UTSA 2014 Recruiting Class Recap

Editor’s note: This article originally ran on Underdog Dynasty. I have made some content and formatting edits and re-posted here due to SB Nation’s concerning trend of shutting many different sites in their network.

If you’ve never read one of my recruiting class recaps here’s the skinny.

Each recruit will be placed into one of these categories:

Cornerstone: NFL Draft selection, post-season All American, major award finalist

Standout: Multi-year starter or outstanding single-year starter, All-Conference talent

Contributor: Average or subpar single-year starter, solid depth contributor

Bust: Left the program before making any impact, medical retiree, grades or disciplinary casualty

A bad recruiting class will have over 33% busts, and under 33% standouts. A great recruiting class will have under 33% busts, and maybe higher than 33% contributors. Some classes will be top heavy with a lot of standouts but little else. Others will strengthen roster depth with a bell curve distribution of many contributors but limited standouts and busts. And yet other classes will be complete disappointments, leading to years of unbalanced rosters.

When I label a former recruit as any certain category I’m not so much looking at any particular stat or threshold of performance, but rather the type of impact the player had on the program. I try not to take into account team-wide accomplishments such as bowl bids or conference championships as those require the contributions of multiple recruiting classes.

It’s an inherently subjective evaluation, as context around the state of the program, roster composition, level of competition, etc. make it nearly impossible to judge these players in an objective vacuum. There will always be players in the margins between grades which is what makes these discussions such fun and engaging content.

Let’s see how the Class of 2014 holds up.

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The 2014 recruiting class was a small group with just 17 members, but then-head coach Larry Coker was able to make the small class count by picking out some high-ceiling athletes.

To give context, UTSA was coming off their best football season in program history when this class put pen to paper. The Roadrunners shocked Conference USA in their first season in the conference, turning in a 7-5 record and losing just two games in conference play. UTSA was not allowed to attend a bowl game due to NCAA rules regarding transitional FBS members.

Cornerstones

Marcus Davenport (DL) – 6’5″, 190 ⭐⭐

The second Cornerstone player in program history, the San Antonio product chose UTSA over UNLV at the last minute and would go on to write the history books at UTSA. Davenport was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and has continued to strike out an NFL career. Davenport made a huge impact in his first game as a Roadrunner as UTSA would upset Houston as the Cougars opened up TDECU Stadium. #93 would continuously improve his craft despite having three different defensive line coaches throughout his years at UTSA.

Standouts

Nate Gaines (DB) – 6’3″, 185 ⭐⭐

Gaines played in 44 games throughout his career at UTSA, totaling 198 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 21 pass deflections, and eight interceptions. You’ll see this trend play out for several players in this class, but Gaines’ UTSA career could have been even more special had he redshirted in the 2014 season. Gaines played in 10 games that season but mostly in a special teams role, earning just one tackle on the season. While Gaines never found a spot on an NFL roster, he was a foundational player for the UTSA defense.

Kevin Strong (DL) – 6’1″, 280 ⭐⭐

While Kevin Strong never quite took the last leap to becoming a truly elite defensive tackle, Strong was right on that bubble for his entire career. A four-year starter, Strong would often flash NFL level talent before disappearing for entire games. Nonetheless, Strong finished his UTSA career with 106 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. Strong has bounced around various NFL practice squads over the past few years. Very, very close to a Cornerstone, but not quite.

Kerry Thomas (WR) – 6’0″, 195 ⭐⭐

UTSA’s all-time leader in receiving yards when he graduated, Thomas was a late-bloomer who flew under the radar as a high school recruit. While Thomas wasn’t a world-class athlete, he was a very efficient route runner and put up some huge games in his time at UTSA. Thomas left the program with a career total 1,630 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.

Dalton Sturm (QB) – 6’2″, 180

I wouldn’t typically include a walk-on in an article like this, but Sturm was such an exceptional player for UTSA that I’m forced to add him to the signing class. UTSA’s first quarterback to ever sign a professional contract, Sturm was the ultimate diamond in the rough as a preferred walk-on out of tiny Goliad, Texas. With the Roadrunners’ QB room in disarray, Sturm’s ability to improvise plays and pick up yardage with his feet made him a strong three year starter for the Roadrunners. Perhaps UTSA’s 2018 season would have ended very differently had Sturm been allowed to redshirt as a freshman instead of burning a year of eligibility by throwing three passes in a single game.

Carl Austin III (DB) – 6’1″, 180 ⭐

A greyshirt signee, Austin played in 11 games a true freshman but most of his action came on special teams. Austin would get his first start as a sophomore before pitching in with seven starts in 2017. Austin took a medical redshirt year in 2018 then came roaring back with 12 starts at free safety in 2019. He finished his playing career with 134 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, four PBUs, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a sack across 47 games. As of 2026, he remains a member of UTSA Athletics as the lead performance coach for women’s basketball.

Greg Campbell Jr. (WR) – 6’0″, 165 ⭐⭐

A true late-bloomer, Campbell showed promise throughout his career but never really followed through on it until his senior season. While Campbell only caught two touchdown passes, he was the lone bright spot in the passing game in the 2018 season. While it took some time for his ability to shine through, Campbell finished his UTSA career with what was then the Roadrunners’ best single-game performance from a wide receiver in Campbell’s final game. Definitely on the bubble between a Standout and Contributor, but I gave him the bump up due to really poor offensive play around him in his best season. He would have likely found the end zone more often that year had the rest of the offense not been a disaster.

Contributors

Blake Bogenschutz (QB) – 5’11”, 180 ⭐⭐

For a brief moment in time, Bogenschutz appeared to be the savior of the UTSA program. The young gunslinger was the first true freshman to ever start a game at quarterback for UTSA. Bogenschutz first made a name for himself after coming off the bench in a 8-of-14 performance against Oklahoma State. Tragically, “Bogie” would have his freshman season cut short with an injury before later suffering career-ending concussions as a sophomore. Bogenschutz would remain with the team in an assistant coaching role before graduating.

Stanley Dye (DB) – 5’9″, 165 ⭐⭐

One of the fastest athletes to ever play for UTSA, Dye never quite managed to earn significant playing time throughout his four seasons of eligibility. Dye was a special teams contributor who finished his career with 35 tackles, 20 of which came in his sophomore season.

David Anzaldua (OL) – 6’6″, 320 ⭐⭐⭐

Given his massive size coming out of high school, Anzaldua was one of UTSA’s biggest recruiting wins at the time. For a program that had never seen success recruiting high school offensive linemen, UTSA beating out several in-state suitors for Anzaldua’s service was reason to celebrate. Unfortunately, the massive lineman failed to pan out as an offensive lineman, but he was a four year main-stay as one of the primary blockers on special teams.

Blaze Moorhead (WR) – 5’10”, 185

Another greyshirt, Moorhead drew just three starts over five seasons, but he saw steady playing time in three seasons. Moorhead made many “All Name” teams and hauled in two touchdowns and 371 receiving yards.

Busts

Joseph Brooks (DL) – 6’2″, 275 ⭐⭐

Brooks signed with UTSA as a greyshirt but never saw playing time at UTSA. Left the program before graduating.

Triston Crossland (TE) – 6’3″, 225 ⭐⭐

A tight end/H back hybrid, Crossland was forced to end his football career prematurely due to injury.

Cameron Oliver (TE) – 6’4″, 235 ⭐⭐

Oliver spent one season with UTSA before leaving the program. Did not record any statistics at UTSA.

Isaiah Santos (DB) – 6’0″, 190 ⭐⭐

Another greyshirt signee, Santos played on special teams in 11 games as a freshman before leaving the program.

Justin Todd (LB) – 6’1″, 205 ⭐⭐

An extremely promising player, Todd was getting looks as a starting linebacker as early as his freshman season. A neck injury forced him to retire, but Todd stayed with the program as a defensive assistant while he finished up his degree.

Kelby Wickline (OL) – 6’5″, 245 ⭐⭐

While at UTSA, Wickline was a scrawny offensive tackle who didn’t have the strength or girth to earn playing time. Wickline left the program to play for a JUCO and suddenly gained 50 pounds. A year later, Wickline became West Virginia’s starting left tackle. Weird.

Class Summary

Cornerstones: 1 (6%)

Standouts: 6 (35%)

Contributors: 4 (24%)

Busts: 6 (35%)

I’ve created a custom algorithm that gives each recruiting class we review a success score between 0 and 1,000. A normal class will range from 400-600, while classes with a high bust rate will dip under 300, and classes with lots of elite players will approach 1,000.

Our algorithm gives the class of 2014 a score of 583 which is the highest score of any of the classes we’ve reviewed so far.

Class of 2010: 528

Class of 2011: 448

Class of 2012: 10

Class of 2013: 418

Class of 2014: 583

Conclusions

The 2014 recruiting class for UTSA was an extremely unbalanced class. While it produced many of the programs’ all time greats, it failed to produce depth in many aspects. Marcus Davenport’s tremendous long-term impact on the program is doing almost all of the heavily lifting in the algorithmic score, but the data is only part of the story, and one amazing player does not make a successful program.

Too many players were forced into playing time as freshmen, costing them what could have been terrific redshirt senior seasons. Injuries played a huge role in the outcome of the class, as a third of the class would suffer a major injury that either ended their career entirely or cut it short.

One could argue whether or not Larry Coker’s decision to sign so many athletes as greyshirts was a wise approach or not, however I lean towards it being a failure. Coker filled up his class early by offering recruits as greyshirts in 2012, leaving few spots open that could have been filled with more talented players after the Roadrunners showed that they were able to compete in Conference USA through the 2013 season. While a couple of the greyshirts enjoyed great careers, the majority of them flamed out.

Perhaps most harmful to the program’s success was Larry Coker’s failure to recruit a single successful offensive lineman to the program in this recruiting class. While Kelby Wickline may have ended up being UTSA’s best high school offensive lineman recruit had he stayed in San Antonio, his early departure from the program has left UTSA dependent on JUCO linemen in 2019 and beyond.