UTSA Roadrunners 2026 Season Preview

McCown is the centerpiece and one of the more accomplished passers in the Group of Six. He threw for 2,995 yards with 30 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in 2025, following a 3,424-yard breakout in 2024, and authored a program-record afternoon against Tulane by completing 31 of 33 attempts. Health is the lone caveat. He was banged up for much of last season and had offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia, which limited him in the spring. If he stays upright, he has the accuracy and experience to rank among the league's best, and the consensus is that a healthy McCown makes UTSA a genuine contender. Brandon Tennison offers proven relief after throwing for 199 yards in spot duty.

McCown returns a reliable nucleus even after leading man Devin McCuin (726 yards) left for Ohio State and tight end Houston Thomas departed for Texas A&M. David Amador II caught 45 passes for 443 yards, AJ Wilson averaged 17.0 yards a grab on 31 receptions for 528 yards, and DJ Allen Jr. chipped in 20 catches with three scores. The portal reinforced the room with TJ West from Texas Tech and James Madison II from Missouri, both expected to make an immediate impact. Tight end is a rebuild, with Florida A&M transfer Miles Campbell (22 catches, 308 yards) and holdovers Brandon Young Jr. and Ty Rupe competing for the job. It is a deep, experienced group that should let Bowie push the vertical passing game.

The backfield replaces NFL-bound Robert Henry but hardly lacks for options. Will Henderson III broke out as a sophomore with 866 yards and six touchdowns at a gaudy 6.9 yards per carry, and Traylor has floated him as one of the best backs in the Group of Six. Brandon High Jr. rejoins the program after a season at California, having previously rushed for 495 yards for the Roadrunners in 2024, and Bryson O'Donnell adds depth. This is a loaded, veteran rotation.

The line is an experienced, if reshuffled, unit. Center Ben Rios is a many-game starter, veteran tackles Jaylen Garth and Deandre Marshall bring plenty of snaps, and guard Darrell Jones, a Bowie State transfer at 6-4 and 340 pounds, holds down the interior, with Jonah Miller and Luke Lapeze also in the mix. The group returns three starters and carries more than 50 career starts collectively, though it must sort out its interior alignment with Rios in line to slide to guard and fill an opening at left guard. If the five settle and stay healthy, it should open lanes and protect McCown.

Defense is the far bigger question after UTSA lost its top five linemen and the bulk of the two-deep. The Roadrunners take pride in the trenches and reloaded with five transfers, giving them a deeper, more experienced front than the group looks on paper. End Tai Leonard, one of only two returning defensive starters, anchors the edge after logging 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Nose tackle Jameian Buxton, who made four starts, and end Johnny Bowens III round out a rotation the staff wants to run multiple deep.

Owen Pewee is the other returning starter and may be the best player on the defense, sliding inside from nickel for his final season after posting 31 tackles. He is joined by Brandon Tucker, a former FCS All-American and Southland Defensive Player of the Year at East Texas A&M who racked up 166 career tackles before adding 39 in a rotational role a year ago. Camron Cooper returns from a season-ending knee injury suffered in the 2025 opener at Texas and profiles as the primary pass-rush threat off the edge, with UTEP transfer Elijah Baldwin, who logged six tackles for loss over two years, alongside him. There is talent here, but the unit is replacing nearly its entire rotation.

The rebuilt secondary is the roster's biggest swing. UTSA lost six defensive backs and is leaning on newcomers to hold up. Marist transfer Nate Robinson Jr., a San Antonio native and Buck Buchanan Award finalist who picked off four passes in the FCS ranks, could start immediately at safety next to Cam Upshaw Jr. At corner, brothers Ahamad and Asaad Chapman are set to line up together, with junior-college transfer Asaad, credited with three interceptions last year, emerging from spring as an expected starter. Archie Chambers works the nickel. If the group gels quickly, UTSA holds up; if not, the Roadrunners could find themselves in weekly shootouts.

The kicking game is a clear strength and returns its primary options. Michael Petro connected on 17 of 20 field goals, and Caile Hogan is a dependable punter who averaged better than 45 yards per attempt with a long past 60. The return jobs are less settled: Amador handled punts and Mekhi Anderson took kickoffs, but both spots figure to open up after the Roadrunners lost their top kickoff man.