By: Sean Cartell
Jamal Ligon enjoys being part of the building process, from the ground floor to previously unseen heights. In his case, the projects are football programs, not skyscrapers.
Along the way, UTSA’s 6-foot-2 fifth-year senior linebacker from Tyler, Texas, has been guided by a set of culture pillars that haven’t changed since 2017 when Lee High School named Kurt Traylor the program’s head coach.
“My freshman year of high school (2016), we went 0-10,” Ligon said. “And we weren’t even bad; we had some good players. And then my senior year, we went to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. The culture pillars at my high school were nearly the same. That was instilled in me from all the way back to my sophomore year of high school.”
Ligon was an All-State performer in high school and was a Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Top 300 selection. He was known for his versatility, a trait that has helped shape and differentiate him as a player. Accordingly, he was named the 2019 District 11-6A Utility Player of the Year.
“I played fullback, tight end, then linebacker, I even ran a little Wildcat,” Ligon said. “I kind of always trained to just play football and just be at different football positions. It was fun and actually helped with my IQ. Just knowing where people are supposed to be and where I’m supposed to be. It has helped me understand things more easily and has allowed me to help others who don’t understand.”
Ligon had initially committed to another institution but, when Jeff Traylor was named the Roadrunners’ head coach in December 2019 and brought along Kurt as an assistant, Ligon made the decision to attend UTSA.
“Playing for them did impact my decision to come here, but it was more so that it felt like the right place,” Ligon said. “I just knew I’d be taken care of and my family knew I’d be taken care of. I knew I was going to grow as a man, not only on the field, but off the field, as well.”
Ligon had initially expected to play outside linebacker, but his ability to succeed anywhere on the field moved him into an immediate impact role at inside linebacker.
“My position coach at the time asked me and I said, ‘Sure, whatever the team needs me to do to win,’” Ligon said. “I just felt like as a freshman, I knew I could help the team win. I felt like I could impact the team in a positive way.”
He has earned All-Conference accolades each of his four previous seasons with the program and was voted into the coveted No. 0 jersey on defense, previously held by Rashad Wisdom. Wisdom finished his time with the Roadrunners as the program’s all-time career leader in total tackles (315). Ligon is just 12 tackles away from breaking his former teammate’s school record.
“It’s an honor and a blessing that my peers and my coaches voted me into the No. 0; I try to treat it as such,” Ligon said. “I still talk to Rashad. That’s my guy. I talk to him about beating his record all the time. It will be an exciting part of history.”
Setting new milestones has been a common theme throughout Ligon’s career at both Lee High School and UTSA. He was a key member of the Roadrunners’ two Conference USA Championship teams and the 2023 squad that captured the first bowl win in program history.
“When you’re a senior in high school, you kind of envision those things for the school that you go to,” Ligon said. “This is the stuff I was thinking about way back then. Just to see it come to fruition is a blessing and a dream come true.”
Ligon’s journey in both football and life has been deeply impacted by the Traylor family. He’s learned lessons that he believes will guide him for years to come.
“They’ve impacted my life tremendously,” he said. “They’re great at pouring into people. I’ve really grown as a man and they’ve helped me be a leader on and off the field. You can take those culture pillars with you for the rest of your life.”
While Ligon knows his time at UTSA is coming to a close, he is embracing every minute of his experience playing for the Roadrunners during the 2024 season.
“I try to take every day and realize that it’s really a blessing to get to do this,” Ligon said. “It’s a privilege to be here and get to do what I love. I hope people can see how much I love the game through how I play and that I’m more than just a football player.”