UTSA Football Media Roundtable
Nov. 1, 2021
Head Coach Jeff Traylor
On his emotions over the past week …
"I am very excited. This is a huge relief for me. I thought it had become a distraction. I was worried about my players having to answer questions so much. I am so thankful for Dr. (Lisa) Campos and President (Taylor) Eighmy. They have been so proactive for getting this thing going. You don't do a deal this big in a week. This has been going on for months. We had already targeted that the opening week would be a great time to do it, but we did not know we were going to be 8-0 and have so many distractions going on at the same time. We can't predict the future, but I thought it was very important that we get this thing done for my players' sake. I couldn't be more grateful for President Eighmy and Dr. Campos for giving me a chance. There was a sense of loyalty that I felt toward those two people, to this university, this community and this city. Y'all have treated Cari and I and our kids so great since we have been here. It is a huge city, but it has a small-town feel. I am a small-town boy married to a city girl, so it is a perfect fit for us."
On why he values staying at UTSA long term …
"Y'all are starting to know me pretty well. I wear the same pair of ostrich boots that I wore 11 years ago. I just go get them resoled. I wear the same costume. I have about six jackets, a few shirts that I twist up in there. I have my cap on at all times. I am a very simple creature. How much is too much? I don't need that kind of stuff. I am very grateful for the bosses that I work for. I know how much they believe in me. There is a tremendous sense of loyalty that I feel toward them for giving me my chance. Most people would not have done that. Many people had their chances, and they did not. President Eighmy and Dr. Campos did bet on me, so I thought this was a great example of me betting back on them with both sides very committed. We know we are not there. I hope no one thinks we are being arrogant. We are not. We know we have a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction."
On UTEP …
"Our kids are prepared. We know y'all are going to ask them about it. We are hoping that by Wednesday, this thing will be all over and the game is all our kids are going to be talking about. They are prepared for your questions, we know they are coming. We had to be focused on UTEP. We had the best practice we have ever had last night. There was all kinds of juice flowing around that place. We had a full-padded workout. Pads were popping, kids were going crazy. They are a really good football team. Coach (Dana) Dimel has done a fantastic job. They are very much like Kansas State. If you go back and study Bill Snyder's teams, Coach Dimel worked for him. They are very methodical on offense. They execute. They move the chains on third down. They run the football. They are really good on defense. They are an old-fashioned football team. We have a lot of respect for them. We know how hard it is to play in the Sun Bowl, especially a 9:15 kick. It is going to be a hornet's nest out there. I know this, our kids believe in us too. We have a good team, as well. The Triangle will travel. We will show up just like they will. It will be a heck of the ballgame."
On his message to the fans following the contract announcement …
"It means the world to me. I am a human. I don't care what anyone says, we all want to be loved, and we all want to be liked. You can't make your decisions in life based on that. We all want to be appreciated. So many texts from so many of our boosters and so many messages, I am extremely grateful and humbled. I understand that when a contract is that long and that large, there is going to be a little negative out there. For the 99% of everything that I have has been positive and excitement for the city. I went to go get my passport on Friday. Just walking into the building, there were so many fans just saying, 'Birds Up,' 'We are getting tickets,' and
'Coach, can we get a picture.' You can just tell the city is buzzing and hopping. That is why the game of football is so special. Our basketball coaches, our soccer coach, golf, tennis, volleyball, all of them are so excited for us because they understand that if our football team does well, it is going to generate so much more money for our department. All of them benefit. Uniforms are better. Recruiting is better. Facilities are better."
