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UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has been named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl, announced on Tuesday.
Traylor is one of eight finalists for the award, joining Sonny Dykes (TCU), Mike Elko (Duke), Willie Fritz (Tulane), Jim Harbaugh (Michigan), Lincoln Riley (USC), Kirby Smart (Georgia) and Jon Sumrall (Troy).
The eight finalists have been placed on a ballot which has been sent to the entire FWAA membership. The 2022 recipient will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The official presentation will be at a reception Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in Los Angeles prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
"The Allstate Sugar Bowl is certainly honored by the opportunity to work with the FWAA in paying tribute to a Louisiana legend like Coach Robinson by sponsoring this award in his name," said Lloyd Frischhertz, president of the Sugar Bowl Committee. "We'd also like to congratulate these eight coaches for their outstanding success this season. We look forward to presenting the trophy to the winner next month in Los Angeles."
The reigning Conference USA Coach of the Year and a member of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year watch list for the second consecutive year, Traylor has led UTSA to an 11-2 record, its second straight C-USA title and to a bowl game for the third year in a row. Winners of 10 straight games, the Roadrunners are ranked in three different polls for the second straight year, as they are currently No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the two years prior to his arrival, he has led the Roadrunners to a 30-9 record to become the winningest coach in program history in less than three full seasons. UTSA has posted the two best seasons by wins in program history after going 12-2 in 2021 and is one of just three Texas-based FBS schools to win at least 10 games in back-to-back years since 2012, joining Baylor and TCU. The Roadrunners are one of only three C-USA teams to go undefeated in league play since 2013, going 8-0 this fall, and they became just the third C-USA team ever to capture two straight crowns after defeating North Texas 48-27 on Dec. 2 to join East Carolina (2008-09) and Western Kentucky (2015-16).
In his debut campaign, Traylor guided the Roadrunners to a 7-5 overall record, a runner-up finish in C-USA’s West Division with a 5-2 mark and an appearance in the First Responder Bowl. The Roadrunners received votes in a national poll for the first time in program history and the seven wins are the most by a first-year UTSA head coach.
UTSA enjoyed a record-setting campaign in Traylor’s second season. The Roadrunners won their first 11 games, were nationally ranked (as high as No. 15) for the first time in school history and captured the program’s first league title by winning the 2021 C-USA Championship with a 49-41 victory over WKU. UTSA capped the season with its second straight and third overall bowl appearance. Traylor was honored for his success as the 2021 C-USA Coach of the Year and AFCA FBS Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4 as well as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, AFCA National Coach of the Year and George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. He also was chosen as the 2021 San Antonio Express-News Sportsman of the Year.
"We have a great group of finalists coaches for the FWAA's 2022 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award,” said Steve Richardson, FWAA Executive Director. “All are winners and have done outstanding jobs at their respective schools in the mold of one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. It is our pleasure to support this award and Coach Rob's legacy along with the Allstate Sugar Bowl. We greatly appreciate the Sugar Bowl's partnership."
The FWAA has presented a coaching award since the 1957 season when Ohio State's Woody Hayes was named the first recipient. The FWAA coaching award is named after the late Robinson, a coaching legend at Grambling State University for 55 seasons.
The Eddie Robinson Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. Founded in 1997, the NCFAA and its 25 awards now boast over 800 recipients, dating to 1935.