No college football team in Texas boasts more wins than UTSA’s 46 since the start of the decade, which coincides with the arrival of head coach Jeff Traylor ahead of the 2020 season. The Roadrunners won 41 games in their first eight years of existence. They’ve won 39 over the last four, including a pair of Conference USA championships, a trip to the AAC title game, and five straight trips to a bowl.

But 2024 didn’t live up to the standard and it seemingly reignited something the Roadrunners lost in all that success. Walk around the UTSA facilities this offseason and there was a sense of urgency. Of frustration. The seven wins last year tied for the lowest mark since Traylor’s first year. The low point was a 46-45 road loss to Tulsa to drop the team’s record to 3-5 with Memphis, North Texas, and Army still upcoming.

Traylor’s UTSA built a reputation on winning close games and playing physical and not making mistakes. The 2024 version of the Roadrunners was the antithesis of those traits. They committed too many penalties and created too few turnovers. The defense became one of the worst in the AAC and the offense struggled in the first half of the season while quarterback Owen McCown found his sea legs.

Transitioning from the Frank Harris era was always going to be a challenge. Traylor doesn’t lay the fault on his roster, however. He puts it squarely on himself after some soul searching in the offseason. 

“When we got here, we were just a bunch of hungry ass dogs,” Traylor said. “I didn’t give a shit what everybody said. We were just physical, tough. We played hard. We’re still tough and physical, but we were just undisciplined, in my opinion, and that’s nobody’s fault but mine.”

The loss at Tulsa was the worst of the Traylor era. A week later, the Roadrunners beat a ranked team for the first time in program history in an eight-point victory at home against Memphis. They’re 29-3 at the Alamodome under Traylor heading into 2025. One of those losses was to Houston in multiple overtimes. The other two were to Army. UTSA won four of its last five games last year to reach a bowl game and salvage the season.

Expectations return to the Alamo City in 2025 because of the offense. McCown became one of the best quarterbacks in the G5 by the end of the season and his family’s long-lasting relationship with Traylor traces back to East Texas basketball gyms when he coached his father and uncles. The Roadrunners also return most of their best offensive linemen, the team’s leading rusher, a trio of young, talented wide receivers, and the best tight end room in the AAC.

“Last year, we expected our defense to carry us while our offense figured it out and that didn’t end up happening,” Traylor said. “With all that we have returning on the offensive side of the ball, including our quarterback, we expect to be good over there. Our defense is kind of like our offense last year in that we like the talent but it is unproven.”

Traylor returned to his roots as a coach and UTSA could be better for it. He’s keeping it simple and hoping a return to the basics propels a talented roster back into conference title contention. The winner of the AAC will always be in the conversation for a playoff spot, after all. The Roadrunners might not be as talented as they were when they won a pair of conference titles, but that’s true across the board in the G6 because of the transfer portal.

“If we don’t do anything else well, we’re going to line up correctly and do our job without a bunch of dumb mistakes,” Traylor said. “The talent is so even across the board at our level, so the disciplined teams win. We were that team for three years. We aim to be again.” 

DCTF Take 

Owen McCown and a talented group of skill position players give the Roadrunners hope that they can return to conference contention in 2025. Playmakers such as wide receiver David Amador II, tight end Houston Thomas, and running back Robert Henry Jr., ensure UTSA will be one of the top scoring offenses in the G5. Returning to form on the defensive side of the ball will make or break the Roadrunners’ season. They must improve while replacing stalwarts such as defensive tackles Joe Evans and Brandon Brown and linebacker Jamal Ligon, as well as cornerback Zah Frazier and leading sacker Jimmori Robinson. 

Offensive Breakdown 

Junior quarterback Owen McCown (3,424 passing yards, 25 TDs, 10 INTs) returns to lead a Roadrunner offense poised to be one of the best in the entire G6. He threw for over 250 yards in eight games last year and added 340 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.

As McCown improved as a first-year starter, so did UTSA’s fortunes in the second half of the season. Keeping him in San Antonio during the transfer portal era was a huge win for Jeff Traylor’s program. He’s known the McCown family for decades, having coached Owen’s dad and uncles in high school. 

“You can coach him really hard and get after him, so he’s a tough kid,” Traylor said about McCown. “He’s not as vocal as Frank (Harris), but they’re very similar in their mental toughness and resolve. They just have a willpower that I think all great people do.”

UTSA lost two of its top three running backs from last year to the portal as Kevorian Barnes (TCU) and Brandon High (Cal) exit the running back room along with assistant coach Julian Griffin. Robert Henry (706 rushing yards, 7 TDs) is the starter again in 2025 after receiving an extra year of eligibility as a former JUCO player. Other returners to know in the running back room are junior Bryson Donnell and redshirt freshman Will Henderson III.

An experienced and deep offensive line should help the Roadrunners regain form in the rushing attack. Left tackle Kamar Missouri returns for his senior season, as does right tackle Jaylen Garth. Guards Venly Tatafu and Cody Godinet are coming off surgery and would be a huge boost for the interior of the offensive line if one or both return to 100%. If neither are ready, the starting jobs at the guard positions could fall to transfers such as Darrell Jones (Bowie State) and Trevor Timmons (Georgia State).

Center is the only real question mark and it was a two-man race after spring practice with Ben Rios and Luke Lapeze battling for the starting spot. Lapeze was the expected starter at center last year prior to a major injury. If healthy, Traylor believes he has close to 10 offensive linemen he can win with in 2025.

“We’re healthy and we just need to stay that way up front. If we do, we have a chance to be a really good offense,” Traylor said. “One of the main reasons we were better in the second half of last season was because we were able to start the same group up front for a few games in a row.”

McCown won’t struggle to find reliable targets in the passing game as the staff loves the talent in the wide receiver and tight end room. Devin McCuin led the team in receptions last year with 45. Tight ends Houston Thomas and Patrick Overmyer combined for 65 catches for 733 yards and six touchdowns. Wide receiver David Amador II recorded 31 catches for 376 yards over five games. Willie McCoy is a weapon when healthy.

“Everybody is back (on offense) and we’re holding an extra big chip on our shoulder because we were better than our record indicated,” McCown said. “We all made a pact to stick around (at UTSA) and see how much we can accomplish together as a group. A lot of us had a chance to leave, but we think we can be special.”

 

Breakout Candidates 

RB A’Marion Peterson – The Roadrunners added the USC transfer in the spring portal window after losing Brandon High to Cal. Peterson is a Texas native who played in 10 games last year for the Trojans, earning his first collegiate start in the Las Vegas Bowl versus Texas A&M. UTSA starts 2025 against the Aggies.

WR AJ Wilson – A Houston Christian transfer who was second-team All-Southland after catching 29 passes for 825 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. He averaged 28.45 yards a catch. Wilson is a Huntsville native who should carve out a role for himself in a crowded wide receiver room.

 

Projected Starters

QB          13            Owen McCown               Jr.             6-1, 190               Rusk

RB           20            Robert Henry Jr.             Sr.           5-10, 205            Lumberton, Miss.

WR         19            Willie McCoy  Sr.           6-0, 185               Bellaire

WR         14            Devin McCuin                  Jr.             6-0, 195               Jacksonville

WR         18            David Amador II             Soph.   6-0, 195               Galena Park North Shore

TE            88            Houston Thomas          Jr.             6-5, 240               College Station

LT            55            Kamar Missouri              Sr.           6-6, 305               Baltimore, Md.

LG           75            Venly Tatafu    Sr.           6-4, 345               Portland, Ore.

C              57            Ben Rios              Jr.             6-6, 295               San Antonio Central Catholic

RG          53            Cody Godinet Sr.           6-4, 345               Leone, America Samoa

RT            71            Jaylen Garth    Sr.           6-6, 320               Port Neches-Groves

K               99               Jaffer Murphy  Sr.           6-1, 185               Marion, Iowa

 

Keep An Eye On

Owen McCown is the clear starter at quarterback. Who his backup will be in 2025 is murkier. Former backup Eddie Lee Marburger transferred to UTRGV this offseason to be the first starting quarterback for the Vaqueros. Traylor said redshirt sophomore Brandon Tennison had the leg up in the competition for QB2 because of his familiarity in the system. The other two quarterbacks in the mix are redshirt freshman Noah Lugo, who transferred to UTSA from BYU, and true freshman Max Gerlich, a 2025 signee from Austin Anderson High School. Not one of those three options has appeared in a college football game.

By the Numbers

33.2 – UTSA averaged the 27th-most points per game last season, peaking late in the year when quarterback Owen McCown found his groove with a budding group of receivers.

25 - That’s the number of 40-plus yard plays for UTSA in 2024, tied for best in the nation with East Carolina and Louisville.

85 – The Roadrunners ranked 116 out of 134 teams in tackles for loss allowed. Those 85 TFLs accounted for 310 yards lost.

 

Defensive Breakdown

UTSA ranked 103rd in scoring defense last year while allowing 30.1 points per game. None of the prior four defenses in the Jeff Traylor era ranked outside the top 60 or gave up more than 25.9 points per game in a season. In the six losses last year, the Roadrunners allowed a staggering 39.8 points per game. That included 49 to Texas State and 46 to Tulsa in two of the worst losses since Traylor arrived in 2020.

“We lost some leaders from our defense the year before like Rashad (Wisdom) and then we had some of our leaders like Joe (Evans) lost because of injury early. That really hurt us,” Traylor said. “We quit having so many bad penalties in the second half of the season, but the first half of the year we were terrible with our lack of discipline. We were very talented. We were not very disciplined.”

UTSA returns the seventh-most production in the FBS ranks on the offensive side of the ball, but that’s a stark contrast to what was lost defensively. The Roadrunners rank 89th nationally in returning defensive production with 49% back on the roster, per ESPN. They must improve as a scoring defense while replacing stalwarts such as Brandon Brown, Jamal Ligon, Donyai Taylor, and Zah Frazier, who was the lone UTSA player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The transfer portal is a double-edged sword for coaches at the G5 level. Sure, other teams pillage the roster and lure away star players with promises of bigger paychecks and more television exposure. But the portal also allows units like the UTSA defense to turn over the roster in one offseason and replenish the ranks with either overachieving FCS players or with former Power Four recruits looking for more playing time.

UTSA added difference makers like Cameron Blaylock (Tennessee State) and Kaian Roberts-Day (Baylor) in the trenches. Shad Banks Jr. (TCU) and Brandon Tucker (East Texas A&M) are competing for starting spots in the linebacker room. And defensive backs Kaden Meier (Nevada), Cam Upshaw Jr. (Memphis), and RJ Lester (Oklahoma State) bolster the secondary. UCF transfers –  linebacker Jashad Presley and safety Brandon Jacob – were added in May.

That’s not to say UTSA won’t count on some familiar faces. The duo of Vic Shaw and Nnanna Anyanwu are expected to replace the production lost off the edge by the departing Jimmori Robinson, who transferred to West Virginia. Chidera Otutu and Jameian Buxton, known as “Big Baby” left spring as the two nose tackles. Tai Leonard and Jon Jones were working with the starters in the spring at the defensive end positions.

Davin Martin impressed the staff most in spring at cornerback. Meier and redshirt sophomore Jakevian Rogers are also heavily in the mix for starting spots at cornerback. UTSA was 124th in passing defense last year despite an NFL draft pick at cornerback. Owen Pewee has waited his turn and is expected to have a big season from the nickel position that the UTSA offense calls the “Money” position.

Tyan Milton is expected to start at one of the two deep safety spots with Elijah Newell and Jimmy Wyrick competing for the other spot. Kenyan Kelly and Upshaw are two other names to know at safety.

Breakout Candidates 

OLB Nnanna Anyanwu – UTSA believes the redshirt sophomore could be the next great edge rusher for the Roadrunners. He was poised for a breakout season last year before a preseason injury sidelined him for the season. He also missed most of 2023 because of an injury. 

DL Johnny Bowens III – Bowens was a four-star recruit when he left nearby Converse Judson to start his college career at Oregon. He transferred back home ahead of 2024 but a season-ending injury in camp kept him from making an impact last season. He might be UTSA’s most talented lineman.

Projected Starters

DE           46            Mike Williams Jr.           Jr.             6-5, 265               Nocatee, Fla.

NT           98            Jameian Buxton             Jr.             6-1, 325               New Orleans, La.

DT           35            Jon Jones            Sr.           6-4, 255               McKinney

WLB      31            Vic Shaw             Soph.   6-3, 235               Texarkana Pleasant Grove

Jack       40            Brandon Tucker             Jr.             5-11, 225            DeSoto

MLB       17            Shad Banks Jr.                 Sr.           6-1, 245               Galena Park North Shore

Money 13               Owen Pewee   Jr.             6-2, 205               Cypress Park

CB          30            Davin Martin    Soph.   6-3, 175               Klein Cain

CB          28            Kaden Meier    Jr.             6-0, 190               Frenship 

SS           22            Elijah Newell   RS-Fr.  5-10, 180            Maumelle, Ark.

FS            15            Tyan Milton       Sr.           5-11, 185            Lawrenceville, Ga.

P               25            Calie Hogan     Sr.           6-0, 215               Eltham North, Australia

Keep An Eye On

UTSA was one of only two teams in college football to commit over 1,000 yards of penalties on the season and many of those were backbreaking mental errors on the defensive side of the ball. Routinely, the Roadrunners allowed the opponent's drives to continue on third down and in the red zone because of unforced errors. UTSA allowed 42 first downs due to penalties, which was six more than any other team. The 113 total penalties were also the second worst in the country. Discipline was the buzz word in the Alamo City all offseason.

 

By the Numbers

30.1 – That’s the number of points allowed by the UTSA defense last season, ranking 103rd nationally in scoring defense. The Roadrunners hadn’t ranked outside the top 60 in the Jeff Traylor era.

39 – Only two teams – Ball State and Oklahoma State – allowed more 30-plus yard plays from scrimmage than the Roadrunners.

85 – UTSA was 116th in the FBS in tackles for loss as the Roadrunners struggled to cause havoc in the backfield against the run despite recording 42 sacks.

 

Ceiling

11-1

UTSA could beat every team on the schedule except for the season opener at Texas A&M. The Roadrunners return arguably the best quarterback in G5 with Owen McCown and they built momentum in the second half of 2024. The defense must improve and the team needs more consistency on the road. 

Floor

6-6

If the Roadrunners don’t improve defensively or on the road, they’ll be again fighting through the end of the season to reach bowl eligibility. UTSA lost a ton of leadership and experience on the defensive side of the ball and the margins are smaller and smaller in the G5 ranks.

 

Coach Gossip 

“Coaching wise, it’s like the mafia over there, man. They’re all so close and they know what they like. Jeff (Traylor) is such a good coach. He just has that place rolling. He’s a perfect fit there and they have such a great culture. That group just plays its ass off no matter what’s on the roster and that’s not as easy as it sounds.”

“We keep rooting for (Traylor) to get one of those Power Four jobs he’s looked at because that’d make our life a lot easier. Last year, they didn’t play like one of his previous teams early on in the season. A lot of mistakes and undisciplined stuff that is out of character, but they figured it out. Good coaches usually do. That offense this year is nasty. Could be one of his best. Jeff probably doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is at building offenses. That’s why they can turn over the OC and keep scoring points.”

2024 RESULTS

Aug. 31                 Kennesaw State             W, 28-16
Sept. 7                  at Texas State                                    L, 49-10
Sept. 14               at Texas               L, 56-7
Sept. 21               Houston Christian       W, 45-7
Sept. 28               at East Carolina             L, 30-20
Oct. 12                 at Rice                   L, 29-27
Oct. 19                 Florida Atlantic               W, 38-24
Oct. 26                 at Tulsa                L, 46-45
Nov. 2                    Memphis            W, 44-36
Nov. 15                 North Texas     W, 48-27
Nov. 22                 Temple                 W, 51-27
Nov. 30                 at Army                L, 29-24
Dec. 23                Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach Bowl) W, 44-15

Record: 7-6 (4-4)

 

2025 PREDICTION

Aug. 30                 at Texas A&M  L
Sept. 6                  Texas State       W
Sept. 13               UIW       W
Sept. 20               at Colorado State         W
Oct. 4                     at Temple           W
Oct. 11                 Rice       W
Oct. 18                 at North Texas                 L
Oct. 30                 Tulane                   L
Nov. 6                    at South Florida             W
Nov. 15                 at Charlotte     W
Nov. 22                 East Carolina W
Nov. 29                 Army     L

Record: 8-4 (5-3)

Biggest Game

Sept. 6 vs. Texas State

UTSA lost to its I-35 rivals in San Marcos for the first time in program history in a blowout that didn’t live up to preseason hype. Lose again to the Bobcats and UTSA will start 0-2 on the season because the opener is at Texas A&M. 

Trap Game

Oct. 4 at Temple

Former Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler should help the Temple Owls leave the cellar of the AAC and an upset of the Roadrunners would be a signature win to build momentum with. UTSA struggled on the road, especially early in the season last year. 

Upset Bid

Nov. 29 vs. Army

Jeff Traylor is 29-3 at the Alamodome as head coach of UTSA, but two of those losses are to Army. In fact, the Black Knights have knocked off the Roadrunners in three of four meetings since Traylor took over the Roadrunners. This game could have AAC championship game stakes.