Photo: Jeff Huehn/UTSA Athletics
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has been named a semifinalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, which is presented yearly by the Maxwell Football Club.
Traylor, the 2021 Conference USA Coach of the Year, is one of 15 candidates for the award who have been selected by the MFC National Selection Committee. He joins Alabama’s Nick Saban, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman, Baylor’s Dave Aranda, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Michigan State’s Mel Tucker, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Utah State’s Blake Anderson and Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson as semifinalists.
Semifinalist voting for the Maxwell Football Club Collegiate Coach of the Year award will begin on Dec. 17 and close on Dec. 29. The finalist round will include the top five coaches as selected in the semifinalist round. Finalist voting will open Dec. 30 and run until Jan. 11. The winner will be announced Jan. 13. The formal presentation of the Munger Award will take place at the 85thMaxwell Awards Gala which will be held on March 18 at Harrah’s Atlantic City Resort.
In addition to being named the league’s coach of the year, Traylor also was voted the 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4. He also has been chosen as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and one of five finalists for the AFCA National Coach of the Year.
A member of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year watch list, Traylor has guided the No. 24 Roadrunners to a 12-1 record and the program’s first conference championship in his second season at the helm. The Gilmer, Texas, native has registered a 19-6 record during his tenure in San Antonio, the best 25-game start in program history. He will lead UTSA to its second straight and third overall bowl appearance when the Roadrunners face San Diego State on Dec. 21 in the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl.
UTSA opened the 2021 campaign with a school-record 11 consecutive victories and has been ranked as high as 15th nationally. The Roadrunners secured their first Conference USA West Division crown with a 34-31 win over UAB on Nov. 20 before capturing the first league title in their 11-year history with a 49-41 home triumph over WKU in the C-USA Championship Game on Dec. 3. UTSA will face No. 24 San Diego State (11-2) in the Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl for its third bowl appearance in an ESPN broadcast set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 21.
Last fall, Traylor became the first UTSA head coach to win his first three games and to notch seven victories in his debut season. He led the Roadrunners to the second bowl appearance in school history with a spot in the First Responder Bowl on Dec. 26 in Dallas.
Traylor boasts more than 30 years of coaching experience, including a highly successful 15-year career as head coach at Gilmer High School, where he led his hometown Buckeyes to three state championships and two state runner-up finishes and posted a 175-26 (.871) record. Named the third head coach in UTSA history on Dec. 10, 2019, Traylor previously was the associate head coach and running backs coach at Arkansas (2018-19) and SMU (2017) after two seasons at Texas serving as associate head coach for the offense and receivers coach in 2016 and special teams coordinator and tight ends coach in 2015.