Gilmer Assistant Kurt Traylor To Be Named Tyler Lee Football Coach

The Tyler Independent School District is expected to announce Kurt Traylor as the next head football coach at Robert E. Lee High School during a press conference scheduled for Monday.

The news was first learned by InsideTexas.com's Justin Wells and independently confirmed by ETSN.fm.

Traylor, if formally hired, will join the Red Raiders program after a long and successful stint as Gilmer's offensive line coach and running game coordinator. He also heads the East Texas O-Line Camp.

Gilmer's offensive lines have paved the way to three state championships, two more state championship game appearances and 15 district championships through Traylor's tenure. The program reached the Class 4A Division II state semifinals in each of the past two seasons and most recently won a 4A Division II championship in 2014.

The 2014 team Traylor helped guide scored the second-most points in a Texas high school season.

Traylor's previously coached at Jacksonville and spent a season as a Texas A&M graduate in between stints at Gilmer in R.C. Slocom's final season. He was hired to Gilmer by Jeff Traylor, his brother.

Jeff Traylor is presently the running backs coach at SMU. He spent the past two seasons at Texas under Charlie Strong.

The T.I.S.D. hiring will end a whirlwind search for a new coach. Clayton George resigned from the Tyler Lee job May 25 after one season, informing district athletics director Greg Priest his reasoning was family related.

Lee went 2-8 under George and winless in District 11-6A competition. It missed the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Kurt Traylor is expected to be Lee's fourth head coach since Mike Owens retired in 2010. Owens won Lee's sole football state championship, the Class 5A Division I crown, in 2004.

Lee's cupboard is hardly bare on the offensive side of the ball.

Quarterback Chance Amie is returning for his senior year and currently owns 18 NCAA Division I FBS scholarship opportunities. Junior running back Ladarius Wickware ran for more than 1,200 yards as a sophomore.

Defense has been the Red Raiders' weakness the past two seasons. The 2016 team lost four games by one possession and lost twice despite the offense scoring 50 or more points.