Houston Cougars On SI

Houston Cougars Recruiting: 2026 Early Signing Day Class Superlatives

Coach Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars have established a top 40 national recruiting class for 2026, but who are the names to keep a watchful eye on in this stacked and highly anticipated slate?
Michael Carrara|
Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Houston head coach Willie Fritz speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star.
Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Houston head coach Willie Fritz speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

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Houston Cougars

The Houston Cougars' 2026 recruiting class has gained significant traction to potentially build the program's brightest future ahead, featuring some late flips and high-probability commitment stays into the early national signing period.

As of today, Houston's 2026 class is billed as a top 40 class nationally by 247Sports (35th) and On3 (36th), with 19 total current commits and a highly anticipated five-star signal caller signing barring any surprises of its own. Ideally, that total should only grow over the weekend.

Over the past month alone, coach Willie Fritz, while leading Houston to a 9-3 regular season turnaround campaign in 2025, has landed a bevy of three-star commits from Cy Falls cornerback James Henderson III, Cy Ridge defensive lineman Isaiah Broughton, Willis tight end Jaivion Martin, Magnolia linebacker Tyler Covar, and a Tuesday flip of Friendswood interior offensive lineman Noah Abebe, who was originally committed to Tulane when led by coach Jon Sumrall.

The flipping power of Houston mixed with its ability to maintain the commitment of the No. 1 rated player in the nation by 247Sports could go a long way in terms of depth and remaining competitive with other regional power programs on a level it hasn't previously experienced.

In all, these pieces can make an immediate impact towards Big 12 Conference and College Football Playoff contention within the next few years while also potentially padding the professional draft resume for Houston.

With the future in mind, let's break down three top superlatives for Houston's highly anticipated 2026 recruiting class with the early signing period starting Wednesday:

Class MVP: Quarterback, Keisean Henderson

Without hesitation, Keisean Henderson is the name that comes to mind when when looking for a talking point in Houston's 2026 class, making the case to be the face of that class as its No. 1 rated player by 247Sports. He would have a case to be the subject of multiple superlative focuses, but flowers are due for other top recruits beyond him.

You could see why Henderson was originally designated with the "athlete" tag, as while playing at wide receiver early on at Legacy School of Sciences in Spring, Texas, he expanded positions beyond football as a multi-sport athlete in baseball and track and field.

Markers that helped boost his profile as what could be Houston's most hyper mobile quarterback prospect were when he ran a 23.31 200 just before his initial commitment in his sophomore year. Though not the deepest of passing threats, his accuracy is still greatly maintained in the short range and makes him the most ideal option in a spread offense.

That, of course, can change with time. One of his greatest displays came in the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl, where he won MVP of the event in throwing 3-for-5 on 146 yards in the time allotted to him, leading the West to a 13-7 win.

Henderson has gone on to throw for 8,455 yards since his first starting campaign in 2023 with the Titans, and despite receiving appealing offers from Auburn and Florida State in early 2025, he truly maintained his oath to stick to the roots of greater Houston, realizing the power he has to elevate the Cougars nationally. It certainly instills confidence that the "Kei 2 The City" will be unlocked come Wednesday, Dec. 3.

Class Most Versatile: Athlete, Paris Melvin Jr.

Houston has its first and the Big 12 has its next highly touted two-way prospect at its hands with the likes of Cypress Springs four-star athlete Paris Melvin Jr., having played snaps as a receiver and back offensively while going in a corner or nickel defensive back role.

For context, Melvin played as many as four positions in his 2024 junior season, in which he tallied a total of 1,495 yards offensively and 13 tackles as a cornerback.

Developmentally, Melvin will naturally require an addition of mass, whether or not he fulfills multiple positions at Houston, though the limited defensive snaps may point to him leaning more offensively for the Cougars. Regardless, he is still primed to showcase his versatility, which could see impacts as early as dawn in upcoming campaigns.

Class Most Underrated: Running back, John Hebert

Not enough people are talking about the resume that four-star running back John Hebert has put together in his time at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, compiling over 8,000 rushing yards in three seasons with the Crusaders. That's good for nearly nine yards per carry for a 6A first-team All-State and second-team All-American selection.

The bulk of it came in his 2024 junior campaign, where he averaged a whopping 9.4 yards per carry on 3,542 yards, which ultimately helped raise his profile as a top 10 running back in the nation and top 20 player in the state of Texas.

If Houston continues to seek a solution in efficiency towards the running game, for which it has been a mixed bag for quite some time, Hebert's stark athleticism from his staggering career marks bow to provide a massive upside in that department.

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Michael Carrara
MICHAEL CARRARA

Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.

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