🔓 Top Ten Transfers in UTSA Football History

Editor’s note: This article was originally published exclusively for Patreon subscribers in January 2025.

The rapid establishment and successful trajectory of UTSA football was super-charged by the Roadrunners’ ability to quickly bolster their talent via adding transfers to the roster. While the transfer portal and the rescinding of a sit-out period accelerated this affect, UTSA was ahead of the curve in pulling in transfers who would go on to make a major impact in San Antonio after beginning their career elsewhere.

With so many high-impact transfers making their mark at UTSA, I thought it would be fun to attempt to rank the ten best transfers to enter the program after previously playing at another NCAA institution. Note that this does not include JUCO transfers — that will be a separate list, and a much more difficult ranking! In my list I attempted to balance both talent and impact to the program. There are former Roadrunners who went on to play in the NFL on the honorable mention list, as there were other transfers that I felt made a bigger impact on the program’s success. Hop in the comments and let me know who I over or underrated!

#10: Charles Wiley (Ole Miss)

When we think back on UTSA’s devastating pass rush from 2020-2021, most fans will point to Clarence Hicks as the standout from UTSA’s stout defensive front in those seasons. Hicks was the better player and pulled down more sacks, but he would not have been as successful without Wiley playing on the other edge of the line of scrimmage. The Ole Miss transfer was a two-time honorable mention All-CUSA defender as he made 25 starts for UTSA in his two seasons in San Antonio. Wiley led the team with 10 tackles for loss in 2020, and finished his career at UTSA with 79 tackles, 19 TFL, and 5.5 sacks as he flashed his memorable rock star sack celebration dance.

#9: Carlos Strickland (Kansas State)

Strickland has to be in the top five for most forgotten/underappreciated Roadrunners. The former four star All-American recruit was a monster for UTSA as a WR/TE hybrid, putting up 492 yards and four touchdowns on a miserably bad 2019 offense (20.3 PPG). After struggling at Kansas State and Cal, Strickland found his groove at UTSA and made a bad offense semi-watchable. It’s equally tantalizing and frustrating to think about how much damage Strickland could have done alongside Leroy Watson had Carlos returned to UTSA for the 2020 season under Jeff Traylor and Will Stein.

#8: Jevonte Domond (LSU)

Frank Wilson brought in a lot of busts from LSU, but Domond was not one of them. There’s an argument to be made that Domond was the first true FBS offensive tackle to land on the Roadrunners’ roster, and eagle-eyed fans could see what a difference having such a talent protecting the edge made in the 2016 offense. I give Domond a lot of credit for the Roadrunners making their first bowl game appearance in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl.

#7: Owen McCown (Colorado)

With a full year as a starter and two bowl victories under his belt, McCown has more than earned his spot on this list, and will likely finish his career much higher on the list. After starting four games at Colorado in his true freshman season, McCown has proven to be a great fit for UTSA’s offense. It’s easy to take for granted how well UTSA rebounded at the quarterback position after losing a generational talent in Frank Harris. McCown is already the third best quarterback in program history, and isn’t far from over-taking Dalton Sturm as all-time QB #2.

#6: Clifford Chattman (Texas A&M)

Chattman was a very unique player for UTSA. A 6’5″ safety, Chattman seemed to get better in each game as a Roadrunner. His super senior season in 2022 was one for the books as he set the single-season program record for passes defended (18). Chattman earned first team All-Conference honors in 2022 after collecting 72 tackles and five interceptions, all of which came in the final five games of the season. That includes picks in the conference championship game against UNT and in the Curl Bowl against Troy.

#5: Joe Evans (LSU)

While Evans consistently struggled with injuries while at UTSA, he is among an elite group of run stoppers that have bullied the trenches throughout the program’s young history. Evans’ stats were nominal (36 tackles, 6 TFL, 3.5 sacks) throughout his 24 games at UTSA, but his ability to disrupt the run and drive offensive linemen backwards were tantamount to UTSA’s defensive success in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. So many times Evans’ penetration led to the opposing running back have to redirect away from Evans’ side of the defense. Most G5 linemen that went up against Evans had no chance at moving him off the point of attack. Evans was a major game-planning concern for opposing offenses, and affected games via his ability to influence plays off the ball.

#4: Bennett Okotcha (Oklahoma)

Corey Mayfield is the only cornerback in program history that even comes close to Okotcha’s career production: 32 starts, 99 tackles, 6 INT, 30 passes defended. Okotcha’s numbers are even more impressive when you consider the talent gap between Okotcha compared to the cornerbacks who appeared on the opposite side of the field from him — quarterbacks only threw Okotcha’s direction when they absolutely had to. Bennett’s name appears 16 times in the UTSA record book, and he provided one of the more memorable game-ending plays in program history with his interception against North Texas in 2013.

#3: Ashaad Mabry (Oklahoma State)

Not only was Mabry a transformational talent for UTSA, he also started a trend of FBS talent from San Antonio transferring home to play for UTSA. Mabry was the program’s first major FBS transfer, and ended his career as one of the program’s first NFL players. I still giggle thinking about Mabry lining up against Division III offensive linemen in the 2011 season. Being able to pull such local talent is a big reason why UTSA has stayed ahead of schedule for a new FBS program. Mabry owned the A gap while at UTSA, posting 134 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 3 sacks, and a blocked punt over 27 starts.

#2: Brandon Brown (Tulane)

Pulling Brandon Brown from Tulane was a major building block in the Traylor era at UTSA. After playing in just one game at Tulane in 2020, Brown made an instant impact in his first season at UTSA. The nose tackle collected a staggering 47 starts, 94 tackles, 22.5 TFL, and 6.5 sacks. Brown also knocked down three passes and caused three fumbles. He won two C-USA champions, earned two bowl wins, and was recognized on four different All Conference teams. What a career!

#1: Eric Soza (Texas State)

No single player did more to build the Roadrunners’ football program than Beeville, TX product Eric Soza. A natural leader, Soza was the perfect quarterback to lead UTSA into their first game. It’s poetic that one of the primary architects of the program’s success was a Texas State castaway who wasn’t appreciated by the Bobcats during his time in San Marcos. In addition to all of the intangibles Soza brought to the program, he was a very solid field general who posted just under 7,000 passing yards and 46 touchdowns at UTSA. Soza was the ultimate gift to the program and is a program legend for a damned good reason.

Honorable mentions: Kam Alexander, Robert Singletary, Jared Sackett, Austin Jupe, Jordan Moore, Nicktroy Fortune

Looking for more UTSA content? Consider supporting us on Patreon to immediately gain access to hundreds of exclusive podcasts, videos, and articles. Click the banner below to view our membership options and associated benefits.