Texas A&M Interviews UTSA HC Jeff Traylor, As Aggies Search For Coach To Replace Jimbo Fisher: Report

Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork continues to work the phones and zoom as he looks for Jimbo Fisher's replacement in College Station. One of the early names to get an interview is UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, according to one report.

The search has been underway for five days now, publicly. Now, the American Statesman reports that Bjork spoke with Traylor for over 90 minutes on Tuesday. The UTSA head coach is the first name to be publicly reported as having interviewed with Ross Bjork for the Aggies head coaching vacancy.

In the days after Jimbo Fisher was fired, the Texas A&M athletic director has been busy talking with representatives of a number of coaches around college football. The Aggies decided to pull the trigger on firing Fisher, with a massive buyout that'll cost the school around $76 million.

When the final bill is tallied, it will cost over $100 million to pay off the existing contracts of assistant coaches on the staff.

But in terms of candidates, there certainly will be a long list of coaches wanting the job. A number of coaches will be receiving extensions and pay increases from having their name tied to this opening, if you have a good agent.

For Jeff Traylor, this would be a massive opportunity, if Bjork gets that far down his list.

Would UTSA's Jeff Traylor Be A Good Fit For Texas A&M?

The UTSA head coach has led his team to two Conference USA titles and currently sit at 7-3 on the season. Heading into this weekend, UTSA is tied for first in the conference with Tulane and SMU. A combined record of 37-13 during this run in San Antonio has made Traylor a name that should be considered for some of these Power-5 openings.

Having long ties to the State of Texas is a nice selling point for Traylor, who spent time on Charlie Strong's staff with the Texas Longhorns. During his stint in Austin, Jeff Traylor coached the wide receivers, tight ends and special teams. Chad Morris hired him at Arkansas as the running backs coach, along with associate head coach.

UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor has reportedly interviewed with Ross Bjork for the Texas A&M opening (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Following two years at Arkansas, the Roadrunners hired him in December of 2019. The past two seasons have been a massive success, going 12-2 in 2021 and 11-3 last season.

Speaking with the media this week, Traylor was asked about his name being possibly linked to the Texas A&M opening.

“Me coaching in the state of Texas my entire life and the success we’ve had at Gilmer and here at UTSA,” Jeff Traylor noted. “It’s natural. It means we’ve been winning a lot of ball games. It means I’ve had a group of seniors, 21 of them, that are going to play their last home game this Friday night. So, they’ve had four years of success.

“So, that speculation is always going to come up when you’ve had great players like I have. I’ve been blessed to coach them.”

It's silly season, so let the games begin.