SAN ANTONIO – Recruiting being the lifeblood of a college athletic program, UTSA football could use an infusion of talent, especially on the offensive side, after this year’s clunker of a season.
Saddled with injuries, quarterback problems and a lack of playmakers on offense, the Roadrunners stumbled to a 3-9 season after winning six games each of the previous two years.
The start of the 2019 season is more than eight months away, but UTSA coach Frank Wilson was feeling bullish about the Roadrunners’ chances of bouncing back when he spoke with the media about his early signing class Wednesday.
UTSA signed 12 players on Wednesday, and will sign 11 more during the traditional football signing period, which runs from Feb. 6 to April 1. The early signing period, implemented by the NCAA for the first time last year, ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
“We feel very good about the guys that we have already (signed),” Wilson said. “We’ve taken care of some very important needs for our team. The majority of these guys that have already signed today are guys that will be with us at the midyear period, and we have some others that still may join us. All in all, a great group of young men for our football team, our university, and we’re excited about them.”
Three of the 12 players who signed letters of intent Wednesday are from the San Antonio area – Brandeis tight end Oscar Cardenas, Judson running back Sincere McCormick and Judson safety Rashad Wisdom. McCormick and Wisdom will graduate from high school early and enroll at UTSA next month.
Eight of the early signees are offensive players, three play defense and one is a specialist. Nine of the 12 early signees are high school players, with the other three transferring from junior colleges.
With D.J. Gillins completing his eligibility and Bryce Rivers transferring, the Roadrunners signed two quarterbacks, Lowell Narcisse, a sophomore transfer from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Suddin Sapien from Midland High School.
McCormick, who made the Judson varsity as a freshman, played on teams that went 44-8 in four seasons. The Rockets reached the state semifinals in McCormick’s freshman year and lost in the state quarterfinals this year.
McCormick rushed for 3,407 yards and 43 touchdowns in his four seasons at Judson. He ran for 1,505 yards and 22 TDs as a senior, averaging 10.2 yards per carry. Wisdom, described as a “facilitator” by Wilson, was one of the Rockets’ top defensive players and a team leader.
Wisdom recorded 218 tackles, seven interceptions, 14 pass breakups, four fumble recoveries and a pair of forced fumbles during his three seasons on the varsity. Wisdom had 83 tackles (43 solo), three interceptions, including two he returned for TDs, and six pass breakups. He scored on an 87-yard fumble return in Judson’s loss to Austin Lake Travis in the state quarterfinals two weeks ago.
Asked what UTSA gets when it signs two players from one of the state’s best high school programs, McCormick was quick to reply.
“Winners,” he said. “They’re winners. They won their entire lives. They’re young men that are part of our San Antonio fiber. It’s important to us to do well in our city. When you look at the two young men, Sincere McCormick and Rashad Wisdom from Judson, when you look at Oscar Cardenas from Brandeis, you’re talking about three of the better players in the city.
“I think it’s very important for us to do a great job in our city. Our outreach starts from inside out, and recruiting the best players in the city of San Antonio and then beyond.”
Wilson spoke highly of Cardenas, who helped lead Brandeis to the Class 6A Division II state quarterfinals and earned first-team all-district honors.
“He comes from an athletic family,” Wilson said. “Dad, uncles, sisters, mom, players, coaches. We went into the home for an in-home visit and it was as if we were at a coaching convention. There wasn’t a person in the household that wasn’t a coach or player. It’s good to be able to get a coach’s kid, somebody who understands and embraces doing the hard things, somebody who understands the rigors of our sport and the demand of it.
“I couldn’t say enough good things about Oscar and what he brings to the table. He’s a guy that can play attached on the line of scrimmage, a guy that can play detached and spread out. There’s a multitude of things you can do with him because of his versatility in both the passing game and run game. I think he’s a tremendous talent and his upside is out the roof.”
McCormick and Wisdom considered waiting until February to sign their letter of intent, but they had a change of heart. Wisdom didn't decide to sign Wednesday until late Tuesday night.
"I made the decision last night at about 9 or 10," Wisdom said. "I was just thinking of what I really wanted to do with my time coming up, so I figured it would be best to go early and leave (graduate) and get to work pretty much, start getting busy, and focus on my future now instead of just sitting back and relaxing and just stalling."
Wisdom, who committed to UTSA in mid-June, also considered scholarship offers from Boston College, Yale and Tulane.
“I was interested in Boston College,” he said. “They wanted me for running back. I was really interested in Yale, but the way that their scholarships work, it’s not a full ride. I wanted the best opportunity for me. I didn’t want to have to pay for anything out of pocket.
“I was also interested in Tulane as well. They were really big on me. I was actually deciding to go take a visit there. With me wanting to sign early and go to UTSA, I decided not to take it (the visit).”
UTSA finished 2-6 in Conference USA this season, finishing fourth in the West Division. The Roadrunners’ offense struggled mightily, finishing last among 129 FBS teams in total offense with an average of 247.1 yards per game. UTSA was held to a field goal in two of its losses and was shut out once.
McCormick and Wisdom said that the Roadrunners’ poor season never made them think twice about their commitment.
“He (Wilson) took us through the rundown,” McCormick said. “They lost a lot of great players, a lot of people went out, unfortunately, with bad injuries. But next season is a whole different thing, I promise you. I promise you we’re going to change the whole program.”
Was there ever at least one moment when UTSA’s nosedive made Wisdom regret his commitment to the Roadrunners?
“No, not at all,” Wisdom said. “It’s just part of the process. You’re going to have those bumps on the road. You’re going to have down times. I wasn’t worried about it all. I know that the only thing you can do is go up. All you can do is just build on it and just fix what was wrong. But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”
UTSA Football 2019 Early Signees
Demetris Allen OL 6-3 290 Fr.-HS Hattiesburg, Miss. (Hattiesburg HS)
Sean Berry CB 5-11 180 Fr.-HS Dallas (Wilson HS)
Oscar Cardenas TE 6-4 265 Fr.-HS Brandeis
Lucas Dean P 6-2 175 Fr.-HS Dunsborough, Australia (St Mary MacKillop College)
Ronnie Jackson RB 5-11 215 Fr.-HS New Orleans, La. (Edna Karr HS)
Sincere McCormick RB 5-9 195 Fr.-HS Judson
Lowell Narcisse QB 6-2 235 So.-TR St. James, La. (St. James HS/Miss. Gulf Coast CC)
Ken Robinson CB 5-10 175 Fr.-HS Grand Prairie (South Grand Prairie HS)
Brandon Rolfe OL 6-3 280 Jr.-TR Commerce (Commerce HS/Ellsworth [Iowa] CC)
Suddin Sapien QB 6-3 215 Fr.-HS Midland (Midland HS)
Leroy Watson TE 6-5 255 Jr.-TR Snellville, Ga. (Shiloh HS/Hutchinson [Kan.] CC)
Rashad Wisdom S 5-10 195 Fr.-HS Judson