Former Arkansas Assistant Making History with UTSA

A former Arkansas assistant is making waves in his first FBS head coaching job

Jeff Traylor made history Sunday afternoon when his UTSA football team received a national ranking for the first time in program history. The Roadrunners, who have only been a Division 1 FBS program since 2012, came in at No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

For the first time in program history, UTSA is ranked in both major national polls. The 7-0 Roadrunners are No. 24 in the AP Top 25 and 25th in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

🔗 https://t.co/0dwNUyGKHh#210TriangleOfToughness | #BirdsUp 🤙 pic.twitter.com/bs1hjuazT3

— UTSA Football 🏈 (@UTSAFTBL) October 17, 2021

Traylor, who spent two seasons as an Arkansas assistant, was named head coach of the UTSA Roadrunners before the 2020 season. He worked as the associate head coach and running backs coach under Chad Morris from 2018-2019. His tenure at Arkansas was abysmal as the team went a combined 4-20 and 0-16 in SEC play.

Jeff Traylor coaching on the sidelines for the Arkansas Razorbacks.  / utsa.edu

Before entering the college ranks, Traylor became a decorated Texas high school football coach winning three state championships and winning nearly ninety percent of his games. His former school, Gilmer High, renamed their stadium after Traylor in 2015.

Traylor’s offensive coordinator on the UTSA staff is another former Razorback, Barry Lunney Jr., who has guided the Roadrunners to a thirteenth-ranked scoring offense in the nation.

Lunney was the starting quarterback and team captain for the 1995 Razorback team who won the SEC West and appeared in the SEC championship game for the first time in school history. He also spent seven years on the Hog coaching staff from 2013-2019. His roles included tight ends coach, special teams coordinator, and interim head coach.

Barry Lunney Jr. drops back to pass during the SEC Championship Game against Florida on Dec. 2, 1995, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta / al.com

The two former Razorbacks will look to stay undefeated as the UTSA Roadrunners (7-0, 3-0 C-USA) travel to Ruston, LA, for a conference match-up with the Louisana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday, October 23rd. 

---

Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllHOGS message board community today!

Follow AllHOGS on Twitter and Facebook.