UTSA Football’s Unsung Heroes

The history books of UTSA Football are decorated with names of legends like Frank Harris, Marcus Davenport, and Eric Soza. There are also fan favorites like local standout Rashad Wisdom, NFL Pro Bowler Tariq Woolen, and the ever-gritty Dalton Sturm. But it’s not just these highly-recognizable names who built this program up over the past 15 years; my job today is to shine a light on the unsung heroes who helped make Roadrunner football what it is today. These guys may not have earned all-conference honors or an NFL contract, but they played a key role in the program’s success, even if only for a short period of time. I’ve selected one player from each season, but I’d love to hear your picks as well. Let me know who else deserves a long over-due shout out.

2011 – Mark Waters

There will never be another start-up football program like UTSA’s. Pre transfer portal, the Roadrunners weren’t able to easily load up on transfers the way more recent start-ups like UTRGV were able to. This means UTSA’s inaugural roster was incredibly young, with freshmen loading up the two deep on both sides of the ball. One of the few exceptions to this trend was senior free safety Mark Waters. While Waters was one of the inaugural captains for the initial team, I feel like his contributions to the program haven’t been fully appreciated. Waters was a quality free safety, but the leadership and mentoring he provided to a young defense was invaluable.

2012 – Jarron Harris

A transfer from Angelo State, Harris was a steady and underappreciated defensive end in Neal Neathery’s 4-2-5 defense. I think most Roadrunner fans would be shocked to hear Harris ended his UTSA career with 40 tackles and five sacks. With seven starts in the first seven games, Harris’s junior season in 2012 was his career highlight.

2013 – Codie Brooks

There aren’t many better walk ons in UTSA history than Codie Brooks. The Seguin product burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2013, earning a spot on the C-USA All Freshman team, and honorable mention All Conference. Brooks posted 34 tackles, five sacks, four pass break ups, and a fumble recovery in 2013, however Brooks was sidelined by concussions at UTSA, and ended up transferring to SHSU. 

2014 – Aaron Grubb

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Seth who also walked on at receiver at UTSA, Aaron was an anchor of reliability over three of the roughest periods of offense through UTSA’s history (52 receptions for 563 yards). While Grubb was never intended to be a primary target as an under-sized walk-on, Grubb was forced to fill that role at times as UTSA’s scholarship receivers failed to make an impact.

2015 – Duke Wheeler

Definitely one of my favorite UTSA defensive backs of all time. I can count the number of UTSA safeties who were tough, physical beasts on one hand, and Wheeler is one of them. Wheeler started his career at A&M Commerce where he played against UTSA in 2012. He’d then transfer back home to Tyler for a year at Tyler Junior College before joining the Roadrunners. Duke’s mean streak allowed him to break into the rotation in 2015, totalling 22 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass break ups, and fumble recoveries against FIU and Southern Miss.

2016 – Yannis Routsas

Before Lucas Dean came through the program and re-wrote the record books, Yannis Routsas was the gold standard in terms of Roadrunner punting. Routsas was fundamental in helping UTSA reach their first bowl game in 2016 when Yannis booted 11 punts over 50 yards, landing 17 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Routsas also forced four turnovers on muffed punts from opponents.

2017 – Tyrell Clay

Another walk-on, Clay patiently waited his turn to see playing time and was rewarded by playing his way into the second string running back role in 2017. A physical back with surprising speed, Clay rushed for 608 yards and two touchdowns on 135 attempts in his senior season. Clay was also a major threat in the passing game as he caught 10 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown.

2018 – Greg Campbell

Like Clay, Campbell was another player who chose to trust the process and was rewarded with his first major playing time in his senior season. Despite often flashing in spring games and practices, it wasn’t until Campbell built a connection with quarterback Cordale Grundy that he was able to reach his potential as UTSA’s go-to receiver in an admittedly horrid year for the offense. The speedster from Atascosita posted over 650 yards in 2018, reaching the end zone twice.

2019 – Jarrod Carter-McLin

UTSA’s history of success at the defensive line position means that some tremendous players like Jarrod Carter-McLin don’t get the kudos they’re due. While Carter-McLin earned All Conference honorable mention just once at UTSA (2019), he was a very steady contributor for the Roadrunners, playing in 47 games with 23 starts. With a total of 80 tackles and 15 tackles for loss, Carter-McLin will be remembered more for being the first Roadrunner to ever convert a fake field goal attempt.

2020 – Trumane Bell II

Can you believe that Trumane Bell II posted 13.5 sacks at UTSA? While Bell was never in the spotlight, his 4.5 sacks in 2020 were a major spark to kick off the Traylor era for the Roadrunners. A long time producer, Bell is definitely under appreciated by Roadrunner fans.

2021 – Dequarius Henry

Alongside Bell, DQ Henry was instrumental in bridging the program from the Wilson to Traylor era. Originally a defensive end under Wilson, Henry made the move outside to linebacker and continued to be a valuable member of the pass rushing rotation. Thanks to the extra year of eligibility provided after the Covid-19 pandemic, Henry was able to return for a Super Senior season in 2021 to help the team to its first conference championship.

2022 – Nicktroy Fortune

When Fortune transferred to UTSA, most expected him to be an instant starter, and he absolutely delivered on that promise. Corey Mayfield Jr. exploded onto the scene in the 2022 season to steal the spotlight at cornerback, but Fortune was extremely solid in his own right, posting 41 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 5 pass break ups. 

2023 – Rocko Griffin

UTSA’s running back room was absolutely stocked in 2023, causing a 483 yard, six touchdown rusher to fall a bit under the radar. Third in the depth chart behind Kevorian Barnes and Robert Henry, Griffin transferred out of the program in 2024, but his 2023 performance would have been a major highlight in most seasons.

2024 – Brevin Randle

The Louisiana Tech transfer earned just four starts in his single season at UTSA, but Randle was as good as you could have asked for from a second string linebacker. He recorded 45 tackles, four pass break ups, four quarterback hurries, and recovered a fumble. Inside linebacker depth was a big concern for the Roadrunners heading into the season and Randle provided a stabilizing presence.

2025 – James Walley Jr.

Our most recent unsung hero is current Roadrunner James Walley Jr. Walley was shockingly productive in limited playing time as a sophomore as he totaled 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 2 pass break ups. We’ll have to see if Walley develops into a mainstay for the Roadrunners, or if he remains an unsung hero for providing some kind of pocket pressure in a year that UTSA was unable to consistently produce any.

Some honorable mentions who just missed the cut, either for being too good/remembered, or slightly edged out by another under the radar guy:

Juan Perez Isidoro

Stefan Beard

Jens Jeters

Trevor Baker

Drew Douglas

Ferrington Macon

Brandon Matterson

Christian Clayton

Brandon Price

Tykee Ogle-Kellogg

Franky Anaya

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