Highly Touted Houston Freshman RB John Herbet Likely to Miss Remainder of Season

Highly touted true freshman running back John Herbert looks like he may not return again in 2026.

Houston Cougars HC Willie Fritz reacts during the second quarter against UCF at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, the No. 22 Houston Cougars have suffered an injury. The 2026 recruiting class for the Cougars saw several blue-chip recruits commit and sign with Houston.

One of those was the running back John Hebert, who unfortunately is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a lower-leg injury, per Cougars' head coach Willie Fritz.

John Hebert's 2026 Season Is Likely Over

Hebert was ranked as the No. 8 running back in the 2026 recruiting class according to 247Sports. He played in just one game in 2026, seeing some action against the Southern Jaguars in a 77-6 win in Week 2.

He totaled 65 rushing yards on only five rushes while also adding an impressive 20-yard touchdown reception on top of that.

JOHN HEBERT THE MAN THAT YOU ARE 💨

📺ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/xcgsk5Boxo

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 13, 2026

The Cougars have significant depth in the RB room thanks to the 1-2 punch of Re'Shaun Sanford II and Makhi Hughes, plus DJ Butler, meaning Herbert was never going to be a big part of the rotation in Year 1.

In other words, barring disaster, this injury doesn't have the biggest implications for the Cougars in 2026.

Recovering from a lower-leg injury isn't easy. Sanford would know, having dealt with a similar situation himself. Twice.

In fact, Sanford has also dealt with injuries early in his collegiate career.

In 2023, as a freshman himself, Sanford tore the ACL in his right knee during fall camp, leading him to miss the entire season. The following season in 2024, he returned, played in all 12 games, and led the Cougars in rushing with 444 yards. Then in 2025, disaster struck once more, and Sanford tore the ACL in his other knee, with the injury occurring in fall camp yet again.

Now in 2026, Sanford is once again leading the team in rushing, with 55 carries for 314 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and has two touchdowns to his name in five games.

Fritz hopes Herbert can take some inspiration from Sanford and come back stronger than ever.

“John will come back. I told him that he’s going to use Re’Shaun (Sanford) as a good example for him, Fritz said Monday. "Re’Shaun’s had two injuries and has come back and played better than he ever has.”

The running back room remains healthy for now and has the depth it needs to keep being a problem for opposing teams.

Regardless, this injury still hurts for Hebert, who showed high promise in his only appearance

. Hopefully, he can get healthy quickly and get back on the field sooner rather than later.