SAN ANTONIO — Five Roadrunners have been named to the Athlon Sports Preseason All-Conference USA Team.
Sincere McCormick was named to the second team at running back, while Spencer Burford was a third-team pick on the offensive line. Wide receiver Zakhari Franklin and defensive linemen Lorenzo Dantzler and Jaylon Haynes all were selected to the fourth team.
McCormick collected Freshman All-America accolades from the Football Writers Association of America and was voted Conference USA Freshman of the Year after breaking a pair of school records during his debut campaign in 2019. The sophomore from Converse Judson High School took down the program's single-season all-purpose yardage record with 1,177 and also eclipsed the single-game rushing yardage mark with 189 in the win at UTEP. McCormick finished the year with 983 yards and eight touchdowns on 177 carries, an average of 5.6 yards per attempt and 81.9 yards per game. A 2019 honorable mention all-conference pick, he established UTSA freshman records for rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing TDs, rushing yards per attempt and rushing yards per game
Burford earned honorable mention All-Conference USA accolades on the offensive line after he appeared in all 12 games and earned 11 starts at left guard as a sophomore in 2019. The San Antonio Wagner High School product was a key part of a unit that helped UTSA post 4,139 yards of offense, including a ground attack that tallied 1,950 yards behind McCormick's 983 yards and a passing offense that produced 2,189. Burford started in the 35-7 season-opening victory over UIW, helping the Roadrunners churn out 284 rushing yards, the eighth-best total in school history. He also helped UTSA register 320 yards on the ground, which ranks No. 3 on the program's single-game chart, behind a pair of 100-yard rushers in the 26-16 road win at UTEP.
Franklin emerged as one of UTSA's top pass catchers during his true freshman campaign. The Cedar Hill native hauled in 38 passes for 491 yards and three touchdowns in 2019, sharing the team lead in receptions and ranking second in receiving yards despite playing in nine of the 12 contests. He averaged 54.6 yards per game, which stands second on the program's single-season list, and accumulated 435 of his receiving yards over the final five contests. Franklin set a freshman record with 134 yards on six catches in the win at Old Dominion, a total that ranks third in school history. He also nearly topped the century mark with 98 yards on eight receptions versus Florida Atlantic.
Dantzler has appeared in all 24 games at defensive end over the past two seasons with the Roadrunners. A transfer from East Mississippi Community College who hails from Starkville, Miss., he registered 22 tackles, including 13 solo stops, 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, to go along with five quarterback hurries and a pass breakup during his junior season. He posted four tackles, including a pair of sacks for 14 yards, in the 35-7 victory over UIW and also tallied four stops, including a sack for a five-yard loss, at Louisiana Tech. Dantzler collected second-team all-conference accolades from Pro Football Focus following his sophomore season when he recorded 27 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two QB pressures and a pair of forced fumbles.
Haynes earned honorable mention all-conference honors on the defensive line after leading the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries in 2019. The senior from Wharton paced the d-line with 40 tackles and 25 solo stops and also registered a pair of sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery last fall. He turned in 10 of his TFL over a five-game stretch, including three apiece versus Rice and Southern Miss. A 2017 C-USA All-Freshman Team selection, Haynes registered 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in the road win at Old Dominion and tallied a season-best seven stops against Army West Point.
The Roadrunners will kick off their 10th season of play on Sept. 5 against defending national champion LSU in Baton Rouge, La. UTSA then will renew the I-35 Rivalry with Texas State on Sept. 12 in San Marcos.
UTSA's home opener is slated for Sept. 19 versus Grambling at the Alamodome and the Roadrunners will welcome Memphis, the defending American Athletic Conference champion, to San Antonio the following Saturday.
The Roadrunners' C-USA slate includes home contests against Old Dominion (Oct. 17), Louisiana Tech (Oct. 24), UTEP (Nov. 14) and North Texas (Nov. 28). UTSA will hit the road for league games at UAB (Oct. 3), Florida Atlantic (Oct. 31), Rice (Nov. 7) and Southern Miss (Nov. 21).
Season tickets start at $75 and are on sale now by calling 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting goUTSA.com/tickets.
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