Houston Lands Massive Big Ten Defensive Commitment From Transfer Portal

The Cougars continued their momentum on Thursday by picking up a key player on the defensive side of the ball.

Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz yells out to his team as they play against the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Oct. 25, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the portal window is set to close on Jan. 16, head coach Willie Fritz and staff are still adding to an already impressive transfer class.

Late Thursday night, former Oregon edge Ashton Portal made his commitment to Houston official, and he is a big addition for the Cougars next season.

With the addition, Houston now ranks No. 46 in the 247 Sports transfer portal rankings, and as the portal window comes to a close, the Cougars are still pushing hard to round out their transfer class.

Ashton Porter Commits To Houston

Nov 2, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Oregon Ducks linebacker Ashton Porter (29) looks on before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

After signing 30 transfers last season, the Cougars are once again utilizing the portal to their advantage.

Porter is from Cypress, Texas, and the redshirt sophomore now returns to his hometown after spending three seasons with the Ducks.

This season, he totaled 20 tackles and a sack in his limited playing time; however, he will jump into a much larger role with Houston.

After losing several defensive players to the portal or the 2026 NFL Draft, Porter will have a shot to be a day-one starter for the Cougars.

The 6-foot-3, 290-pound edge is very versital, and he can be used as a linebacker as well.

Porter is one of many examples of Fritz prioritizing recruiting players who are from Houston, and that method has paid dividends so far for the veteran head coach.

Porter is now the second commitment of the day, with former Florida Gators wide receiver Muizz Tounkara announcing his pledge to Houston earlier on Thursday.

The Cougars finished the season fourth in the Big 12 Conference in total defense, and Houston’s defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong just got another weapon that will have a huge impact going forward.

Porter is now the third defensive lineman to join the Cougars in this portal cycle.

De’Marion Thomas, a former Oklahoma State defensive lineman, was the first at the position to commit to Houston.

As a Cowboy, he totaled 54 tackles and he will be a difference maker for Houston this season.

The other defensive lineman commit in the class is Ejiroghene Egodogbare, who spent his first four season at Yale.

The 6-foot-3, 305-pound big man has one more year of eligibility, and he earned All-Ivy Honors in the 2024 season.

It is very clear that Fritz and Armstrong are taking advantage of adding veteran players to come in and make an immediate impact.

With the success from this season, expect Fritz and staff to follow a similar blueprint going forward as they look to improve this year.