Texas officially hires Jeff Traylor (STORY)

[Aaron Carrara]

By HornSports East Texas recruiting contributor Mike Garland

University of Texas head football coach Charlie Strong added to his football staff on Friday with the addition of veteran Texas high school football coach Jeff Traylor. Traylor will serve as an Assistant Coach for Tight Ends at UT.

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

Traylor, who won 3 state championships as head coach of the Gilmer Buckeyes, fills the position previously held by Bruce Chambers. After a 17-year career at Texas, Chambers was released by Charlie Strong just days after the Longhorns lost to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl, 31-7.

Traylor's accomplishments during his 15 seasons with the Gilmer program:

• 175 wins
• 26 losses (only five losses total in the last four seasons)
• 14 consecutive playoff appearances
• 40 playoff wins
• 5 state championship appearances (2004, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2014)
• 3 state championship titles (2004, 2009, 2014)

Traylor’s tenure with the Buckeyes transcends coaching – he was the quarterback for the Buckeyes in his high school playing days. Opportunities for Traylor to coach elsewhere have been plentiful, but he chose to stay in Gilmer. Given Traylor's relationship with the local community, leaving his home town of Gilmer for an opportunity to coach in Austin is a significant move.

One of the best offensive minds in the state's high school coaching ranks, Traylor should transition to being a position coach at the college level quickly. In addition to coaching tight ends, there has been speculation that special teams would also be a focus for whoever replaced Chambers. Traylor’s Gilmer teams have consistently excelled in the area of special teams.

At UT, Traylor will be reunited with highly-rated defensive back Kris Boyd, who played for Traylor at Gilmer. Last week Boyd signed a letter of intent to play for the Longhorns on National Signing Day.

Notably, Boyd’s brother, Demarco, is verbally committed to play for Charlie Strong and the Longhorns. The younger Boyd is a linebacker prospect.

East Texas is home to some of the state's best high school football talent. With Traylor on the Texas coaching staff and the Boyd brothers on the roster, UT looks poised to become a fixture in recruiting in that part of the state.

 

[Duke C #11]

Sounds good. It's always a good idea to have someone on staff with strong ties to Texas high school coaches.

 

[utisdabomb12]

From what I've heard about Traylor the one word to describe him is "calculated". 

This was a very "calculated" tweet from Traylor this morning: I have officially accepted the job at the University of Texas. I know without the coaches of East Texas none of this would have happened.

 

[Shambeaux]

I admittedly knew nothing about him when his name first popped up but the more I read about him shows this is a VERY impressive hire. To pluck a coach from the HS ranks that is this respected and successful is amazing. With a run like that he obviously has been offered this type of job before. For him to join Strong and cite the reasons he did cite speaks volumes about Strong's growing reputation among Texas HS Coaches.

Charlie is slowly chipping away at any recruiting momentum that the JM Heisman brought to College Station.

Now we just have to starting winning on the field. This has the makings of the start of a very successful run.

 

[SFlonghorngirl]

What type of offense did Traylor run at Gilmer?

 

[Mike Garland]

What type of offense did Traylor run at Gilmer?

Multiple

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Official UT release:

AUSTIN -- Jeff Traylor, the former head coach and athletics director at Gilmer [Texas] High School, has been named tight ends and special teams coach at The University of Texas, head coach Charlie Strong announced Friday.
 
Traylor was Gilmer's head coach for the past 15 seasons (2000-14), amassing three state championships (2004, '09 '14) and a 175-26 overall record (.871). He also led GHS to state runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2012, along with 12 district titles.
 
"Honestly, I was extremely happy in my hometown (of Gilmer)," Traylor said. "This is where I was raised. There were only a couple of schools I would consider leaving for, and one of those schools called. Having an opportunity to coach at The University of Texas is a dream come true. It's special because of what it stands for in the state, the tradition, the pride, and how proud people are to be from there. It's just a unique place. They do things right, and who doesn't want to be a part of that? When you believe in the man that's calling you, and you believe in the place you're going, you've got to go be a part of it."
 
Gilmer has reached the 10-win mark 11 times under Traylor's direction, all in the last 12 years, while also recording seven 13-win campaigns. The Buckeyes reached the 15-win plateau three times, all of which resulted in undefeated state championship years, including two 16-0 marks in 2004 and 2014.
 
"Jeff's a tremendous football coach who has built a program at Gilmer that has had unbelievable success," Strong said. "He's a guy that we've watched, admired and really gotten to know. The thing about Jeff is he's just so passionate about the game and his players. We had a chance to get him in for an interview and around our staff, and he really impressed all of us. He has a great deal of knowledge and experience and having coached in this state for so long, really knows Texas. East Texas has so many great players that it really helps us to have a guy like Jeff on staff that knows the area so well. We're excited to have him on board."
 
Two former Longhorns who have had NFL careers played under Traylor at Gilmer in CB Curtis Brown and C David Snow. Brown lettered at Texas from 2007-10, and was a 2011 third-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing with the organization until 2013, and recently signing with the New York Jets. Snow lettered at UT from 2008-11, signing as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills (2012) before playing with the Steelers (2013).
 
"The first thing that drew me to this opportunity was Coach Strong and his core beliefs," Traylor said. "I've listened to him recruit my kids, and I just liked what he was saying. I've been down (in Austin), and I see that his words match his actions. He's a man's man, and I want to help him. He offered me a chance to do that, so I took him up on it.
 
"He's done an amazing job. I felt at home the whole time I was there. They're tough, they work their kids hard, but they love their kids. They're good men, they're honest people, and they’re just tough. They're the kind of men you want your son to play for. I can't wait to go to work with all of them."
 
En route to the 4A Division 2 state title in 2014, the Gilmer offense put up the second-most points in the history of Texas high school football with 950 in 16 games for an average of 59.4 points per game. The Buckeyes scored over 60 points on nine occasions, twice posting 80 or more. They also averaged 536.1 total yards per game (8,577) with a balanced 293.9 passing yards and 242.1 rushing yards per contest. 
 
The defense was equally impressive, allowing only 276 points (17.3 ppg) with five single-digit performances and two shutouts, while recording 23 interceptions and forcing 17 fumbles. Gilmer capped the season with a win over West Orange-Stark at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and had eight different players earn 4A All-State honors from either the Associated Press or Texas Sports Writers Association.
 
Gilmer's two other state titles under Traylor both came in 3A in 2004 (Division 2) and 2009 (Division 1), before the change in class structure in Texas high school football moved the school into 4A last season.
 
Prior to Gilmer, Traylor was an assistant coach at Jacksonville [Texas] High School from 1993-99, where he served as passing coordinator, defensive backs coach, receivers coach and special teams coordinator.
 
Traylor began his coaching career at Big Sandy [Texas] High School, where he spent four years as an assistant coach from 1989-1992.
 
A 1986 graduate of Gilmer High School, Traylor earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from Stephen F. Austin while playing football as a walk-on.
 
Traylor and his wife, Cari, have two sons, Jordan, who is a quarterback at Texas A&M, and Jake, and one daughter, Jaci.

 

[JimsTexas]

I really like what CS is putting to gather at Texas. I feel it could be one of the top coaching staff in collage football. Now they need to take this Longhorn team and win some Championships. My friends y'all have a blessed day

 

[java]

Coach Traylor sounds great. If you put him on one mic and Vance on the other, the press will run back and forth for quotes, I'll betcha. I have a feeling that Brick may be another quote-worthy coach.

Love this staff.

Hook 'em!

 

[Worster1]

Outstanding add by CS!

I know Shotime is happy.

 

[Epictetus]

"En route to the 4A Division 2 state title in 2014, the Gilmer offense put up the second-most points in the history of Texas high school football with 950 in 16 games for an average of 59.4 points per game. The Buckeyes scored over 60 points on nine occasions, twice posting 80 or more. They also averaged 536.1 total yards per game (8,577) with a balanced 293.9 passing yards and 242.1 rushing yards per contest."

... with a balanced 293.9 passing yds and 242.1 rushing yds per game... in that season.

Sounds like a fit to me!

 

[shotime73]

Outstanding add by CS!

I know Shotime is happy.

yess sirrr reeeeee i am

 

[dillohorn]

I don't think UT could have gotten 2 better men for these positions.

 

[primal defense]

In the Gilmer newspaper Coach Traylor was asked what his job description is. He said the four phases of special teams, tight ends, and H-backs. I assume the four phases of special teams are KO, KOR, P, PR?

He said coming back to coach his high school and going to coach the University of Texas is the kind of stuff they make movies about.

 

[Epictetus]

To repeat my hope....  that he's part of the round table discussion in plotting out a total offensive scheme. 

I'd like to think the combined synergy of input from Traylor, Norvell, Watson and Wickline... 

... all adds up to a sum greater than the parts. And that it spells Doom!! for defenses. 

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[UTK66]

Pretty nice honor for Coach Traylor back in his hometown:

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011