UTSA to hire former Texas high school football head coach to lead program

Jeff Traylor (Photo by Matt Garnett)

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UTSA football has named Jeff Traylor the third head coach in program history. FootballScoop first reported the news. Traylor has a long and prosperous history in the state of Texas at both the high school and college levels. 

The program signed Traylor to a five-year contract with $800,000 in guaranteed compensation in year one, along with various incentives. The U.T. System Board of Regents is expected to approve the contract on Tuesday.

"UTSA is a sleeping giant and I can't wait to wake it up," Traylor said in a statement. "Being a native Texan and a coach in this state, I understand how important football is to the people of Texas. I'm anxious to reconnect and continue building relationships with the Texas High School Coaches Association and all the great high school coaches in this state and beyond." 

Traylor is perhaps best known as the former 15-year head coach at Gilmer High School. He won three state championships with the program and left with a 175-26 record. Former Texas coach Charlie Strong added Traylor to his staff for the final two seasons, where he coached tight ends and led East Texas recruiting. 

When Strong was fired, Traylor joined Chad Morris at SMU as associate head coach and running backs coach. Morris brought Traylor to Arkansas in the same role until Morris and his staff were fired after two seasons. 

"Finding a leader who not only understands the landscape of recruiting in Texas but has demonstrated an ability to build a championship culture was key in this selection," UTSA athletic director Dr. Lisa Campos said. 

UTSA is replacing Frank Wilson, who was fired after four years with the program. He went 19-29 overall and 7-17 over his final two seasons with the Roadrunners. 

Traylor and Wilson have almost identical backgrounds at the major-college level. Wilson spent six years as the assistant head coach, running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU. He was named SEC Recruiter of the Year in 2015 and national recruiter of the year in 2014. Traylor was named Big 12 Recruiter of the Year in 2015 and served as associate head coach at SMU and Arkansas. 

Traylor adds instant credibility with Texas high school football coaches, especially in East Texas. He helped put together the No. 7 national class at Texas in 2016 and a top 25 class in his first full cycle at Arkansas, despite coming off a 2-10 season. 

However, Traylor has never served as a coordinator at the collegiate level. It’s unclear what direction he would turn to hire coordinators or assistant coaches. 

Traylor also interviewed for the head coaching job at Lamar University.

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