When Owen McCown first transferred to UTSA in December of 2022, his last name alone was enough to excite UTSA fans about his potential future with the Roadrunners. His father, Josh McCown, played in the NFL for 16 years, making starts for nine different teams.
McCown saw his first action in 2023 during the Roadrunners’ week four matchup against the No. 21 ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers after starter Eddie Lee Marburger was benched during halftime with the ‘Runners facing a 31-0 deficit. McCown proceeded to lead two consecutive scoring drives against the daunting SEC opponent. His performance against Tennessee was enough for coach Jeff Traylor to give McCown the starting nod in the team’s matchup against Marshall University in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, with starting quarterback Frank Harris sidelined due to injury.
“He’s a pro,” Traylor said of McCown following the team’s bowl victory. “He’s just a pro. I know he’s a redshirt freshman, but he just knows how to prepare.”
It was an open battle between McCown and Marburger for the starting job in 2024. When the ‘Runners’ week one home opener against Kennesaw State University finally rolled around, McCown once again got the starting nod.
McCown enjoyed a solid first season as the full-time starter for UTSA, tossing 3,171 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. McCown led the ‘Runners to a 7-6 record and the team’s second-ever bowl victory against Coastal Carolina University in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
With a full season as the starter and two bowl victories under his belt, there’s no reason to suspect Traylor would have anyone else under center during the team’s week one matchup against Texas A&M University in 2025. McCown possesses both a high level of leadership and experience that no one else in UTSA’s quarterback room does. The aforementioned Marburger took his talents to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, just 30 minutes from his home town of Mission, Texas. With his departure, just one quarterback from the Roadrunners’ 2023 roster besides McCown remains: Brandon Tennison. The Gilmer High School product is an interesting prospect, but he lacks the in-game experience to challenge McCown for the starting job in 2025.
UTSA fans are beginning to realize what Traylor and his staff have known all along: McCown is the real deal. The discourse around the Roadrunners quarterback situation is no longer “Who will replace Frank Harris?” but “Who will replace Owen McCown?”
