By: Sean Cartell
It feels almost like a reunion any time Chris Carpenter takes the field for UTSA.
Carpenter has known about head coach Jeff Traylor for as long as he can remember because the Roadrunners’ leader once taught his mother, Delanna Hollis, at Jacksonville (Texas) High School in the 1990s.
“Coach Traylor taught my mom once upon a time,” Carpenter said. “He also coached my high school position coach Randall Canady. I first met Coach Traylor when I was in high school and he was coaching at Arkansas. He’s a real genuine guy and it’s been nothing but love since I met him.”
A standout receiver for Jacksonville High School who also competed in basketball, soccer and track & field as a prepster, Carpenter began his college career at Colorado. Two childhood friends – quarterback Owen McCown, also a Colorado transfer, and fellow receiver Devin McCuin – now play alongside him.
“I’ve know Devin since he was little,” Carpenter said. “I played football and basketball with his two older brothers. I’ve known the McCown family forever because they were on the school board in Jacksonville. In the summers me, Owen and Devin would just throw from time to time and get reps in.
“I was at Colorado and just happened to leave right after Owen got there,” he said. “And playing with Devin has been amazing to see him grow from the person he was in high school to now. We all ended up in the same place. I feel like God gave us paths for us to meet.”
When Carpenter first joined the Roadrunners in 2022, he primarily played as a return specialist and excelled immediately. He was an Honorable Mention All-Conference USA Selection at kick returner in his first year in San Antonio.
“I feel like it’s just me back there when I’m on special teams,” Carpenter said. “I feel like I can play free and I’m just going based off what I see and making plays.”
Carpenter is the only player in UTSA history with both a punt return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown. In 2022, he became the first player in school history to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he ran a kick back 97 yards for the score.
“It’s just crazy to me that I’ve been able to do that,” Carpenter said. “I couldn’t believe it when they told me that I had set a record and was the first person ever to do it.”
While he was always working to move up the depth chart as a wide receiver, Carpenter embraced the opportunity to do whatever the team needed him to do. And he made the most of those opportunities.
“Whenever I transferred in, I was trying to be a part of the culture that they had already built,” he said. “When I got here, they accepted me with open arms and made me want to be part of what they were doing.”
As a senior in 2024, Carpenter has emerged into one of his team’s top receivers. He has caught 36 passes for 454 yards with a touchdown, starting in seven games.
“I feel like I’ve always had it in me,” Carpenter said. “It’s just a matter of opportunity, learning the playbook and learning how we run an offense. I feel like pressure is a privilege and I’ve been waiting to play my primary position. Even though I was primarily in the return game, I’ve been waiting to play receiver.”
It has been quite a career already for someone who never expected to play college football.
“It wasn’t really a dream of mine, but everything just happened so fast,” Carpenter said. “It was around my junior year of high school when I started thinking about it. I just blew up out of nowhere and I was like, ‘Wow, I can do something at the next level.’”
Carpenter has seen himself grow in numerous ways since he first arrived on the UTSA campus. He has been pleased with his development as a leader, which resulted in him earning the No. 5 this season – one of the team’s coveted single-digit jerseys.
“When I first transferred here, I felt like the world owed me something and that wasn’t the case,” Carpenter said. “There was a lot of maturing and growing that I had to do. I had to understand that not everything will go my way, but if I keep working, things will turn out eventually.”
Carpenter has also become a father during his time playing for the Roadrunners, a role that he believes has changed his life.
“I love being a dad,” he said. “It’s definitely matured me in so many ways.”
Carpenter plans to participate in Pro Day and hopefully pursue a career as a professional football player. He is also considering either a career as a coach or joining the Air Force to continue a tradition of family members in the armed forces.
As he looks back on his time at UTSA, he’s filled with gratitude for the experiences he’s had as a Roadrunner.
“It’s definitely been rewarding,” Carpenter said. “I’ve been places, seen people and made connections that I never thought I would have. College football is not just about football, it’s about growing as a human and as a man, and it’s definitely matured me in so many ways to help me and my son.”
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