Houston Defensive Back Earns Multiple Defensive Player of the Week Honors
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The Houston Cougars' secondary once again proved that they're one of the best units in the Big 12 against the TCU Horned Frogs. While head coach Willie Fritz's squad may not have come away with the win, the Cougars' defense once again showed, with four turnovers.
Will James, a corner in Austin Armstrong's defense, easily had the best day among the entire Houston secondary. On Saturday afternoon, the transfer sophomore from Southern Miss came away with two interceptions and a forced fumble to keep Houston in the game.
Wild Will ‼️
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) November 24, 2025
2 picks, 1 forced fumble, 5 tackles = DPOW pic.twitter.com/NCFkjElPCI
Because of his three takeaways, James earned Defensive Player of the Week and PFF National Team of the Week honors. The defensive back totaled five tackles against TCU as well.
How James Rebounded Against the Horned Frogs
After TCU went up 14-0 in the first quarter, things appeared to be heading downhill fast for Houston. Hoover and the Frogs' offense appeared to be unstoppable with an explosive passing attack. It was on the first drive of the second quarter that things finally started to turn in the Cougars' direction.
With just under 14 minutes left in the second quarter, James logged his interception of the day to get the Cougars' offense back on the field. The turnover would later lead to Conner Weigman finding Amare Thomas in the endzone for Houston's first touchdown of the day.
Later in the second quarter, James gave the Cougars offense a shot to tie the game before halftime with a forced fumble against TCU wide receiver Jordyn Bailey. While the turnover didn't lead to points, giving Slade Nagle's offense an opportunity to find its rhythm eventually paid dividends as the Cougars outscored the Frogs 7-0 in the third quarter.
Early on in the second half, James once again made his presence felt in the Houston secondary as he intercepted Josh Hoover for the second time on Saturday. Only six plays later, the Cougars would tie the game at 14-14 with an 8-yard pass to Dean Connors.
James' efforts in giving Houston a chance to win didn't go unrecognized. The defensive back was one of the best in the country on Saturday and the Big 12 recognized that by giving him Defensive Player of the Week honors.
James Featured Among College Football's Elite for Week 13
As previously mentioned, the Big 12 wasn't the only one to recognize James' big day. The corner for the Cougars also landed a spot in the PFF National Team of the Week.
The secondary piece for the Cougars was featured alongside some big names in the college football world, such as Colin Simmons on the Texas Longhorns, Caden Curry on the Ohio State Buckeyes, and Leonard Moore on Notre Dame.
While James has been a solid piece in Fritz's defense this season, he hasn't joined an elite group of defensive playmakers like this during the season. Below is the entire PFF National Team of the Week.
National Team of the Week
Offense
QB: Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
RB: Joe Jackson, Kansas State
WR: Wyatt Young, North Texas
WR: Carlos Hernandez, Wake Forest
TE: Dylan Wade, UCF
Flex: WR Mudia Rueben, USF
LT: Trevor Lauck, Iowa
LG: Paki Finau, Washington
C: Aaron Fenimore, Liberty
RG: Trent Allen, Ohio
RT: Jordon Jones, Ohio
Defense
EDGE: Caden Curry, Ohio State
EDGE: Collin Simmons, Texas
DI: Donovan Hinish, Notre Dame
DI: Qwyn Williams, Hawaii
LB: Shad Banks Jr., UTSA
LB: Gideon Lampron, Bowling Green
CB: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
CB: Will James, Houston
S: Jalen Stroman, Notre Dame
S: Jakari Foster, Louisiana Tech
Flex: CB Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State
