UTSA parts ways with Head Coach Frank Wilson

UTSA Athletic Director Lisa Campos made the decision to part ways with Head Coach Frank Wilson this morning following a 41-27 loss to Louisiana Tech last night. The Roadrunners finished the season with a 4-8 record after winning just three games in 2018.

“While decisions like this are never easy", Campos said in a released statement, “it is important that we take the steps that will help us build for the future and keep UTSA Athletics a vital part of the community. There is so much to look forward to as we continue to position our program to compete at the highest level."

While Wilson's teams were able to garner a modest seven wins over the past two seasons, Wilson hadn't beat a team with a winning record since 2017. Despite leading Conference USA in attendance for many years, the turnout in the Alamodome hit rock bottom in the second half of the year with as few as 8,000 seats being filled in the last couple games of the season.

While the tail end of the Wilson era didn't feature any marquee wins, Wilson did leave the program in pretty solid shape for the next coach.

UTSA is nearly ready to break ground on a $44 million athletics facility that will include modern locker rooms, training facilities, and a covered practice field.

If the Roadrunners' roster stays intact then the next coach will inherit several extremely talented underclassmen including true freshman Sincere McCormick who holds the program record for total yardage in a single season. Three different underclassmen quarterbacks flashed serious promise in their starts this year.

Wilson may not have panned out long term for UTSA but he did take the program to heights never seen before. Wilson led UTSA to its first ever win over a Power 5 opponent and also guided the Roadrunners to their first bowl game in program history. While he did not recruit Marcus Davenport, Wilson still deserves a lot of credit for Davenport's development into UTSA's only first round NFL draft pick.

Ultimately Frank Wilson's legacy will likely be defined by the success of his successor. If the next coach is able to compete in bowl games and conference championships then Wilson will be remembered as a skilled program builder who vastly improved the talent level in UTSA's program. If the next coach also doesn't see success then Wilson will be seen as a strong recruiter who failed to do much more than attract high-rated athletes to campus.

Expect UTSA to move quickly in hiring a replacement in the hopes of keeping the 2020 recruiting class in place. Lisa Campos has announced that UTSA will leverage a search firm to conduct a nation-wide search for its next head coach.