SAN ANTONIO -- UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor - the 2021 Conference USA Coach of the Year - was honored at the American Football Coaches Association Convention in San Antonio on Sunday night.
Traylor, who was named the 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4, joined Cincinnati's Luke Fickell, Arkansas' Sam Pittman and Michigan State's Mel Tucker on the stage as finalist for the 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Naitonal Coach of the Year.
Traylor is also a finalist for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, presented to the nation's top coach by the Maxwell Football Club at the 85th Maxwell Awards Gala on March 18.
Also a member of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards Coach of the Year watch list, Traylor led a historic UTSA season in 2021. UTSA won 11 straight games to open the year, earned a national ranking for the first time in program history and claimed the first league championship in program history. The Roadrunners advanced to the second consecutive bowl game in Traylor's second year.
Traylor boasts more than 30 years of coaching experience, including a decorated 15-year career as head coach at Gilmer High School, where he led his hometown team to three state championships. 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.
In his first year in 2020, Traylor led UTSA to seven wins, including a 5-2 mark in league play, and a berth in the First Responder Bowl.
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