Houston Football Has One Clear Strength Entering 2026
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What was once an area of improvement for the Houston Cougars after the 2025 season is now the clear strength heading into the 2026 season.
That flip is a result of a productive transfer portal, growth over the offseason and a surprise late addition thanks to the recent situation impacting college football.
The Cougars' secondary was initially viewed by many as the strength given the key returning starters, but it seems as if one position might have surpassed them. Houston's wide receiver room looks to be the new strength of the team at the moment. The talent looks deep and features a number of skill sets that could help this Houston offense reach the next level.
Houston's key talent on the outside, Amare Thomas, has returned for his senior season as the No. 1, but it was clear after last year that he needed another receiver alongside him. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman also needed another weapon in the passing game on the outside. Here's how the new-look receiver room became the strength.
Receiver Room Boasts Potential
Thomas is the leader as a preseason All-Big 12 team member and someone who racked up 966 receiving yards last season. Senior transfer from Oregon State, Trent Walker, was a massive addition and figures to playing a huge part in the offense.
He stands at 6-foot-2 and has been known to be a do-it-all receiver. Walker has all the looks of a reliable target for Weigman in key situations. He had 823 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 68 receptions last year.
Redshirt sophomore Koby Young was one of the standout players of fall camp given how automatic he was in terms of making catches and creating big plays in the passing game. That's something Houston needed more of last season, and Young showed some flashes in 2025. He's poised to take the next step as a speed option that can come down with contested catches.
Another returner is sophomore Jaquise Martin. He showed his presence around fall camp as well. The big news came at the start of this past week when coach Willie Fritz announced that Stephon Johnson has returned to Houston and begun practice with the team.
This was an unexpected addition, as Johnson's collegiate career was supposedly over until the latest series of court rulings that allowed the NCAA's 5-for-5 rule to apply to the class of 2022. That meant Johnson was now eligible for his fifth season of college football.
Given his three years of experience at Houston and his big-play receiver, this creates a great deal of depth and variety for the Cougars. Johnson, at 6-foot-2, averaged over 21 yards per catch last season in five games. It'll take a bit for him to catch up to speed, but his addition is the cherry on top.
Houston also added sophomore Muizz Tounkara from Florida in the transfer portal, and he is currently out with a left foot injury. Tounkara was the Cougars' standout receiver during spring ball and looked explosive with breakaway speed and a large frame at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.
Tounkara should be back early in the season after a couple weeks, per Fritz.
Additionally, don't forget about senior Harvey Broussard III who had a good amount of involvement last year. He's tied with Tounkara as tallest receiver on the team at 6-foot-3 as well.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.