SAN ANTONIO — You could call it Coach Traylor's really good problem. But whatever you do call it, UTSA football's recent success has set up an interesting situation for the Roadrunners head coach, and the players who went through the program and are now coaches themselves.
"I'm always gonna rep the 2-1-0 anytime I can," said Northside Stevens assistant coach Brady Brown.
"I think there have been four guys – myself included – that have gone from here at Judson to UTSA," added Rockets assistant coach Jarveon Williams. "So if we can continue to light the pipeline up, I'd love to."
Brown was a cog in the UTSA offensive line when the program first started more than a decade ago. Williams, meanwhile, suited up for UTSA as a running back. Over at Sotomayor High School, former UTSA defensive back Mauricio Sanchez is also an assistant coach.
Noticing the trend?
UTSA football has been around for just 13 seasons, but several program alumni are chasing the coaching path--and are taking their first steps on that path here in the Alamo City.
"I'm always trying to sell where I'm from," said former UTSA wide receiver Seth Grubb, now on the Alamo Heights football staff. "Being an alumni, I have lots of pride in that."
Brown said Traylor -- who has overseen UTSA's transition from fledgling program to college football powerhouse -- understands the importance of maintaining relationships with the area high school coaches, given he was once in those ranks himself, albeit in North Texas.
"We really get to connect with him," Brown said. "That has really helped recruiting, big-time."
'Who couldn't love the story?'
Just consider the fruits those relationships can bear between Traylor and UTSA alumni who want nothing more than for local talent to stay in San Antonio. They have firsthand knowledge with how the program works, and can pass that knowledge on.
"We can pretty much shoot them real straight about it," Grubb said. "It's kids that we know really well and that trust us."
The players-turned-coaches can tell potential college prospects about the day-to-day life within the UTSA program.
"Just giving them some type of information about the program, and about UTSA in general, I'm more than happy to do that," Williams said.
Traylor says all former Roadrunners have his cell phone numbers. And they're always hitting him up, always with enduring pride in their alma mater.
"It's a great story," Traylor said, referring to UTSA's ascendance. "Who couldn't love the story? Everybody likes a good underdog story, and right now we are in there swinging with the big boys and connecting more than we are not."
One person knows Traylor as well as anyone, and that's former UTSA staffer Kevin Brown, now an assistant football coach at Boerne Champion High. He appreciates that fact about his relationship with Traylor, too.
"When he develops those relationships and has people in the city that he can call and say, 'Hey, tell me about this kid,' he's gonna get real information because he has real relationships with people," Brown said. "And they respect that."
Roadrunners alumni can be seen all around San Antonio's football scene, from Judson ISD to Alamo Heights, from the north side to the south side. They're everywhere, and that local pool of former Roadrunners talent only helps UTSA's current program goals.
"We're gonna do whatever we can to keep the best talent in San Antonio right here at UTSA," Grubb said.
"For me it's all about keeping our guys in San Antonio," Brown added. "Any time we have D-1 athletes, we wanna keep our place the best that it can be."
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