At the end of spring practice in 2018, quarterback Frank Harris made a routine run down the sideline while working through plays. He casually juked safety C.J. Levine in the open field, a play he’s made hundreds of times in his career.

Pop.

The pain in his right knee was immediate, as was the realization that his season was likely over. Wilson confirmed that Harris was the frontrunner for the starting job at the time. Everyone expected him to take the first snap against Kansas State.

“He was playing excellent in spring camp,” running back B.J. Daniels said. “It hurt when he went down, I was like, man. I had to stop and think. But the next quarterback had to step up.”

Because of inconsistent play and injuries, that never really happened. Instead, UTSA posted one of the worst offenses in college football. The quarterback position was especially a weakness. By season’s end, four different players started a game, including a true freshman. Harris couldn’t do anything about it. He had to sit on the sideline, rehab and watch it happen.

“It feels like I let my teammates down,” Harris said. “But there’s nothing I could do about that.”

Following a lengthy recovery process, largely spent up the road at home in Schertz with his parents and high school coach, Harris finally felt 100 percent in January for the first time. Wilson is a little more modest, putting him at about 85 percent in the spring.

Harris will not be handed the quarterback job. Incumbent Cordale Grundy and true sophomore Jordan Weeks are back. The Roadrunners also added junior college transfer Lowell Narcisse, a former LSU quarterback, and talented Midland freshman Suddin Sapien. With five quarterbacks vying for the starting job, the coaching staff was in no hurry to name a starting quarterback in the spring.

That said, his talent pops off the page. There’s a reason he compiled more than 4,700 yards and 55 touchdowns during a fully healthy junior season at Schertz Clemens. He’s a special playmaker. UTSA got a chance to see what Harris could do a season ago in spring camp.

“He was playing with swag, loose free,” Daniels said. “He was being a leader. He was doing his thing.”

For UTSA’s offense to take the next step, Harris will have to do that again.