American Conference coach addresses his name being linked to Oklahoma State job directly with team

The American Conference has proven to be one of the strongest leagues in college football early this season.

The league is home to the nation's current longest winning streak (Memphis at 18 games) after the Tigers overcame an 18-point deficit against SEC foe Arkansas, South Florida knocked off ranked teams in Boise State and Florida to start the year, Tulane has wins over Power Four opponents Duke and Northwestern and sits at 3-1, while North Texas is red hot and undefeated with a 59-10 rout of Washington State on their resume.

All those starts fail to mention UTSA, Rice and ECU, who all have convincing wins and respectable losses to their name as well as we approach the midpoint of the season. 

While coaches from The American like Ryan Silverfield, Alex Golesh, and Jon Sumrall have all done more than enough to see their names mentioned for other jobs this cycle and will have to field questions from the media on their candidacy for Power Four opportunities as we sit here with four Power Four jobs open (Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State), it was another American Conference coach whose answer to being linked to one of those open jobs yesterday caught some attention.

Jeff Traylor took over a UTSA program that won just 7 games in the two combined seasons prior to his arrival.

The decorated former Texas high school head coach made an immediate impact with the Roadrunners, taking them to a bowl game with a 7-win debut season before rattling off 12-wins and then 11-wins in years two and three leading the program.

UTSA transitioned from Conference USA to The American / AAC in 2023 and Traylor has kept winning, going 9-4 their first season in the ultra-competitive league followed by a 7-6 season in 2024. Both of those seasons ended with postseason wins and momentum for the program heading into the off season as Traylor's name has continued to be a popular one for "bigger and better" opportunities.

After a 2-2 start to the 2025 season, where Traylor's squad has dropped respectable games to Texas A&M (42-24) and Texas State (43-36), his success at UTSA combined with experience and ties to Texas high school coaches and the importance of recruiting have made him a popular candidate for the recent opening in Stillwater following their decision to move on from longtime head coach Mike Gundy. 

By this time, a veteran in how to deal with that type of chatter in-season with his team, Traylor has taken the approach of addressing it head-on with his squad.

He told reporters yesterday that's how he has always done it.

"It's no different than all the other things we've heard since I've been here."

"I have proven over, and over, and over again this is where I want to be. My wife and I absolutely love it here, and what makes that stuff happen is us winning games. That is why that happens."

Traylor goes on to share that their focus is on this week's opponent in Temple, but admits that his name being connected to Stillwater warranted a direct approach.

"The reason we had to address it just because I want them to hear it from me, of my commitment to stay at UTSA, and my wife and I, how much we loge it San Antonio."

Traylor and the Roadrunners have key in-league games coming up at North Texas (October 18th), home against Tulane (October 30th), and at South Florida (November 30th) as he, and the league's other top coaches, will continue to be discussed as potential candidates for Oklahoma State, and elsewhere.