How Jeremiah Bailey's leadership earned him No. 0 jersey as a newcomer at UTSA
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When Jeremiah Bailey came to UTSA on his recruiting visit, coach Jeff Traylor delivered a breakdown of the Roadrunners' Triangle of Toughness culture and relayed the significance of wearing a single-digit jersey.
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Appearing in every game along the defensive line for Eastern Kentucky the past three seasons, Bailey was always considered a leader, earning captain status in 2025. Traylor quickly learned why, finding Bailey to be a mature "old soul" who is always locked in and taking notes during team meetings.
Wanting to be more selective about which players are tabbed as leaders this year, the Roadrunners voted just to award the 2, 1 and 0 of San Antonio's area code rather than distributing every single-digit jersey. Bailey still secured enough votes to make the cut, set to take the field in No. 0 on defense when UTSA opens the season against UTRGV at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Alamodome.
"I feel like you can either be two types of people when you get into these roles. You can either fold to the pressure, or you can rise to the pressure," Bailey said. "I feel like I'm one of those people that I just stay ready, and I'll be me no matter what. If you just do you and show up every day, things will happen."
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Bailey is only the second player in Traylor's seven-year tenure to earn the 2, 1 or 0 jersey in his first season with the program, joining linebacker Shad Banks, who wore No. 0 last year.
Though UTSA's defense has been overhauled this season, Bailey beat out a handful of returning Roadrunners for the honor. Four-year defensive line contributor Tai Leonard wore No. 1 last year, senior and second-year Roadrunner Brandon Tucker is expected to step into Banks' leadership position at inside linebacker, and Jameian Buxton is entering his fourth year as a fixture at nose tackle.
But Bailey earned more votes than all of them, joining No. 1 Cam Cooper and No. 2 Owen Pewee as the defensive honorees.
Traylor said Bailey has been "the epitome of the triangle," impressing even more than Traylor expected following his initial recruiting visit.
"He just has an unbelievable presence about himself," Traylor said. "To come in here and get that vote that quickly is very impressive. ... He's been the same human every day we've coached him. He's almost too good to be true."
UTSA football practice on Thursday, August, 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News)When NFL scouts evaluate Bailey during visits to Roadrunners practice, Traylor said they are most impressed by his consistency. He's played in all 36 games the past three seasons, totaling 105 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and six sacks in his four-year career.
Bailey has also shown versatility across the defensive line, playing closer to the edge last season after lining up inside more often in 2024, and he said UTSA's defense has been "pretty much the same thing" he was used to at Eastern Kentucky.
Wanting to test himself at the FBS level in his final college season, Bailey was connected to UTSA through Eastern Kentucky defensive line coach Dayton LeBlanc, who is a cousin of Roadrunners assistant Colyn Givens. Debating between UTSA and Virginia late in the recruitment process, Bailey said the Roadrunners felt more like home, leading to "a pretty easy decision."
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He joined a defense that returned just two of the 15 players who manned the most snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus, but the Roadrunners bolstered the unit with a group of experienced transfers including junior safety Nate Robinson, senior defensive lineman Jusiah Sampleton and sophomore linebacker Elijah Baldwin.
"We've got a veteran team, so everybody's been here before, and it's just about how fast we can get things going together as a team and playing well together," Bailey said. "It's kind of like playing in high school, where everybody gets along with everybody, and everybody works well together. So, it's been fun to see, and I can't wait until we get to Week 1 and see how we play."
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