"Frank Wilson has been fired after four seasons at UTSA, source told Stadium," Brett McMurphy tweeted on Sunday morning, one day after UTSA lost to Louisiana Tech, their eighth loss of the season and Wilson's 29th in 48 games.
Wilson, a New Orleans native and lauded recruiter for LSU from 2011-15, won six games in each of his first two seasons in San Antonio but won just seven total games over the last two seasons. He failed to finish better than fourth in the Conference USA West in each of his final three seasons.
With Wilson out at UTSA, who might the Roadrunners target as their next head coach?
It'll be the first football hire for athletics director Lisa Campos, who arrived at UTSA in 2017 following a four-year run at Northern Arizona. For what's it worth, prior to Northern Arizona, she spent 12 years in Texas in several positions at UTEP.
Todd Graham is the big fish. A Texas native who began his coaching career in Texas high school football, Graham did well in one season at Rice (2006) and has recruited every corner of the state.
"I just wanna coach," he said in June on the High Motor podcast, also noting a preference for jobs in the south and southwest. While UTSA, who paid Frank Wilson a base salary of $1.125 million per season, can't touch Graham's $3.2-million Arizona State salary from 2017, they could make an attractive stepping-stone offer, especially if Graham isn't fielding several offers.
Kendal Briles appears to have removed his career far enough from his father's misdeeds to get a head-coaching shot, and unless the new Florida State head coach retains him, he will be in need of a job. He knows the state well, spending nearly his entire life crisscrossing it as his father jumped from job to job, and is a highly respected offensive mind. Briles, however, should have better options, that is, unless he badly wants a head-coaching job and can't find one elsewhere.
Several FCS coaches could be in play, including Sam Houston State's K.C. Keeler, Nicholls' Tim TeBowe, Jacksonville State's John Grass, and Florida A&M's Willie Simmons. Keeler and the Bearkats limped through a six-win season but won 46 games over the previous four seasons. He's not a born-and-bred Texan, but has done well recruiting the state and could be an attractive candidate with quick turnaround potential.
Also, keep an eye on Bob Stitt. The 55-year-old former Colorado Mines and Montana head coach was an offensive analyst at Oklahoma State last year and just finished his first season as offensive coordinator at Texas State.
