UTSA Football Coach Stresses Financial Support for Future Success

UTSA football coach Jeff Traylor has emphasized the urgent need for increased financial backing to foster a competitive program. Following the Roadrunners’ recent victory over Tulane University, Traylor stated that without significant investment, the future of the program could be at risk. “If we don’t invest in this sport, like big time, now,” he remarked, “I hate to think what is gonna happen to this place.”

Traylor’s sentiments resonate with those of Bob Wills, founder of the 210 City Fans and CEO of PM Group, which supports UTSA football through its Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective. Wills outlined the financial challenges of competing at a high level, underscoring the necessity for broad community participation. “I have 46 kids at that school on my payroll,” he revealed. “Some of them I pay five hundred dollars a month and others I pay three thousand dollars a month. I’m doing my part. I know there are thousands of companies that can do that.”

Wills suggested that if just fifty local businesses contributed $5,000 per month, UTSA could field a formidable football team. He highlighted the university’s commitment to growth, particularly through Traylor’s recent 10-year contract extension worth $28 million. “Every time there is a firing around the country his name is on the list,” Wills noted. “They wanna have Jeff Traylor. We’ve got to give him the tools to succeed, and that is money.”

Despite the optimism, Wills pointed out that UTSA faces unique challenges due to its relatively short history of just 15 years. The college football landscape in San Antonio is dominated by established programs such as Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU, and SMU, which benefit from decades of loyal fan bases and donor contributions. Wills stressed that local investments are crucial for UTSA’s competitive future.

“Those are universities that have been around for over one hundred years and they’ve got history on their side,” he stated. When asked how UTSA can compete, Wills emphasized the need for creativity and community support. “We’ve got to scrap,” he said. “We have to be inventive, and we have to have everybody helping out. I don’t care if you’re helping out with one hundred dollars or one thousand dollars or you are a big corporation and you can put up fifty thousand dollars or one hundred thousand dollars — it takes all of us.”

Wills reiterated the importance of local financial backing, asserting that “it takes a village.” He highlighted the potential of local talent, stating, “There are lots of kids that play for UTSA that would love to continue to play for UTSA. A lot of them are local. If we can take care of the great talent we have playing in San Antonio high school ball and the surrounding areas, we don’t have to see our people go flying away to other cities.”

As UTSA seeks to solidify its place in college football, the call for increased financial commitment from local businesses and fans has never been more pressing. The future of the Roadrunners may well depend on the community’s willingness to invest in its homegrown talent and support the program’s ambitions.