Tag: Jeff Traylor

UTSA coach Jeff Traylor left nothing to the imagination about getting doused in cold brew after Frisco Bowl win

Jeff Traylor almost too-explicitly explained what it’s like getting doused in cold brew.

The Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl sounds like a totally made-up name, but we can assure you that it’s real, and so is UTSA’s first-ever bowl game win.

The Frisco Bowl was a Tuesday night match-up between UTSA and Marshall with a sneak good twist: both teams were led by sons of former NFL quarterbacks.

One of those quarterbacks was UTSA’s Owen McCown, son of Josh McCown. Owen had a solid two-touchdown performance that helped solidify UTSA’s 35-17 bowl victory and a 9-4 finish to the season.

RELATED: Ranking the 13 best (edible) things college football players could dump on bowl-winning coaches (2023)

Following a big win like that, excited players predictably wanted to douse head coach Jeff Traylor with the nearest container of something cold. In a hilarious moment that cameras caught on the sideline, they used a ginormous batch of unsuspecting (but fitting) liquid.

After the dousing, Traylor had a hysterical butt-related response about how he would look back on the moment. Thanks, Jeff.

Is UTSA HC Jeff Traylor still in the running for the Texas A&M opening?

UTSA HC Jeff Traylor, despite his recent interview with Texas A&M, emphatically stated that the Roadrunners are his lone coaching priority, as of now.

As the search for Texas A&M’s next head football coach continues to ramp up, UTSA HC Jeff Traylor, whom Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork interviewed for an hour-and-a-half last week, is at least in the running for the prestigious position.

On Monday, four days ahead of the Roadrunners’ season finale against No. 24 Tulane, Traylor made a radio appearance on San Antonio’s Sports Star’s “The Blitz” to preview the game, and he noted his future at UTSA might last longer than many of us expected.

“My objective is to take care of my players and only my players. My wife and I love it here. We want to stay here. We’ve got to do things here. We are still behind in a lot of areas that my president, my AD, and our boosters are working like head to get caught up. The good is, when people are out there discussing hiring you, for some reason your own place seems to get moving a little faster. So, this is a win-win for everyone.”

While words only mean so much given the history of currently employed coaches vocally denying opportunities before ultimately taking said positions, we have to take Traylor at his word … for now, at least.

Sitting at an impressive 7-0 and tied with SMU and Tulane in the American Athletic Conference, a win over the Green Wave would place the Roadrunners (8-3 overall) in their second consecutive Conference Championship game and first as members of the AAC.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Aggies Hot Board 2.0: Five Texas A&M head coach candidates to replace Jimbo Fisher

Here are five new head coaching candidates to take over at Texas A&M after the recent firing of now-former head coach Jimbo Fisher.

Texas A&M fired head coach Jimbo Fisher on Nov. 12. Fisher finished 45-25 record, including a dismal 27-21 SEC record, in slightly less than six full seasons. In a shock to many, TexAgs’ Billy Liucci reported the move last Sunday, three days after the Board of Regents met.

Elijah Robinson is off to a good start in the interim role thanks to the Aggies’ 38-10 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon. The long-time veteran assistant received the game ball after the win in the last home game of the season. Senior wide receiver Ainias Smith noted:

“I’m so proud of Coach E, so happy for him, so glad that he’s getting the things that he’s getting. I’m so glad that we got the win for him.”

“He has been doing a real good job, an amazing job. … The seniors got to present him with the game ball today. That was cool.”

While Robinson remains a candidate for the position, Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork is reportedly interviewing many candidates. Only a few names, including UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, have been released to the public.

Heading the list of more realistic options, here are five Texas A&M head coach candidates to replace Fisher.

Report: UTSA’s Jeff Traylor interviewed with Texas A&M

It has been reported by Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman that UTSA HC Jeff Traylor has interviewed with Texas A&M.

Speculation is at an all-time high as the search for the next Texas A&M head football coach is in full swing. There have been several names thrown out there early, like Dan Lanning and Mike Norvell; while these are the “sexy” names, they are not very likely as both are in prime positions for their own extensions soon.

However, one name that continues to pop up on every list, along with Mike Elko, is UTSA’s Jeff Traylor. It was reported by Kirk Bohls that Traylor recently interviewed with the A&M athletic director Ross Bjork for the position.

“Bjork interviewed Traylor for 90 minutes on a Zoom call, a conversation that lasted an hour longer than had been scheduled.”

“Neither Bjork nor Traylor returned phone messages Thursday night.”

Traylor has put together an impressive resume through his coaching career, and the Texas A&M job would be the logical next step if both feel it’s a good fit. His strong ties in Texas make him extremely popular among high school coaches, which should translate perfectly with the resources needed to recruit the best of the best.

While some may speculate that hiring a coach from the Group of Five after owing Jimbo Fisher close to $77 million doesn’t make too much sense, Traylor is a program builder who now has won at every level. For a program in need of more stability at the top, Traylor may be the perfect man for the job.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Is UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor a viable option for Texas A&M?

Amid Texas A&M AD Ross Bjork’s head coach search, UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor could be a legitimate candidate to fill the role.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Ross Bjork is the hardest working man in college football for the next two weeks, as the recent firing of now-former head coach Jimbo Fisher has galvanized the search for the program’s new leader.

With three games remaining this season, associate head coach Elijah Robinson has taken over in the interim role and will likely be considered for the permanent gig if the Aggies can finish strong, including a potential victory over LSU on the road.

Now, focusing on coaching candidates that fit the bill, one popular name keeps making the rounds on social media, as UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has become a hot commodity for nearly every vacant Power 5 coaching job. A Texas native, Traylor has risen up the coaching ranks starting with his 14-year run at Gilmer High School in Gilmer, Texas, where he accumulated a 175-28 record, including three Texas 4A State Titles.

After stops at Texas and SMU in various positions, Traylor spent two seasons at Arkansas as the assistant head coach/running backs coach under then-head coach Chad Morris. After the 2019 season, Traylor accepted UTSA’s head coaching position right before the Covid-inflicted 2020 campaign. He dealt with tremendous adversity head-on while still finishing 7-5 and earning bowl eligibility as soon as he stepped on campus.

Since then, UTSA has gone 30-8, including the program’s first conference championship in 2021, finishing with a 12-2 record. Outside the metrics, Traylor has recruited at a very high level in the Group of Five while sending several future NFL prospects to the league, including current Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen.

Most importantly, though underreported, Traylor is well-liked in the Texas coaching community at the high school and college levels. In this area, Jimbo Fisher, a West Virginia native, fell short numerous times. So, why would Traylor be a good fit at Texas A&M?

He’s a program builder with ties to the University, as his son Jordan, currently an offensive assistant with New Orleans, played quarterback for the Aggies in the mid-2010s. At the same time, his aforementioned respect among the Texas coaching circuit would tremendously impact recruiting in the talent-rich state for years to come.

However, due to Fisher’s massive $77 million payout, handing the reigns to a G5 coach is a perception-based issue that could cause disagreements for Bjork and the Board of Regents, as ludicrous as that may sound.

Whether Jeff Traylor is a serious candidate, he has more than shown the ability to lead a Power 5 program shortly.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Jeff Traylor, Tom Herman among the best coaches in the G5

A pair of coaches with Texas ties are among the best in the G5.

Recently the Athletic’s Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman (subscription required) released their top 25 coaches in college football.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban took home the top spot. Despite Kirby Smart winning back-to-back national championships, it wasn’t enough to unseat one of the greatest head coaches of all time. Saban has won seven national championships since 2000.

On Tuesday, they released their top Group of 5 head coach rankings. Gilmer high school coaching legend Jeff Traylor made the list as the top head coach heading into 2023.

What The Athletic Says…

Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Few coaching hires anywhere have been as successful as Traylor, who in three years has produced the three best seasons in UTSA’s short history. The Roadrunners have won two consecutive Conference USA championships, with a 23-5 overall record and a 17-1 record against C-USA teams over the last two years. He also just signed the No. 1 G5 high school recruiting class in the 2023 cycle. Traylor passed on interest from Texas Tech a year ago, but the former legendary Texas high school coach is making his mark at the college level.

Traylor joined the Texas Longhorns following the 2014 season with Gilmer, he served as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2015 and 2016. He was named associate head coach at SMU and also coached running backs for one season prior to joining the Arkansas staff. UT-San Antonio would make Traylor their next head coach for the 2022 campaign. He was named Conference USA Coach of the Year in each of the last two seasons. This year he will look for his first bowl victory.

Another former Longhorn coach made the list as he returns to the collegiate landscape with Tom Herman checking in at No. 7.

What The Athletic Says…

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The former Houston and Texas coach is back in college football after two seasons spent in the NFL and in the media. Herman’s resume is still quite impressive: Four Top 25 finishes in six years as a head coach (including two top 10s), two New Year’s Six bowl wins, zero seasons with a losing overall or conference record. He takes over an FAU team moving from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. Herman is only this low because it’s been a few years since he was last in college football.

Herman finished his run at Texas with four-straight winning seasons and becoming the only Longhorns head coach to win a bowl game in each of his first four seasons. He never suffered a losing season but athletic director Chris Del Conte opted to go in a different direction, ultimately hiring Steve Sarkisian away from Alabama.

After being away from the college game for two years, we shall see what Herman has in store with FAU as he returns to the AAC where he coached Houston from 2015 to 2016.

These two head coaches will go head to head on Oct. 21 in Boca Raton. This conference matchup’s game time is still to be determined.

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Jeff Traylor is an intriguing option for the CU Buffs

We’re looking at every and all options

The UTSA Roadrunners won 12 games a season ago and are off to another decent start this year with a 3-2 record. However, the losses came against Houston and Texas, so those aren’t exactly bad losses.

With that being said, there are plenty of reasons to consider UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor as a possibility for the Colorado Buffaloes head coach opening. Here’s what Brian Howell of BuffZone wrote about Traylor:

Now in his third season at UTSA, Traylor is the reigning Conference USA coach of the year. He led the Roadrunners to a 12-2 record and C-USA title last year. He is 22-9 overall (3-2 this year). The Texas native has previously worked as an assistant at Texas, SMU and Arkansas.

Traylor is a name we haven’t seen anywhere else so far, at least not yet. But, Conference USA isn’t exactly a strong conference for football, and Traylor should want to make a move to a bigger conference.

At this point, Rick George might not be able to hire a home run coach, so he will need to look elsewhere and try to find the right guy for the job that is willing to take over a program that just might finish the season with zero wins.

Traylor makes some sense for the Buffs, and he would more than likely be thrilled to go to the Pac-12.

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Former Arkansas assistant under Chad Morris gets huge payday

Jeff Traylor is about the only guy to come from the Chad Morris tenure at Arkansas unscathed.

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Not many of the staff that was part of the ill-fated Chad Morris era at Arkansas can fondly look back at their time in Fayetteville. Morris’ two seasons were nothing short of atrocious.

One guy who can, though, is former running backs coach Jeff Traylor. 

Traylor left Arkansas in December 2019 to take over as head coach at Texas-San Antonio. Just shy of two calendar years later, he’s getting a major payday for the work he’s done there. Traylor signed Sunday a $28 million deal to stay head coach of the Roadrunners through the 2031 season. 

In his first year at the helm, Traylor led UTSA to a 7-5 record playing in Conference USA. It was the second most wins the school had had since joining FBS in 2012. This year, the Roadrunners at 8-0 and are ranked No. 18 in the nation.

Traylor was an assistant with Morris at SMU for one season before joining him in Arkansas. Before that, he also worked as an assistant at Texas with Charlie Strong. He’s mostly known, however, for his high school coaching days. He coached Gilmer to three state championships and a 175-26 record in 15 seasons.

“My staff and I are thrilled about what the future holds for this program,” Traylor said. “I say this all the time, but this game is about the players and they are the reason we are in this profession to begin with. This is exactly why we have chosen to make this announcement today. We should all be talking about what they have accomplished this season — they are making history every week.”

Traylor was considered a candidate for the Texas Tech job when Matt Wells was fired last week.

Former Texas assistant Jeff Traylor among candidates to replace Matt Wells at Texas Tech

Former Texas assistant Jeff Traylor will be a hot commodity.

The head coach landscape has yet another opening following the firings of Clay Helton at USC and Ed Orgeron at LSU. The Texas Tech Red Raiders announced on Monday that they relieved Matt Wells. Athletic director Kirby Hocutt stated that the next hire would be one that will unify the fanbase.

One of the names that has been passed around is former Texas Longhorns assistant coach Jeff Traylor. Currently, Traylor has his UTSA Roadrunners in the top 25 of the AFCA Coaches Poll with an 8-0 record. During his time as the head coach, Traylor has compiled a record of 15-5 with the Roadrunners in two years.

At a late afternoon news conference, Hocutt called Wells “a very good man” and one “who always operates with integrity and character.”

“Matt Wells did a lot of things right,” Hocutt said. “The performance on the field did not match our expectations.”

Tech (5-3, 2-3 in the Big 12) has finished each of the past five seasons and six of the past seven with losing records. The Red Raiders have not finished above .500 in conference play since 2009, Mike Leach’s last season.

“We’ve got to get this right,” Hocutt said with an emphatic tone. “Bottom line, we have got to get this right for Texas Tech athletics and Texas Tech University.”

Hocutt emphasized that getting a coach with Texas ties will be important for high school connections and recruiting reasons. – Don Williams, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal

A head coach candidate with high school connections seems to point straight to Traylor. He spent time as an assistant coach at Big Sandy and Jacksonville in East Texas before becoming the head coach at Gilmer High School. He joined the Longhorns staff in 2015 after 14 years with Gilmer.

Multiple coaching lists all have Traylor among the top names, as well as Sonny Dykes. Dykes is the current head coach at Southern Methodist and the son of Tech coaching legend Spike Dykes.

Maybe Texas and Chris Del Conte should think outside the box

When it comes to making a decision about the future of the Texas Longhorns football team, Chris Del Conte should think outside the box.

Jay Janner-USA TODAY NETWORK

On the topic of the head coaching position at the University of Texas, we have spent time discussing the idea of Urban Meyer. That one didn’t pan out as he chose to not return to coaching.

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Then there was an idea about Dan Mullens possibly leaving Florida for Texas. Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman shot that down after speaking with high-ranking officials for the Gators.

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There were some advocating for Iowa State’s Matt Campbell. We even looked into five reasons why they should, before Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports shot that down as well. So where does Chris Del Conte turn? Are we going to see Tom Herman return to Austin by default?

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Given the fact that on Wednesday, Dec. 16, the 2021 recruiting class can begin signing their national letters of intent, nothing is likely to happen before then. That shouldn’t be taken as the administration is expecting to bring Herman back. They haven’t decided one way or the other on Herman’s future with Texas.

Removing a head coach just a week for signing day with no replacement in the fold is recruiting suicide and would be classified as college football malpractice. Texas athletic director Del Conte does need to exhaust every effort to ensure they have the right coach in place for the 2021 season.

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There is a name that won’t excite a lot of fans but one that should be investigated a bit.

So who is the coach?

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