UTSA heads into 2026 in a spot that should feel encouraging on paper. The Roadrunners are coming off another 7-6 season, another bowl win and another offseason where coach Jeff Traylor kept the program from drifting after portal losses that would have hurt a lot of other teams. Senior quarterback Owen McCown returning for one last year is another major reason for that optimism. For all the frustration he has caused at times, he has still been the quarterback who kept the ‘Runners winning after Frank Harris left, helping guide back-to-back winning seasons, back-to-back bowl victories and 55 touchdown passes over the last two years. That is why the real question around this program is not about 2026 alone. It is about what UTSA looks like once one of the few constants on the roster is gone.
McCown has been good for UTSA in ways that are easy to miss if the conversation starts and ends with what he cannot do. He keeps the offense organized, gets the ball out quickly and is at his best when the playbook leans into his timing, rhythm and accuracy. That showed up across two seasons where the Roadrunners remained one of the better offenses in the American Conference, finishing fourth in scoring offense and second in total offense in 2024 before placing third in scoring offense in 2025. UTSA was second in passing offense in 2024, then fourth in passing efficiency in 2025, and those numbers fit what the offense looked like on Saturdays. When McCown was in control, the underneath game stayed alive and UTSA could stack drives, especially when paired with Robert Henry Jr. leading the charge in the run game.
Still, there is a reason that the fan base kept circling back to the quarterback spot. McCown has had games where the deep ball fades on him, especially outside the numbers. There were stretches in both seasons where UTSA needed him to push the offense forward and instead got checkdowns, missed vertical shots and drives that never fully opened up the field.
The team has gone 7-6 in consecutive seasons, which says a lot about both his value and his limits. He has been reliable enough to stabilize the room but not always dangerous enough to lift the Roadrunners past the same tier it has occupied since Harris left. What he did do, and what deserves credit, is hold onto the job through every week of noise around him. UTSA dipped under .500 in both years; both times, McCown settled back in and helped lead the push that got the Roadrunners to bowl seasons.
That history is part of what makes the next quarterback decision so uncomfortable. Redshirt junior quarterback Brandon Tennison is the backup fans know best, and his appeal makes sense. He throws a better vertical ball than McCown and looks more natural attacking downfield, which matters because that was an area where UTSA left yards on the field last season. Senior quarterback Kannon Williams at least brings college game experience, even if it came against a lower level of competition — that gives him some value in the room. Then there are the freshmen, Max Gerlich and Maguire Gasperson, both of whom arrive with strong prep production and upside. What none of them have yet is what McCown has already provided, which is experience, mobility, accuracy and the weekly stability that lets a coaching staff build around one voice at the position.
That puts a lot on Traylor and the staff over the next year. As long as he is at San Antonio, UTSA should never be viewed as a program on the brink of falling apart. At the same time, Traylor’s trust in McCown has been both a blessing and a curse. It helped UTSA finish strong in back-to-back years, but it also left the rest of the room largely untested. That is why 2026 matters beyond the win total. UTSA has to figure out who will take the baton from McCown without falling flat. If that answer is not already on campus, Traylor will have to find it in the portal.
McCown has done enough to leave a mark on the program, and when he leaves, he will be missed. What happens after that will come down to whether Traylor can find the next quarterback who can carry the standard forward and maybe even push it higher.
