Zah Frazier leads UTSA’s reorganized cornerbacks team

When cornerback Zah Frazier, who had recently transferred from Kentucky to Coffeyville Community College, signed with UTSA in 2022, he became the highest-rated recruit the Roadrunners had ever signed and entered his new home surrounded by hype and expectations.

But in his two years at UTSA, Frazier played fewer than 100 defensive snaps. Athletically, at a speedy 6-foot-3, he was everything expected of him, but he said he struggled with the playbook in his first season and was relegated primarily to special teams.

Although he was expected to take a step forward last year, he sat out more than half the season due to an academic eligibility issue. Frazier and coach Jeff Traylor have attributed the situation to a misunderstanding that the Roadrunners appealed, but Frazier was not cleared to play until the team’s ninth game.

Instead of playing as a cornerback, Frazier played as a receiver on the scout team.

“I learned that football can be taken away from you at any time. You have to appreciate it every day and never take any day for granted,” Frazier said. “I had a grudge before, and this made it even bigger. That was all.”

With that frustration behind him, Frazier appears poised for a breakout season. He says he feels like “everything has slowed down for me.” He earned his bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies this year, and last week his teammates voted him into a single-digit jersey for the first time in his career, naming him the leader of a changing cornerback group.

With Nicktroy Fortune graduating and Kam Alexander and Dywan Griffin lost to transfers, Traylor had about 90% fewer snaps at the position compared to last year and said at the start of preseason practice that he would be keeping the closest eye on the position.

With UTSA’s opening game of 2024 just two weeks away, Traylor can point to a new confidence in the cornerbacks, bolstered by returners Frazier and Syrus Dumas, celebrated transfers Denver Harris and Zach Morris, and the work of cornerbacks coach Nick Graham.

“We’re really good at that position,” Traylor said. “We have a lot of guys in that room that can play. We’ve recruited well, we’ve developed well and Nick Graham has done a fantastic job as always.”

Harris has attracted more attention than any other player on the Roadrunners’ roster since the once promising junior player from Galena Park North Shore transferred to UTSA after stints at Texas A&M and LSU.

He played in five games at Texas A&M in 2022 and five more at LSU last season, but both outings were marred by off-field issues. With the Aggies, he was suspended for violating curfew before the third game of the season. He was also suspended for a “locker room incident” following a Week 8 loss to South Carolina, forcing him to sit out Texas A&M’s final six games of the season.

At LSU, Harris was involved in an altercation during a preseason practice that ended in punches, and he missed part of fall practice because he had a “personal matter,” according to coach Brian Kelly. Harris also did not play for the Tigers after the sixth week of the season, leaving the team for undisclosed reasons.

Traylor said he believes some of Harris’ past experiences have “opened his eyes to the things that are important and kept him from worrying about the things that are not important.”

“I don’t want to bring him bad luck, but he’s been fantastic,” Traylor said. “He and I just get along well. I’m on his tail and he lets me be on his tail. He’s a really good football player and I hope this thing ends the way I think it’s going to end. I really do. I understand it, I understand people’s questions and concerns, but we haven’t seen any of that yet.”

Despite all the attention focused on Harris, Morris, a New Mexico native, was the only freshman at the position to immediately secure a starting spot in UTSA’s spring game.

Traylor praised Morris for his calmness and maturity. He was a starter at New Mexico last year before a coaching change prompted him to consider transferring. He said he initially chose San Diego State, but a late visit to UTSA along with fellow New Mexico native Jermarius Lewis resulted in the longtime friends and roommates both landing with the Roadrunners.

The move puts Morris closer to his hometown of Highland Village in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and appears to have a good chance of landing a spot at the top of the roster.

“I don’t think I do anything special,” Morris said. “I just go out every day, try to do my best and be consistent.”

Dumas offers the Roadrunners another experienced option and returns to the team after initially entering the transfer portal in the offseason.

When Dumas transferred to UTSA from New Mexico State University last year, he suffered from a broken foot and a persistent hamstring injury that limited him to just four games.

Traylor described Dumas’ decision to enter the transfer portal as more of a medical retirement than a search for a new home. But Dumas showed significant improvement during offseason workouts, and a visit from UTSA’s coaches gave Traylor the confidence to reinstate him to the Roadrunners’ cornerback lineup.

“He’s been fantastic. No injury issues so far,” Traylor said. “It’s probably been good for him both physically and mentally to take some time off and get his body back in shape.”