Houston Cougars Land All-Conference Offensive Line Talent From Transfer Portal
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Since the Houston Cougars wrapped up the season with a victory in the Texas Bowl over the LSU Tigers, Willie Fritz and his coaching staff have been heavily focused on roster construction for the 2026 season, with a heavy focus on roster retention.
While the Coogs have had some success retaining some of their key players, with the biggest being wide receiver Amare Thomas, who is set to return to Houston for another season. The Cougars have been unable to retain everybody, with a few heading to the transfer portal.
The Cougars have also been busy looking at targets in the transfer portal, already setting up visits with players they deem as priorities. And the Cougars have been able to hit paydirt in the portal, landing a commitment from a player on the offensive side of the ball.
Offensive Lineman Shadre Hurst Commits to Houston
On Sunday afternoon, On3's Hayes Fawcett reported on X that Tulane transfer offensive lineman redshirt-junior Shadre Hurst has committed to Houston. The offensive lineman has spent the last four seasons with the Green Wave.
Hurst played and started in all 14 games for Tulane this season, helping the Green Wave make a run to the College Football Playoff and an AAC conference championship. Hurst is seen as one of the top guards available in the transfer portal, ranked as the No. 13 interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal by 247Sports.
In his four years with Tulane, the six-foot-two, 293-pound offensive lineman made 36 career starts, earning First-Team All-AAC honors and All-American recognition in both 2024 and 2025. Hurst has recorded a 90.5 pass blocking grade per PFF.
In 2024, Hurst played in all 14 games for Tulane and made 13 starts at left guard, helping the Green Wave offense be one of the top units in the conference, earning himself his first All-AAC and All-American honors.
The offensive lineman saw action quickly in his career, making 14 appearances in his second year in the program during Tulane's 2023 season after taking his freshman season in 2022 to redshirt, even though he saw action in two games as a freshman.
The addition of Hurst is a reunion for the offensive lineman with head coach Willie Fritz, who signed Hurst to Tulane in the 2022 recruiting class when Fritz was the head man of the Green Wave. Fritz recruited and signed an unranked prospect in Hurst out of Cartersville High School in Cartersville, GA, and now the two are set to reunite in Houston.
For the Cougars, the addition of an experienced offensive lineman like Hurst brings in a true day-one starter on the Coogs' offensive line that has seen a few of its depth pieces head off to the transfer portal.
