UTSA’s record-setting QB Frank Harris will return for a 7th season

UCSA got a huge boost on Wednesday when the star quarterback Frank Harris announced he will return for his seventh season after agreeing to a new NIL deal.

Harris, the greatest player in UTSA history, holds 34 school records. On Friday, he threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Roadrunners to their second straight Conference USA championship.

Harris has completed 71 percent of his passes this year for 3,865 yards, 31 touchdowns and has run for 588 yards and nine TDs as the Roadrunners, ranked No. 25 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, head to the Cure Bowl.

Now that UTSA is headed to the AAC next season, coach Jeff Traylor has lobbied his fans to contribute name, image and likeness money to keep Harris in San Antonio after the C-USA title game.

“I would make it very difficult for him to leave,” Traylor said afterward. “It’s fun to watch. It’s the best money you could have spent.”

Harris made the announcement Wednesday at the San Antonio office of PM Group, an advertising, marketing and branding agency. The San Antonio Express-News reported that PM Group CEO Bob Wills said they worked out a six-figure deal and that the agency “agreed to fund zero compensation to secure the Conference USA MVP.” The numbers were not mentioned.

This is one of the more interesting cases of the NIL at the Group of 5 level, allowing a team to keep the face of a program when it could have gone to the NFL or gone to a big school.

“Having him back for another year will give us a huge boost in the AAC,” Traylor told ESPN. “Our receivers are going to be excited, our recruits are going to be excited, our pitching staff is going to be excited. Everybody is going to be excited. It’s a big push. It’s a great day for the city of San Antonio.”

Harris redshirted his first season in 2017, missed all of 2018 with an injury, then was limited to four games the following season after another season-ending injury. After redshirting and medically redshirting, he is eligible for a seventh season due to the NCAA’s COVID waiver for players. He is responsible for over 10,000 yards of total offense for UTSA.

Traylor, who is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award and was named CUSA Coach of the Year on Wednesday, said he is grateful for the city’s support in keeping Garris and continuing to build a young program that went 12-2 last year and 11-2 so far this year.

“It’s going to take a lot of commitment from a lot of people in the city,” Traylor said. “We may not have as many billionaires as some cities, but we have a bunch of people. If everyone gives a little, these kids are really fun to watch.”