Texas State may not be synonymous with an illustrious football program, but this season in San Marcos, coach G.J. Kinne steered the team to a winning record and the school’s inaugural appearance in a postseason bowl game, securing victory in the First Responder Bowl on December 26th.
Coach Kinne, the 35-year-old prodigy, was a sought-after figure among local coaching circles. Last season, he propelled San Antonio’s University of the Incarnate Word to a 12-2 record and an impressive average of 51.5 points per game.
A former quarterback and safety at Gilmer, coach Kinne recognized the advantages of recruiting locally. With an estimated 40,000 undergraduates attending Texas State, the school is teeming with an abundance of local talent. However, the program had consistently been an afterthought in the FBS for both student-athletes and fans.
Attempts to establish a rivalry with nearby UTSA resulted in consistent defeats for Texas State, as the teams followed divergent paths—the Roadrunners on the ascent and the Bobcats on the decline. Nevertheless, this flimsy rivalry yielded one positive result: mentor and close friend Coach Jeff Traylor provided Kinne with a blueprint for creating a successful program by tapping into local roots.
Coach Kinne dedicated his recruitment efforts exclusively to Texas high school players, championing the motto “Take Back Texas.” Over the offseason, the Bobcats executed the second-largest team overhaul, surpassed only by the University of Colorado. The Bobcats welcomed 53 new members to their roster—primarily local talent who competed on Texas’s own gridirons. In total, the team boasts 94 Texan players.
At the close of the season, Kinne was rewarded with a five-year contract that extends through 2028, making him one of the Sun Belt’s highest-paid coaches. The contract’s incentives include bonuses for seasons with eight or more wins and conference championships.
The fans’ excitement was palpable, culminating in a celebratory frenzy during the First Responder Bowl that saw all the beer consumed before the end of the third quarter.
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