A week ago, Travis Bush was a month into his third year as UTSA's offensive coordinator and looking ahead to the Roadrunners' second football season.
On Tuesday morning, Bush was scheduled to report to his new job as the running backs coach at the University of Houston.
In coaching, as in life, the only constant is change.
"They have a 6 a.m. workout Tuesday and I'm going to have a chance to talk to some of the players I'll be working with," Bush said Monday night as he drove from San Antonio to Houston. "I don't even know their names. I'm going to have to study the depth chart."
Bush, 36, met with UTSA's offensive players Monday morning to tell them he was leaving for UH.
"It was the toughest thing I've ever done," Bush said. "I can see why some people leave without talking to the players, but I wanted to do it right because the past two years have been special for me.
"Some of the players knew and some didn't. Either way, it was rough. I wasn't looking to leave. It was such a shock. I made the decision strictly on goals I have in my career and the opportunities they can offer at UH. This is nothing against UTSA. That's why it was tough. We have good kids and I was happy where I was."
UTSA finished 4-6 in its inaugural season last year.
A whirlwind hiring
Bush's new boss at UH is Tony Levine, who succeeded Kevin Sumlin as the Cougars' head coach in December. Bush was a four-year letterman as a wide receiver at Texas State in the late 1990s, and Levine was his position coach his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Contacted initially by Levine last Wednesday, Bush accepted Levine's job offer late Friday night after meeting with him in Houston that day.
But before he took the job, Bush informed UTSA head coach Larry Coker and other members of the Roadrunners' staff of his decision when he returned to San Antonio from Houston on Friday night.
"I have so much respect for Coach Coker and the coaches I've worked with that I didn't want them to read about it on the Internet before I told them I was leaving," Bush said.
Bush said he kept Coker in the loop from beginning to end of his whirlwind hiring.
"As soon as the first contact was made Wednesday, I immediately told Coach Coker," Bush said. "I told him, 'Houston has called and I am interested.' He was so great. The first thing he said was, 'Is there anything I can do to help you get the job? Is there anybody I can call?'
"That's just the kind of man Coach Coker is. Every conversation I had with Houston, I had with Coach Coker. I knew I could go to him if I had any question about anything or needed advice. Coach Levine is very much like Coach Coker. He's very family oriented."
Bush played, coached at Texas State
Bush was an assistant coach at Texas State for six seasons before joining Coker's staff in January 2010.
"I've been so blessed that I've had the opportunity to work for Coach Coker," Bush said. "I was like a sponge every time I was around him. I watched him handle situations and there a lot of things I'll carry with me for the rest of my career. I know he's somebody I can always call for advice. He's that kind of guy."
Bush was associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Texas State for three seasons, 2007-09, before getting hired by Coker. He also worked with the Bobcats' quarterbacks, as he did at UTSA.
One of his former players at Texas State, Eric Soza, transferred to UTSA in 2010 and was the Roadrunners' starting quarterback as a redshirt sophomore last season. Bush and Soza, both the sons of high school football coaches, developed a close bond and worked well together.
"I met with Eric on Saturday," Bush said. "Like I said, it was tough."
Bush was a Class 4A All-State quarterback in 1994 as a senior at Gregory-Portland High School, where he played for his father, Bruce, now head coach at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo North High School.
A 1995 Gregory-Portland graduate, Bush earned his bachelor's degree at Texas State in 2000 and was on his father's staff at San Marcos High School for one season before joining Gary Patterson's staff at TCU as a graduate assistant in 2001.
UTSA plays UH in 2013, 2014
Bush, who earned his master's degree at TCU in 2003, helped coach the Horned Frogs for three seasons. He returned to Texas State in 2004, working under head coaches David Bailiff and Brad Wright before going to UTSA.
UTSA running backs coach Polo Gutierrez said it was tough to see Bush leave the Roadrunners.
"I helped him pack his things," Gutierrez said. "I've worked with him for two years and he taught me a lot of football. He's an incredibly organized individual who runs an offense to a T. It was shocking to see him leave, but you've got to do what's best for your family. That's No. 1.
"This is a hell of an opportunity for him. He's been an offensive coordinator and I'm sure he'll get the opportunity to be a head coach someday. This is part of the ladder that he's having to climb. We wish him the best. He left with class."
UTSA and UH are scheduled to play each other in 2013 and 2014, with the first meeting at the Alamodome and the second in Houston.
"My first order of business is to get that game off the schedule because UTSA is going to be pretty doggone good," Bush said, chuckling. "No doubt, the UTSA program has a bright future. That's what made it so hard to make my decision. I wanted to see it all the way through, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity."
