Moving on from 2024
Since the dawn of the 2020s, the UTSA Roadrunners only know one side of .500 — the positive one.
The program changed for the better upon hiring Jeff Traylor at the turn of the decade, faring 46-20 in six years with two Conference USA championships and the first two bowl victories in program history. While UTSA’s 2023 transition from the CUSA to the American went swimmingly with a 9-4 record, the Roadrunners weren’t without adversity in 2024. They overcame a 2-4 start burdened by a 39-point loss to Texas
State and a last-second defeat at Rice.
But what left UTSA most shellshocked was a blown 28-point halftime lead against 3-9 Tulsa. However, Traylor’s team maturely recovered from that defeat, knocking off an AP Top 25 finisher in Memphis and winning four of its last five, throttling Coastal Carolina to conclude the year in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Excluding the bowl game, there was a clear formula to UTSA’s performance. If the Roadrunners were on the road, they lost (0-6). If they were in the Alamodome, they won (6-0).
UTSA has a winning formula under Traylor, but the Roadrunners can reach even new heights moving forward. They must solve their road woes and figure out early season struggles to contend for their first American championship.
2024 record: 7-6 (4-4 AAC)
Myrtle Beach Bowl: defeated Coastal Carolina, 44-15
What’s different in 2025?
Jeff Traylor enters year six with the program, and he’s brought tremendous stability to UTSA. Not only do the Roadrunners consistently retain star talent, but they retain assistant coaches as well. Offensive coordinator Justin Burke and defensive coordinator Jess Loepp have both been on staff since Traylor arrived in 2020, keeping the playbook and the culture in stable hands. Other sixth-year assistants include special teams coordinator Zach Brown, offensive line coach Kurt Traylor, quarterbacks coach Dr. Pavit Patel, cornerbacks coach Nick Graham, wide receivers coach Joe Price III, and tight ends coach Hunter Rittimann.
For position coaches, the lone newcomer on staff is Tommie Robinson. The running backs coach enters his 30th year of coaching after a multitude of destinations. He’s served in the same role at Utah State, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Miami (FL), Texas, USC, LSU, and Texas A&M, as well as the Arizona Cardinals in the early 2010s.
In addition to coach staff stability, the continuity on UTSA’s offense is remarkable compared to their American Conference peers. However, the opposite is true for the defense as the Roadrunners must replace all 11 starters — a mix of graduates, NFL Draft declarers, and transfers. UTSA loaded up on a handful of portal guys in effort to replace the 11, most notably former TCU inside linebacker Shad Banks Jr. and former Nevada cornerback KK Meier.
Players to watch
- Owen McCown, QB (Jr.) — McCown’s first year as a full-time starter was one to remember. The quarterback finished 15th nationally in passing yards with 3,424, all while manufacturing a touchdown to interception ratio of 25-to-10. Efficiency was a huge part of his game too, completing at least 72 percent of passes in five of 13 outings. And to add to it all, the Maxwell Award watchlist nominee showcased decent mobility with 340 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 2025 marks McCown’s second year as a starter, and the Roadrunners should wield one of the conference’s best offenses as long as he’s in the lineup.
- Robert Henry Jr., RB (Sr.) — UTSA is operating with a loaded running back room in 2025, and the leader of the group is Robert Henry Jr. The former JUCO All-American was an instant home run acquisition for UTSA, producing 588 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 2023. In 2024, on almost an identical number of carries, he elevated his production to 706 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on a 5.4 average. Henry is a frequented receiver in the Roadrunner offense as well, hauling in 40 receptions during his two years in San Antonio.
- Devin McCuin, WR (Jr.) — The leading passer is back. The leader rusher is back. So is the receptions leader in Devin McCuin, who corralled 45 receptions for 424 yards as a true sophomore in 2024. He has thrived as a possession receiver since the instant he stepped on campus and should remain McCown’s top target in the 2025 offense. McCuin has logged six games with at least 75+ yards and a touchdown, and to make further progress this season, he eyes his first collegiate 100-yard outing.
- Shad Banks Jr., ILB (Sr.) — Shad Banks Jr. is the second-ever incoming transfer to be voted for a single-digit number — a high honor in Traylor’s program. The inside linebacker is already an esteemed leader of this team, just as he was at TCU. Banks logged 62 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss as a starter for the Horned Frogs in 2023 and even contributed 39 tackles to the 2022 squad that competed for a national championship. Shoulder injuries and a concussion suffered in the opener hampered his 2024 season, but he arrives with a fresh slate at UTSA as one of the top linebackers in the conference.
- Owen Pewee, OLB (Jr.) — Owen Pewee was already a known commodity among Roadrunner fans, earning a single-digit number last season for his special teams contributions. He takes over the money backer role, which is a hybrid of an outside linebacker and safety. Pewee enters his first year as a starter fresh off the heels of accumulating 42 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two interceptions in 2024. Originally from Liberia, Pewee will wear UTSA’s new first generation student patch in 2025 — as UTSA is the first college to recognize such status on uniforms.
Key games
- Week 1, Aug. 30 — at Texas A&M: What better way to open a season than to play spoiler in front of 100,000 in a hostile environment? Kyle Field will be deafeningly loud Labor Day Weekend, as UTSA eyes its first-ever win against SEC competition (previously 0-4). Another first the Roadrunners can claim is their first win against currently-ranked competition after faring 0-14 in their previous tries. Given a slew of returning starters on offense, UTSA knows it can light up the scoreboard. But trotting out a defense returning zero starters could be a challenge against Marcel Reed, Le’Veon Moss, and the Aggies.
- Week 2, Sept. 6 — vs. Texas State: It’s one of college football’s best rivalries that originated after 2010. UTSA and Texas State simply do not care for one another. The Roadrunners held a commanding 5-0 advantage in the all-time series until last September when Texas State eviscerated UTSA in a 49-10 decision in San Marcos. The rivalry shifts back to the Alamodome where UTSA has won 10 consecutive contests. Revenge is on the Roadrunners’ minds, so is producing a stronger non-conference result after combining for 3-5 the last two seasons.
- Week 10, Oct. 30 — vs. Tulane: UTSA won its first seven conference matchups upon joining the American in 2023. The Roadrunners were on the doorstep of a third-straight conference championship appearance, but then Tulane happened. Endless turnovers spoiled UTSA’s Black Friday trip to New Orleans, keeping the Roadrunners out of championship contention. This is the programs’ first meeting since, and both Tulane and UTSA expect to be in the upper echelon of the American in 2025. It’s a Thursday night nationally televised matchup, marking the Green Wave’s first trip to the Alamodome in 12 years.
- Week 14, Nov. 28 — vs. Army: UTSA closed its 2024 regular season fighting down to the wire with Army in West Point. Of all eight conference opponents Army faced during its inaugural season in the American, nobody came closer to beating the Black Knights than the Roadrunners. UTSA was the only American team to hold a second half lead vs. Army, and this year, Traylor’s team hopes to finish the job. They’ll get the backdrop of the Alamodome, but interestingly enough, Army was the last team to topple UTSA in that building — doing so in September 2023.
Overall outlook
The 2020s have been a great time to be a UTSA fan, watching the young program consistently reach new heights and achieve new ‘firsts.’ Yes, the 2024 campaign was filled with hurdles and bruises as the team pieced together a 7-6 record — its worst finish under Traylor. But UTSA’s 4-1 record in November onward, highlighted by four 44+ point explosions, is the hope the Roadrunners can point to for 2025.
UTSA should field one of the best, if not the best, offense in the American this fall. It only took one season as a starter for Owen McCown to become an established quarterback, appearing on Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award watchlists. While not every moment was smooth-sailing, McCown demonstrated a strong debut starting campaign, producing 3,424 passing yards (15th in FBS), 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on a 63.0 percent completion rate, all while rushing for 340. The southpaw should see year one to year two improvement as a starter, especially given his chemistry with the surrounding skill position talent.
The Roadrunners offer McCown with tremendous run support. Robert Henry Jr. returns as the lead back, totaling a team-high 706 rushing yards on a 5.4 average in 2024. He’s chipped in 18 touchdowns in two seasons wearing orange and blue, all while catching 40 passes as a versatile threat in the screen game. The depth behind Henry remains applaudable as well. Seventh-year senior John Emery Jr. — a member of LSU’s 2019 national champion team — follows his former running backs coach to San Antonio. Emery earned five starts in 38 appearances with the Tigers, rushing for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns. After a 61-yard performance vs. USC in the 2024 opener, Emery tore his ACL in practice. Now he will use that extra eligibility in his first home away from Baton Rouge.
Incumbents Bryson Donnell (172 yards in 2024; most toward end of the season) and Will Henderson III (94 yards on a 6.7 average) are back in action, as is USC transfer A’Marion Peterson, who saw 12 carries in the 2024 Las Vegas Bowl. That gives the Roadrunners a wealth of options in a run game which finished 54th in yards per contest in 2024.
To further bolster the offense, the bulk of the receiving production remained in place. Receptions leader Devin McCuin is back after producing 45 catches and 424 yards as a threat on screens. The perfect foil to McCuin’s 9.4 yards per reception was Willie McCoy and his 19.1 yards per reception. The deep threat McCoy managed 536 yards and four touchdowns on 28 receptions last year, giving McCown a preferred target 20+ yards past the line of scrimmage. David Amador II rounds out the receiving corps after producing 376 yards on 31 catches in his second year on campus.
Depth exists beyond that trio as DJ Allen and Jamel Hardy Jr. were recurring contributors who combined for 277 yards and three touchdowns in 2024. While mostly comprised of incumbents, one transfer should see immediate production. AJ Wilson arrives from Houston Christian of the FCS, where he earned All-Southland Conference honors in a 28-reception, 825-yard, 8-touchdown campaign — calculating to a ridiculous 28.4 yards per catch.
On top of all of that, UTSA returns not one, not two, but three tight ends that produced 170+ receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2024 — Houston Thomas, Patrick Overmyer, and Dan Dishman. Their contributions allow UTSA’s offense to run tight end-heavy personnels, especially when Thomas (34 receptions, 470 yards in 2024) is a Mackey Award watchlist candidate.
The offensive line returns essentially returns five starters. Two-year starter Cory Godinet holds down the right guard spot, Kamar Missouri at left tackle, Jaylen Garth at right tackle, and Venly Tatafu at left guard — although Tatafu, one of the Roadrunners’ premier linemen in 2023, missed all but three games last season. Tatafu’s injury made way for Ben Rios to start at left guard, and Rios will transition to center this year. Even the depth behind this cohesive unit possesses FBS starting experience. Demetris Allen has six career starts dating back to 2020 and Georgia State transfer tackle Trevor Timmons started all 12 games for the Panthers last fall.
It’s great to return such production from an offense which averaged 33.2 points per game (27th in FBS) and 451 yards per game (12th in FBS). There are no questions about the Roadrunners’ ability to pile on points, but stifling the opponent is another topic. UTSA returns zero defensive starters from 2024, losing an NFL Draft selection in Zah Frazier, a longtime standout linebacker in Jamal Ligon, and American Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jimmori Robinson, among others.
The revamped defense is expected to be linebacker-led. Inside linebacker Shad Banks Jr. is UTSA’s top transfer addition this offseason. Banks spent the last four years at TCU, starting games against Texas and in the Big 12 Championship during the Horned Frogs’ 2022 national championship run, as well as eight games in 2023. Banks produced 39 and 62 tackles in those seasons, respectively, leading all TCU defenders with 8.5 TFLs in the latter campaign. His 2024 was cut short due to a combination of shoulder injuries and a concussion suffered Week 1, but he returns with a healthier slate in his new home.
Another linebacker primed for a breakout season is Owen Pewee. The longtime special teamer takes the money backer role after operating as a key reserve over the last few years. Pewee contributed 42 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two interceptions in 2024, and he’ll operate as a hybrid linebacker/safety in UTSA’s 3-4 scheme. Taking over the rush outside linebacker could be incumbent reserve and former Alabama transfer Kendrick Blackshire or FCS All-American Brandon Tucker. Tucker was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award recognizing the FCS’s top defensive player after recording 141 tackles and 15 tackles for loss at East Texas A&M.
The new-look defensive line will be headlined by Tai Leonard. The defensive end, changing jerseys from 99 to 1, was a Freshman All-CUSA selection in 2022 and has collected 23 tackles and two sacks in three years. Leonard missed the majority of 2024 holding out with a redshirt, but fellow defensive end Johnny Bowens III missed the entire season due to injury. Bowens, a former 4-star recruit and Oregon transfer, is one expected breakout candidate in the unit. Other defensive ends to watch in the rotation include Jon Jones (15 tackles, 1.5 sacks) and Baylor transfer Kaian Roberts-Day.
Occupying the middle is likely Chidera Otutu, a reserve rotational piece in 2024 that engineered eight stops, including two behind the line of scrimmage. The nose tackle position receives extra depth with the arrival of Cam Blaylock, an FCS standout at Tennessee State who accrued 9.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks a year ago.
Rounding out the defense is a secondary which adds Nevada transfer cornerback KK Meier to replace the reigning FBS interceptions leader Zah Frazier. Meier recorded 27 tackles each of the last two seasons, totaling 12 starts with the Wolf Pack. Lining up at the other corner spot is a new single-digit jersey wearer in Davin Martin, now repping No. 3. The safety room adds Maryland transfer Brandon Jacob Jr. — a former 4-star — in addition to returning Jimmy Wyrick and Jermarius Lewis. Wyrick also joins the single-digit club this year, while Lewis returns after producing 28 tackles, two breakups, and an interception in 2024.
There are many moving parts defensively, but the Roadrunners’ defensive staff remains quite stable, creating less obstacles as the staff assembles a new batch of starters. Defense, especially the aerial variety, was the Achilles heel of the 2024 Roadrunners which finished 102nd in points allowed per game and 124th in defending the pass. Those metrics can be improved upon, and the offense can take an even further gear with McCown and a unit laden with veteran talent.
There may be early obstacles given a difficult non-conference slate and an adjustment period for the defense, but UTSA’s expectation in 2025 should be to contend for its first American Conference championship.
2025 American preseason previews:
Army, Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UTSA
