The Baylor job is open, and Jeff Traylor is at the top of the various lists to become the next chief of the Bear den. (He was our personal pick when summarizing the Dave Aranda era.)
Traylor is in many ways Aranda's opposite. Outgoing, gregarious, and deeply connected in Texas. A 3-time state champion at Gilmer High School in East Texas, Traylor broke into college coaching on Charlie Strong's Texas staff in 2015, then spent time with Chad Morris at SMU and Arkansas before landing the UTSA job in 2020. He won back-to-back Conference USA championships in 2021-22 and, perhaps even more impressive, has never had a losing season in seven years leading the Roadrunners.
Traylor was a person of interest in searches at Texas Tech, Houston and Texas A&M, and with the Roadrunners sitting at 7-1, this could be the time to sell high -- especially in an age where the more successful a G6 school is, the bigger target it becomes from P4 poachers.
"I signed a 10-year contract here," Traylor said on San Antonio radio on Monday. "My wife and I love it. We've got some things to finish here. There are things we're moving towards. We're getting closer with our rev-share number, we're getting closer with our staff, we're getting closer to getting our indoor built. As long as those things continue to move -- it's never going to move fast enough for me, I think y'all know me well enough -- but as long as it's moving in the right direction, Cari and I plan on riding out our full contract here. We love it here."
When asked what it would take for a commitment to retire in San Antonio, Traylor joked(?) that Spurs floor seats would get the job done.
Jeff Traylor’s comments on the speculation surrounding the Baylor job on @SASportsStar with @JasonMinnix & @joereinagel210.
— Javi Cardenas (@BirdsUpJavi) October 26, 2026
🔗 | https://t.co/edudtb0aiw pic.twitter.com/ATzIJh064J
Baylor AD Doug McNamee said Monday that it will likely be December before Baylor fills its job, potentially opening the door for Traylor given that UTSA concludes its regular season on Nov. 28. However, Traylor's success could work against him here again. Should No. 20 Boise State falter down the stretch, a potentially 12-1, American-champion Roadrunner squad (whose only loss came at then-No. 1 Texas) could wind up in the College Football Playoff.
There's a long way to go from here to there, almost as long as the drive between San Antonio and Waco considering the Interstate 35 traffic these days.