The NCAA coaching carousel is already roaring to life and it should be at full speed in a few weeks. One of the hottest names available will be Jeff Traylor. A former long-time high school coach in the state of Texas, Traylor has been one of the biggest success stories going from the prep level to the college level.
After beginning his high school coaching career in 1990 at Big Sandy (Texas) High School in East Texas, Traylor rose to prominence as an assistant at Jacksonville (Texas) where he helped mold future NFL quarterbacks Josh McCown and Luke McCown before returning to his hometown of Gilmer (Texas) as head coach.
While at Gilmer, Traylor posted a 175-26 record. He reached the state title game five times and walked away with three championships cementing himself as one of the best high school football coaches in Texas high school football history. His success was so great that the Buckeyes named their stadium after him following renovations. Author Hunter Taylor profiled Traylor in his book Draw The Line: Jeff Traylor, The Gilmer Buckeyes, And a Season Deep in the Heart of East Texas.
247Sports National Scouting Editor Gabe Brooks knew Traylor well having covered his prep career at the Longview News-Journal and ETSN. A firsthand witness to Traylor’s success, Brooks said his ability as a program leader set him apart.
"Jeff Traylor turned his hometown alma mater into arguably the top program in its classification for a 15-year span,” Brooks said. “Yes, Gilmer had plenty of talent, but many small-town programs in East Texas have talent on an annual basis, and very few find the long-term, consistent success Gilmer achieved during the Traylor era. He's a motivator extraordinaire, and he knows how to convince his personnel to get up for every game, every situation. His team could be expected to win 60-0, but he would somehow convince his players that nobody outside the fieldhouse gave them a chance. The one word recruits over the years have used to describe Traylor is 'real.' He's as real as it gets. He can read a room within 30 seconds of entering, and he's gonna treat everybody the same. Not at all the type of person who's interested only in who can help him."
Traylor left Gilmer to join Charlie Strong’s staff at Texas in 2015. While in Austin he developed a reputation as an ace recruiter using his relationships with high school coaches in the state to land several highly-ranked prospects. Following Strong’s dismissal, Traylor joined Chad Morris’s staff at SMU and followed him to Arkansas where he served as the associate head coach.
In 2020, Traylor was hired as head coach at UTSA. A fledgling program at the time, Traylor did what he does best and turned it into an immediate winner. Under Traylor, the Roadrunners went 7-5 in his first year before finishing with double digit wins and back-to-back Conference USA championships in the next two seasons. Now in the American Athletic Conference, Traylor has the Roadrunners off to a 6-0 start in conference as they push for a conference championship appearance.
Traylor’s transformation of the program has been one of the best success stories in college football. After launching the program in 2011, the Roadrunners logged 41 total wins and three total winning seasons before Traylor. Since arriving in 2020, Traylor produced four straight winning seasons and a 37-13 overall record. The program’s 16-game conference winning streak is the third longest active streak in college football trailing Washington (17) and Georgia (28).
Traylor’s results are even more impressive when you consider the lack of resources he’s had to work with. The UTSA program has very little to work with in the NIL era, and Traylor has been tasked with fundraising to build more practice facilities. His recruiting results are impressive considering he doesn’t have the budget for a large personnel staff like most programs. His results on the field have worked against him in ways as power programs have poached talent and coaches.
After losing offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. to Illinois following the 2021 season, Traylor promoted wide receivers coach Will Stein to lead the offense. Stein was poached by Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, and he’s been incredibly successful leading the Ducks this season. Ole Miss came calling for Traylor’s leading receiver Zakhari Frankllin via the NCAA Transfer Portal, but the Roadrunners kept winning.
Traylor’s reputation is that of a fiery leader and culture guy, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that he was seen as an incredibly innovative offensive mind during his high school career and rise through the college ranks. UTSA’s success in the face of constant turnover is the best evidence of that.
A relentless recruiter who has had success everywhere he’s been, Traylor was originally seen as an East Texas specialist. While nobody is better than him in that region, he’s proven that authenticity and relationships can produce in any part of the country. Under Traylor, the Roadrunners have built a strong roster, and he’s excelled at keeping several players with bigger offers at home in San Antonio.
Knowing that he couldn’t go head-to-head with the bigger programs in the area, Traylor focused on finding undervalued athletes who either had specific fits in his system or those with remarkable athletic traits that needed to be refined. Trusting in his staff’s ability, Traylor has been successful at turning those traits into production. Under his watch, UTSA produced NFL players Tariq Woolen, Spencer Burford, Leroy Watson and Sincere McCormick.
Traylor signed a 10-year, $28 million contract extension in October of 2021 as his name came up for openings at TCU and Texas Tech. His buyout is currently at $7 million. Traylor speaks openly about the fact that he’s never been motivated by money. He’s also spoken about his love for San Antonio and how the city is a perfect fit for his family. Any move he makes would need to be the right fit for him to pursue.