Houston Lands Massive Transfer Portal Commit From Big 12 Foe
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The Houston Cougars continue to roll in the offseason, now having nine commitments in this season’s transfer portal class.
Early on Wednesday, Houston landed a huge commitment from former Oklahoma State/Vanderbilt defensive lineman De’Marion Thomas.
With his commitment, he provides the Cougars with a day one starter with several seasons of expereince across the SEC and Big 12 conferences.
What De’Marion Thomas Brings To Houston
Thomas has elite size, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 340 pounds, and he is a starting-caliber nose tackle that is a huge win for head coach Willie Fritz and staff.
The defensive lineman began his career at Vanderbilt for two seasons, and he eventually worked his way into a starting role.
This season, he decided to join Oklahoma State, and he ended up redshirting with the firing of former Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.
With the extra year of eligibility, he will remain a junior at the University of Houston and have two years of eligibility remaining.
Across his three seasons and two programs, the Tulsa native totaled 54 tackles and a sack.
He ranked as the No. 42 defensive lineman in the portal, and he definitely has the physical traits to be a force in the Big 12.
With Thomas originally being projected to take his talents to the Auburn Tigers, Fritz and staff were able to pry him away and keep him closer to home.
With his commitment, Houston has landed three defensive transfers in the portal, and there is no signs of them slowing down any time soon.
Former Tulane safety, Javion White, is one of the guys who committed to Houston in this cycle.
Fritz continues to recruit his old school, Tulane, extremely hard and it has been a recipe for success in his two seasons at Houston.
Whte is a very athletic safety standing at 5-foot-10 and weighing 190 pounds, and his speed made him a very attractive target this offseason.
He ranked as the No. 9 safety in the portal, and he finished 2025 with 50 tackles and three interceptions.
The other commit in Houston’s defensive class is former Stephen F. Austin cornerback Jalen Mayo.
Fritz and staff got a good look at Mayo when they matched up in the season opener in August.
The young playmaker went on to lead the Southland Conference with an 85.8 coverage grade, and he finished the year with a lot of attention from Power Four programs.
Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).