still, the home game on Saturday afternoon provides the Roadrunners, and their passing attack, to raise eyebrows and shake up the P5 landscape. Some feel like Houston could run the table in 2022 and knock on the door of a spot in the College Football Playoffs. 

UTSA is no pushover. The Roadrunners started 2021 11-0 and won Conference USA for the first time in school history. The 2022 schedule is daunting with games against Houston, Army, and Texas to start the campaign. The motto in 2021 was “don’t eat the cheese” as head coach Jeff Traylor guarded his program from expectations. The 2022 version is “bull don’t care” as Traylor hopes his squad remembers that last year’s success means nothing in 2022. If the wide receiver room is any indication, the message is coming across loud and clear. 

“We’re not trying to prove anything to anybody but ourselves,” Cephus said. “We worry about us and not any of the outside of noise.”