SAN ANTONIO —UTSA head coach Frank Wilson announced Thursday that he has named Rod Wright as the Roadrunners' defensive line coach.
"We are excited to announce Rod Wright as our new defensive line coach," Wilson said. "He was an outstanding collegiate player and he has done an exceptional job mentoring defensive linemen everywhere he's coached. We think he's one of the best young coaches in the country and he will be a great addition to our staff."
Wright, a former All-America defensive lineman at Texas, comes to San Antonio from East Carolina, where he was the Pirates' defensive line coach for the 2018 season. The defense broke the American Athletic Conference (AAC) single-game record for tackles for loss with 15 against Old Dominion and eclipsed the school and league single-season marks with 105 TFL that season.
Under his tutelage at ECU, defensive end Nate Harvey was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference after posting 63 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Harvey broke the school and AAC single-season TFL record and also matched set the conference single-season sacks standard in 2018.
Prior to his time at East Carolina, Wright spent four years at Sam Houston State. During his tenure, the Bearkats posted a 46-12 overall record, a 31-4 Southland Conference mark, reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs three times and the quarterfinals in another year. He also helped Sam Houston State to a pair of conference titles and top-five national ranking all four seasons.
Under Wright's tutelage, Sam Houston State defensive lineman P.J. Hall earned a spot on more than 10 All-America teams, including the Associated Press squad. He was a three-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is symbolic of FCS Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors. He ranked among the nation's top 10 with 19.0 tackles for loss as a senior and finished his career with a school- and FCS-record 84.0 TFLs before being selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Wright was invited to participate in the prestigious NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship during the summers of 2016 and '17, observing and learning in camp with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.
Prior to joining the Sam Houston State staff in February 2014, Wright worked a combined three seasons as a student assistant and defensive special assistant for Texas beginning in 2011.
A standout defensive lineman for Texas from 2002 to 2005, Wright collected All-America and All-Big 12 honors for Mack Brown and played a key role to help UT capture the 2005 BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl. In all, he enjoyed seven bowl appearances as either a player or coach while with the Longhorns.
He was named 2002 Big 12 Freshman of the was a first-team selection for both the Football Writers Association of America and Sporting News Freshman All-America units.
Wright was a two-time winner of the Longhorns' Outstanding Defensive Lineman Award in 2003 and '04 and he earned all-conference honors in each of his final three seasons. He was a Lombardi Award finalist and an AP and Walter Camp First-Team All-American in 2005.
Drafted by Miami, Wright played four years in the NFL for the Dolphins. He later suited up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and the Dallas Vigilantes of the Arena Football League. As a prep athlete at Alief Hastings High School in Houston, he was a Parade All-American and an all-state performer.
Wright earned a bachelor's degree in education from Texas in 2011.
Wilson names Rod Wright as defensive line coach
