3 Biggest Takeaways From Houston's Fourth Week of Fall Camp
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The start of Houston football's regular season is now under two weeks away. As the excitement to opening kickoff on Sept. 5 continues to get louder, fall camp was in full swing this past week.
There were some key moments from week 3 of fall camp as the Cougars gear up for their most anticipated season in years. Here are the three biggest takeaways.
Practice and Injury Updates From Fritz
Coach Willie Fritz's update about the kicking game on Monday was one of the highlights this week, given that it's really one of the main competitions on the team at the moment. Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Dimas was running with the first team, according to Fritz, with senior Zac Yoakum on the second team.
It will be interesting to see if redshirt freshman Evan Noel can change any of that in the last week of August.
Fritz mentioned some of the freshmen that would get some real work this year, and that included current two-way player on defense and special teams in Paris Melvin Jr., running back John Hebert, and potentially two freshmen in right guard Noah Abebe and center Aaron Wolford.
He likes the depth that's being built on the line.
Speaking of the second-string offensive line, sophomore left tackle RJ Lee got a little banged up this past week, according to Fritz. Additionally, Fritz said sophomore wide receiver Muizz Tounkara and senior tight end Luke McGary should be back around week 2-3.
A big part of practice under Fritz is how he protects players while still emphasizing physicality. The main rule is around the quarterback.
"We're gonna stay off the quarterback, plain and simple. I tell the guys in the first meeting. I can play a left tackle at right guard, but I can't play the right guard at quarterback. So we're limited. So do not touch them. And if they do, I make a big deal out of them," Fritz said.
Different Moments on Friday and Saturday
Houston did a walk-through on Friday at the indoor practice facility and went through a variety of plays in all three phases. There was quite a bit of special teams involved as well. Fritz coached special teams at Sam Houston State in 1991-92, and he truly understands how important that phase of the game is.
Coach Kelvin Sampson gave a lengthy speech after today’s football practice.
— Cougar Sports (@cougarsportsone) August 22, 2026
Broke huddle with the team afterward. pic.twitter.com/bOGQXZVGFw
Additionally, men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson made a visit to practice on Saturday at TDECU Stadium and took time to speak with the team and gave out some of his advice. It's clear he's a big proponent of supporting the program.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.