Houston Needs to Decide What Kind of Quarterback It Wants Conner Weigman To Be
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The Houston Cougars offense took a big step forward last season thanks to the efforts of quarterback Conner Weigman. While he was great as a passer in 2025 with 25 passing touchdowns and 2705 yards on a 65 percent completion rate, it was his running ability that added another element to Houston's offense.
The balance that Weigman provided both on the ground and in the air was critical to the Cougars' success. While Weigman didn't run much during his three years at Texas A&M, that part of his game was unlocked at Houston.
It was what, in part, helped him become a five-star prospect out of Bridgeland High School in Cypress, Texas. The Cougars are a great fit for his strengths. However, Weigman had a whopping 171 rushing carries last season. While it did result in 700 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, that's not really a sustainable amount of carries for two seasons in a row.
Weigman took quite the wear and tear throughout the course of the year, running the ball well over 10 times a game most of the time. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback didn't suffer any significant injury apart from a minor concussion against Texas Tech, but going through those hits and carries again isn't a great idea. Not to mention, Weigman finally had a mostly healthy season after suffering injuries in his last two years with the Aggies.
How will the Cougars approach using Weigman's legs in the offensive game plan this season? There's no doubt those designed runs will be used, but it does seem like Houston will at least try not to have him run as much in 2026. There are a couple of reasons for that.
Preserving Weigman's Rushing
Offensive coordinator Slade Nagle spoke after fall camp practice No. 2 about how Weigman's rushing will be handled.
"Conner's a good runner, a really good runner. Ideally, would we like to run him 18 times a game? No. We'd like to be a little more spotty and strategic for what we're doing, but at the end of the day, I think that's a trait and a skill set that he brings to the table that we'll definitely have to lean on at some point," Nagle said.
Houston will definitely be using Weigman in the running game, but given the construction of the team in 2026, it's actually possible for his workload to go down. Houston needed Weigman last season to add another element for defenses to handle, as well as for most short-yardage situations.
Now, Houston has a running back who can be the true workhorse in senior transfer Makhi Hughes. He can also get physical downhill to get that one or two yards needed. Hughes had well over 250 carries in his freshman and sophomore years at Tulane, and that's the kind of playing time he could see at Houston.
Given how the run game is featured in coach Willie Fritz's teams, the Cougars have two more options at running back in redshirt junior ReShaun Sanford II and junior DJ Butler that can provide some explosiveness as well. It's clear the running back room is deeper and stronger this season.
Additionally, the offensive line added Preseason All-American left guard Shadre Hurst to the mix, in addition to two former all-MAC players in fifth-year right tackle Drew Terrill and reshirt sophomore center Anthony Boswell. These three transfers are great at run blocking.
Houston's talent on the outside has also greatly improved with multiple other weapons for Weigman to target in the passing game besides senior wide receiver Amare Thomas, such as senior transfer Trent Walker and redshirt sophomore Koby Young, who's shown remarkable growth.
The Cougars' offensive line is still practicing those quarterback runs, knowing that Weigman is such a strong runner.
"He may not be the speed guy, but he does a really good job of maneuvering the hole and get positive yards," offensive line coach Eman Naghavi said. "We never go into the game saying we're gonna run the guy a million times, but we're gonna do whatever it takes to win."
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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.