Five UTSA players to watch out for on offense in 2018

With the UTSA Roadrunners set to begin fall camp on August 2nd, it’s time to start taking a magnifying glass to the program’s roster. The Roadrunners have seen a lot of roster turnover this offseason and will also be breaking in a new offensive coordinator in Al Borges.

While the Roadrunners’ offense will look vastly different than 2017, that comes as a relief to fans who watched an anemic offense hold Frank Wilson’s UTSA program out of a bowl game. Here are five Roadrunners that I’ll have my eye on as they compete for a starting slot through August.

Wide Receiver - Tykee Ogle-Kellogg

UTSA’s highest-rated offensive recruit in program history, Tykee Ogle-Kellogg graduated high school early to join the program for spring camp. The 6’5” wide out quickly made a splash with his ability to out-leap defenders and leverage his size to make an impact in the blocking game. Ogle-Kellogg looked ready to contribute in this year’s spring game but will the rust of missing his senior season of high school football limit his production?

Center - Kevin Davis

A well-built offensive lineman out of Angleton, Davis has the stature and quick first step to be a strong center for UTSA. Just a redshirt freshman, Davis has already taken snaps with the first team unit in the spring. An offensive tackle at the prep level, Davis excelled on stretch and pull blocks which bodes well for his ability to get to the next level to block linebackers as a center. Davis’ biggest hurdles will be mental — can he deliver consistently good snaps? Can he call out protection schemes against an unpredictable defense? It’s a tall task for a player that hasn’t seen a snap of collegiate football yet.

Quarterback - D.J. Gillins

Sophomore Bryce Rivers is the favorite to start at quarterback heading into the season but my instincts tell me that graduate transfer D.J. Gillins won’t bow out of the fight easily. With Frank Harris lost for the year due to a knee injury, Gillins is by far UTSA’s most athletic quarterback. While his collegiate career has been plagued by injuries, positive reports of Gillins’ development have followed him at every stop through the journeyman’s college days. If Gillins can stay healthy I think he’ll see some snaps at the beginning of the season even if he isn’t the starter.

Running Back - B.J. Daniels

UTSA knows super-senior Jalen Rhodes will be a steady veteran hand in the backfield but if the Roadrunners are to show life on offense then they’ll need sophomore B.J. Daniels to begin to creep towards his sky-high potential. Daniels was phenomenal this spring. Frank Wilson’s eyes would light up whenever he was asked about Daniels. The Florida product has all the tools but he’ll need to avoid fumbles and make himself comfortable with the speed of the game at the collegiate level to give the Roadrunners a real 1-2 punch on the ground.

Tight End - Gavin Sharp

The Roadrunners are looking to lean heavily on their tight ends this season and freshman Gavin Sharp could be a depth chart buster as a true freshman. Sophomore Chance McLeod should be UTSA’s primary target in the passing game but Sharp’s size and blocking prowess could have him playing a lot of snaps very early in his career if he’s able to beat out converted defensive end TJ King. Sharp, who originally planned to play JUCO ball at Blinn, could pan out to be one of UTSA’s biggest recruiting steals of the 2018 class if he fits into the rotation this season.