High Stakes On and Off the Field as Houston Cougars Face Texas Tech Red Raiders
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The Houston Cougars face their toughest challenge of the season so far as they welcome in the No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders to TDECU Stadium on Saturday night, in a matchup between two still unbeaten teams on the season.
The matchup could potentially be big for both programs, affecting the outlook for the back half of the season, with the Red Raiders looking to continue their flying start to the season and continue looking like the team to beat in the Big 12. As for the Cougars, an upset victory on Saturday could be Houston's biggest victory in quite some time and shake up things big time in the Big 12.
While head coach Willie Fritz and the Cougars look for the victory on the field against the Red Raiders, Saturday's game could potentially be big for Houston on the recruiting trail, as On3's Steve Wiltfong hinted at in a post on his X, which said, "Houston is on commit watch this weekend!"
Houston is on commit watch this weekend! https://t.co/mEttZTMsgA
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) October 1, 2025
Which top Houston Targets will be in attendance vs. Tech Tech
As Wiltfong wrote, the Coogs will have the majority of their committed class of 2026 prospects at the game on Saturday, including their two top recruits in five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson and four-star wideout Jayden Warren. However, a lot of uncommitted prospects will see the Cougars take on the Red Raiders. Here's a look at a couple of big names.
Ahmad Hudson, TE
The biggest prospect in attendance for the Cougars showdown on Saturday night will be five-star prospect Ahmad Hudson. Hudson is the highest-ranked player at his position for the 2027 recruiting class and the No. 10 player overall in the class.. The Cougars find themselves in competition with LSU, Nebraska and Texas A&M for the multi-sport athlete.
Over the summer, Hudson spoke with Coogs247 about his recruitment process, pointing out that programs have been recruiting him for both football and basketball, which should benefit the Cougars, with Kelvin Sampson's program considered a championship contender once again.
Landen Williams-Callis, RB
Also, another top prospect, a part of the 2027 cycle running back Landen Williams-Callis, will also be in the stands on Saturday night. A five-star prospect per 247Sports' composite rankings, Williams-Callis, a Richmond (T.X) native, ranks as the No. 3 ranked running back in the class and the No. 5 ranked player out of the state of Texas.
Although still early in the recruiting process of Williams-Callis, the Coogs will have to battle top powerhouses across the country with the running back holding offers from Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, among others.
Jaivion Martin, LB
One prospect from the 2026 class that the Cougars looked poised to make a run at is three-star tight end Jaivion Martin, who recently backed out of his commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks a few weeks ago. A Texas native out of Willis High School, Martin is listed as a top 20 tight end in the country for the 2026 recruiting cycle and is a top 50 recruit out of the Lone Star State.
