UTSA running back Will Henderson III and head coach Jeff Traylor both created legacies in their hometown of Gilmer, Texas, a small town of about 4,800 people located in East Texas. Henderson was the star offensive weapon on Gilmer’s 2023 Class 4A-Division II State Championship Team and a gold-medal sprinter for the track & field team. Traylor built the Buckeyes into a perennial football powerhouse, winning three state titles and posting a 175-26 record during his 15-year tenure leading the program from 2001 to 2014.
Despite their connections in bringing athletic success to Gilmer over the past two decades, Traylor did not get the opportunity to coach Henderson until 2024 when the former all-state performer decided to make San Antonio his next home.
Traylor has brought his championship pedigree to UTSA since taking over the program prior to the 2020 season, guiding the Roadrunners to a pair of conference championships and three consecutive bowl victories, among his many accomplishments as the winningest coach in program history. But the numerous trophies and victories are a direct result of the culture Traylor has instilled at UTSA. That culture is what helped attract Henderson to become a Roadrunner. The similarities between the two programs helped him make a decision that has connected the two Gilmer legends 340 miles away in San Antonio.
“Gilmer was all about the team and hard work,” Henderson said. “It’s really nothing different here at UTSA. I’m just so glad I came here to play for Coach Traylor.”
The culture emphasizes the three phases of the game of football on the field — run the football, be physical on defense and be sound on special teams — and five culture pillars: integrity, passion, mental & physical toughness, selfless and perfect effort. The players who best represent the 210 Triangle of Toughness culture are voted by their teammates into jersey numbers 2, 1 and 0 (San Antonio’s area code). Henderson was voted into the No. 1 jersey on offense this season and has lived up to that leadership role, as well as the 2026 team motto, ubuntu.
“You want guys who are about the team, and Will is wired that way,” Traylor said. “Will is a ‘we’ guy and not a ‘me’ guy. He’s very much the epitome of our motto, ‘ubuntu’— I am because we are.”
While Henderson would be the first to give credit to his teammates and coaches for his success, his teammates and coaches would be the first to say that his success is due to his hard work and because of his blazing speed. That speed may not have developed had it not been for a conversation Henderson had with his father as a child.
“The only reason I got into track was because of my dad. One day, we were playing little league football, and he came up to me and said, ‘hey, do you want to run track?’ I said, ‘sure, why not?’ I went out there and at that point it was probably the worst decision of my life because I didn’t realize how much he was going to run (us). But at the end of the day, he told me it would be worth it, and that little push helped me become the man I am today.”
That man today has used his rare combination of speed and power to rush for 1,358 yards and 10 touchdowns in 23 games as a Roadrunner. A true threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball, he set a school record in 2025 after averaging 6.9 yards per rush, as he churned out 866 yards and six TDs despite playing behind 1,000-yard rusher and current Seattle Seahawks running back Robert Henry Jr.
The eye-popping stats began during his prep career, both on the gridiron and on the track. As a senior, Henderson piled up 2,736 yards and 35 touchdowns, averaging 9.4 yards per rush while also catching 36 passes for 430 yards in leading the Buckeyes to the state title in 2023. The speedster also guided Gilmer to back-to-back state titles in track & field his final two years. In 2023, he sped to the Class 4A crown in the 100 meters with a time of 10.28 seconds and anchored Gilmer’s 4x100m (41.15) and 4x200m (1:25.90) relay teams to gold. One year later, he won the 100m (10.40) and anchored the 4x100m (40.56) and 4x200m (1:24.71) to first place to put a cap on his prep career.
“It was just crazy,” Henderson reflected. “I don’t really know how to put it into words, to be able to win state in football and two state championships in track.”
As Henderson approaches the midway point of this season with the Roadrunners, he and his teammates have one goal in mind — to continue competing for championships. With his speed and an ubuntu mindset, the goal is certainly within reach.