Traylor Says UTSA Should Stop Routinely Playing the Biggest Power Five Teams

Overview

• Jeff Traylor has shifted from hopeful parity to pragmatic caution and publicly argued UTSA should not regularly schedule programs like Texas, LSU and Texas A&M because their spending creates an uneven playing field.
• Traylor points to the transfer portal as a major driver of that gap, saying a large share of top AAC players leave for bigger schools and noting UTSA lost 11 of 23 tracked transfers in 2025 to Power Four programs.
• UTSA still accepts select guarantee games for exposure and funding, with payouts ranging from roughly $1.1 million in past matchups to about $1.7 million for the Texas game while the program’s roster revenue is projected near $4.5–$5 million.
• Those high-profile games carry physical costs for the Roadrunners, a reality underscored by season-ending injuries such as Cam Cooper’s knee injury in last year’s opener at Texas A&M.
• To cope, Traylor has changed recruiting and culture: staff use “practice recruiting” to reclaim portal players, prioritize production and character over pure talent, and emphasize a team culture called the “triangle of toughness.”