Football season is around the corner. To get you ready for week one vs. UIW we will be previewing position groups leading up to game week. Today we look at the safeties.
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SAFETIES - 6 scholarships used
SR - Carl Austin III
JR - SaVion Harris
SO - Vance Vallair, Dadrian Taylor
FR - Kelechi Nwachuku, Rashad Wisdom, Jahmal Sam**
(**)--Scholarship will not count until 2020
Analysis: The Roadrunner safeties have a mix of experience and young talent. Though Carl Austin redshirted last season he was a contributor from 2015-2017. Vance Vallair and Dadrian Taylor played in all 12 games last season. Kelechi Nwachuku played in three games before being redshirted. SaVion Harris and Rashad Wisdom are newcomers with a chance to make an impact.
Carl Austin III - Austin is the lone senior in the safeties group. He's been at UTSA since 2014 when he took a grayshirt season. Between 2015 and 2017 he worked his way up from special teams contributor to standout safety. A redshirt 2018 means Austin has one more season to show what he can do with the Roadrunners.
SaVion Harris - The Wellington, Florida-native played last season at Iowa Central Community College. Before that he spent a redshirt season at Florida Atlantic in 2017. He arrived at UTSA in January and got experience in the spring practices. He has the talent to earn a spot in the rotation of safeties this season.
Vance Vallair - Vallair played in all 12 games last season after redshirting in 2017. He spent most of last season on special teams but he did make two tackles. Vallair played cornerback and wide receiver at Beaumont Central High School but has since made the move to safety. He might spend part of fall camp with special teams but he also should get practice reps at safety and could find a spot on defense.
Dadrian Taylor - Like Vallair, Taylor played in all 12 games last season after a redshirt season in 2017. Taylor finished the 2018 season with 12 total tackles and two passes broken up. That experience should help the Shiner, Texas-native in the 2019 fall camp and later on in the 2019 season. Taylor is a name to keep an eye on leading up to the season.
Kelechi Nwachuku - Nwachuku arrived at UTSA last season after playing at McAllen Memorial High School. Last season Nwachuku played in three games before getting a redshirt. In high school Nwachuku finished his senior season with 163 total tackles, nine pass breakups, an interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Fall camp will provide him with a chance to earn a spot either on special teams or in the regular defensive rotation.
Rashad Wisdom - Wisdom, a true freshman, makes the short trip from Converse Judson to UTSA. In his final season as a Rocket he made 83 total tackles, three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Wisdom also broke up six passes, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. Wisdom is a talented player who could get to see playing time this season but also could earn a redshirt.
Jahmal Sam - Sam arrives at UTSA from Warren Easton High in New Orleans. While at Warren Easton, Sam played both offense and defense. In his senior season he ran for 368 yards and eight touchdowns. On defense Sam finished with 26 tackles. four interceptions and two interceptions returned for touchdown. In a playoff game last season he also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Sam could find himself anywhere from special teams to starting in the defensive backfield. It all depends on his fall camp.
Prediction: The safety position is an interesting one for the Roadrunners as they enter 2019. A safe bet is that all of the players listed above will get a chance to play some time in the defensive backfield. In addition to that there is enough versatility among the group that some might find their way to the edge of the defensive backfield or special teams.
2020 Commits:
2020 Targets:
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way
