A New Era of Houston Football Is Here
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Houston football took care of business against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday and the Cougars eclipsed the five-win mark for the first time since joining the Big 12 Conference.
Head coach Willie Fritz and staff did an outstanding job in the transfer portal in the offseason, and that is a big reason for their success.
The Cougars are now 5-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play. A win against Arizona next week would make them bowl eligible for the first time since Houston defeated Louisiana 23-16 in the Independence Bowl.
How Fritz Revived Houston’s Football Program
When Fritz first stepped on Houston’s campus in preparation for the 2024 season, he had several goals in mind and a vision of what Houston football could become.
The first step of the process towards success was to change the recruiting style.
”We are going to recruit the heck out of the state of Texas,” Fritz said. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t. The best football in the country is played here in this state… and I’m fortunate that I know a bunch of the high school coaches and I’m excited about renewing my acquaintances with those guys.”
Houston’s 2026 recruiting class is a clear indicator that he is doing exactly what he said he would do in his introductory press conference.
The upcoming class ranks No.32 in the country and is on pace to be the best recruiting class in Houston football history.
Also, 14 out of the 17 recruits are from Texas and the others are from right down the road in Louisiana.
The next area Fritz wanted to be competitive was the transfer portal. In the offseason, Houston was aggressive in the transfer portal and their success shows they got the right guys.
At the midpoint of the season and a dominant 39-17 victory against Oklahoma State, the Cougars’ success shows Fritz’s plan is working.
Junior quarterback Conner Weigman was the guy-to-get in the portal and he continues to show why he was a priority for Houston.
On Saturday, he gashed Oklahoma State for 306 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
His favorite target this season, junior receiver Amare Thomas, also transfer to Houston from UAB.
Thomas led the team with a career-high 157 yards through the air and also has the most receiving yards on the team this season.
The other top transfers making an impact for Houston are senior tight end Tanner Koziol and senior running back Dean Connors.
Koziol is a Ball State transfer and has made the most of his opportunity to play in the Big 12. Through six games, he has 30 receptions for 310 yards and two touchdowns, making him one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the country.
Connors is also having a great season with the Cougars and transferred from Rice for his final year of eligibility.
Connors is a great running back but also has the versatility to be a pass catcher as well.
At the halfway point of the season, he has 438 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. He also hauled in 13 receptions including a touchdown against Oklahoma State this season.
Fritz has proven this year why he has the fifth-most wins of any active head coach and that his plan for Houston is working.
The veteran head coach is only in his second season at Houston and has already rejuvenated the entire program and made Cougar football exciting again.
The Cougars have found their head coach of the future, but Fritz also found a home.
”You know a lot of people start on third base and think they hit a triple. You know it took me a long time to get around the bases,” Fritz said. “I finally got my home run by getting this job, it’s a dream, here at the University of Houston.”
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).