It’s an absolute gut punch to be Jeff Traylor, the seventh-year head coach of the UTSA Roadrunners. We’re talking about a guy who is genuinely one of the best in college football at scouting out and developing talent, especially at the Group of Six level. But here’s the brutal truth: no matter how good you are at building up a roster, the transfer portal is like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up all your hard work. It’s happening nationwide, sure, but Traylor’s Roadrunners are feeling the sting hard.
The Portal’s Relentless Poaching is a Nightmare
Imagine putting in all that effort, turning overlooked kids into stars, only for them to bounce the second they get a bigger offer. That’s Traylor’s daily reality. In the AAC alone, he says a mind-boggling 78 percent of all-conference players hit the portal to chase those Power Four dreams. This isn’t some abstract stat either. From UTSA’s 2025 transfer window, 11 of the 23 guys who left ended up at Power Four programs. We’re talking about star wide receiver Devin McCuin heading to Ohio State, tight end Houston Thomas off to Texas A&M, and standout edge Kenny Ozowalu taking his talents north to Oklahoma. It’s a constant churn! Traylor himself put it perfectly to Horns247: “None of us enjoy turning over our entire roster every year, but that is the way of the new game, right? So you’ve got to adapt or die.” He’s echoing legends like Nick Saban and Steve Sarkisian there, which tells you just how widespread this headache is. What’s crazier? His offensive guys are a little easier to keep, probably thanks to his genius on that side of the ball. But the defensive players? Man, they almost always bolt. At least this May, after the spring portal closed, UTSA didn’t get absolutely gutted beyond repair like in previous years. That’s a tiny win, I guess?
Trey Moore Shows What Happens When You Develop a Gem
You want proof of Traylor’s evaluation and development skills? Look no further than Trey Moore. Texas itself has benefited from his eye for talent. Back in the 2021 class, UTSA made a late move on Moore, an undersized edge player from Smithson Valley. This isn’t some tiny school, it’s a Hill Country powerhouse, the kind of place major recruiters usually swarm. But Moore, despite absolutely tearing it up as a senior in 2020 with 70 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 16 quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and three blocked kicks,earning him District 27-6A Defensive Player of the Year honors,was largely overlooked by the big programs. Why? Because he was a “tweener,” supposedly too small to hold up on the edge. They worried bigger offensive linemen would just swallow him up. His offers before Early Signing Day in 2020 were mostly from the Ivy League and smaller regional schools! UTSA swooped in with an offer in December, North Texas and Hawaii followed in January, but Moore waited until late July to commit to the Roadrunners. He enrolled days later, redshirted, then exploded in 2022 with 59 total tackles after breaking into the starting lineup. That’s Traylor’s impact, turning a diamond in the rough into a force.
Traylor’s a fighter, and he’s adapting, just like he said. But the real story here is the constant uphill battle. He’s finding and molding these players into stars, only for the college football landscape to snatch them away. It’s a never-ending cycle of build and rebuild, and it makes you wonder how long a coach can sustain that level of excellence under such relentless pressure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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