From the get-go, UTSA football coach Larry Coker talked about building the Roadrunners' fledgling program the "right way."
With UTSA's first season in the books and its third recruiting class signed, Coker is confident the Roadrunners are on track to become an integral part of the San Antonio sports landscape.
Playing with a team comprised mostly of freshmen and redshirt freshmen, UTSA finished its inaugural season 4-6 last year.
The Roadrunners will move into the Western Athletic Conference this year and are on track to become full-fledged members of the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, and eligible for a bowl in 2014.
Coker was upbeat Wednesday as he announced UTSA's has signed 23 student-athletes who will be eligible for the 2012 season. The recruiting class is composed of 14 high school seniors, eight junior college transfers and Georgia Tech transfer Marcus Wright, one of the most prolific running backs in San Antonio history when he played at Reagan from 2004-07.
"I really enjoyed recruiting this year," Coker said. "This was a fun year to do this. We have such a great place to sell."
Coker praised his assistant coaches and the rest of the staff for their contributions during the long recruiting campaign.
"It's really a terrific group to be around," Coker said. "They did a phenomenal job in helping with recruiting. They brought energy and expertise to the table. Most of all, I want to thank our assistant coaches and office staff.
"You very seldom hear about your coaches when you're on the road, but I can't tell you the number of times other coaches stopped me and told me, 'Your guys have done a great job.' It's always great to hear."
Four players from S.A. area in signing class
Besides Wright, the Roadrunners' third recruiting classes includes three other players from the San Antonio area, Alamo Heights linebacker Skylar Nelson, New Braunfels linebacker Charles Wort and New Braunfels Canyon offensive lineman William Cavanaugh.
Wright, who is still enrolled at Georgia Tech, said last November he was considering playing at UTSA if he decided to use his final year of eligibility when he graduates in May. Even after he earns his degree, he'll have to be accepted into graduate school at UTSA.
Slowed by an ankle injury he sustained in preseason workouts, Wright sat out the 2011 season after playing at Georgia Tech in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He rushed for 265 yards and three touchdowns in his three seasons as an A-back in the Yellow Jackets' option offense.
Speedy and elusive, Wright set the San Antonio area's single-season rushing record as a senior when he finished with 3,374 and 45 touchdowns. He helped lead the Rattlers to the state quarterfinals in his junior and senior seasons, gaining 2,185 yards and scoring 31 TDs in eight playoff games, and finished his high school career with 7,099 yards.
Although he's only 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, Wright would be a welcome addition to the UTSA running game.
"We're excited about what he brings to the table," Coker said. "He's not big from the standpoint of tall, but he's got the same height as Barry Sanders does and he's very powerful and pretty well put together."
UTSA offensive coordinator Travis Bush recruited Wright, a U.S. Army All-American, when he was an assistant coach at Texas State.
"He's a great player and can be a hometown senior guy for us," Bush said. "He's got work to do academically. He's got to graduate and get enrolled in the master's program here. That still has to happen, but things are working toward that direction.
"He wants to be here and we want him here. He definitely could make an impact once he gets here. I saw several of his games in high school. He was just special. He was a phenomenal. He had speed, balance, change of direction. He was the whole package. Even being small, he packed a punch. He was powerful and strong in the lower body and hard to bring down."
2012 UTSA Football Signing Class
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Hometown (High school/Previous school)
Armando Alvarez OL 6-3 300 Jr.-TR Houston (North Shore/Blinn JC)
Cody Berry * DB 6-1 215 Jr.-TR Cedar Hill (Cedar Hill/Pierce (Calif.) JC)
Brendon Brinkmann DL 6-6 250 Fr.-HS League City (Clear Springs)
Tucker Carter * QB 6-3 215 Jr.-TR Allen (Allen/Trinity Valley JC)
William Cavanaugh * OL 6-2 280 Fr.-HS New Braunfels (Canyon)
Cody Cole OL 6-4 275 Fr.-HS Fort Myers, Fla. (Bishop Verot)
Treston Coleman RB 5-11 215 Fr.-HS Frankston (Frankston)
Zach Conque QB 6-5 215 Fr.-HS Little Rock, Ark. (Catholic High School)
Jordan Gray * TE 6-4 250 Fr.-HS Fort Worth (Trimble Tech)
Brandon Guerrero * LB 6-2 240 Jr.-TR Lake Elsinore, Calif. (Lakeside/Fullerton JC)
Zach Hester OL 6-4 305 Fr.-HS Houston (Aldine)
Jalen James DB 5-10 175 Fr.-HS Lake Charles, La. (LaGrange)
Brian King * DB 6-2 190 So.-TR Orlando, Fla. (Evans/Hutchinson (Kan.) JC)
Trey Mohair DB 5-11 185 Fr.-HS Denton (Ryan)
Skylar Nelson LB 6-3 230 Fr.-HS San Antonio (Alamo Heights)
Maurice Poullard DB 5-10 190 Jr.-TR Houston (Dobie/Blinn JC)
Tre Rosser DB 6-0 170 Fr.-HS Clarksville (Clarksville)
Mason Russell OL 6-6 290 Jr.-TR Turlock, Calif. (Turlock/San Joaquin Delta JC)
Trevor Stevens TE 6-4 240 Fr.-HS Friendswood (Friendswood)
Brian Vaughn RB 5-9 180 Fr.-HS Fort Worth (All Saints)
Dan Winter DL 6-4 250 Jr.-TR San Jose, Calif. (Willow Glen/De Anza JC)
Charles Wort LB 6-0 200 Fr.-HS New Braunfels (New Braunfels)
Marcus Wright RB 5-7 180 Sr.-TR San Antonio (Reagan/Georgia Tech)
* Enrolled in classes at UTSA this spring
