Houston’s Patrick Overmyer Delivered A Silver Lining in a Brutal Loss

Houston left Colorado with a 42-32 loss that knocked the Cougars to 7-3 and hurt their chances of making the College Football Playoff.

However, for tight end Patrick Overmyer, the loss proved that he remains one of the most productive tight ends in the nation.

Here is how his production stacks up with others in the John Mackey Award.

Overmeyer's Incredible Year

UH tight end Patrick Overmyer — Houston Cougars tight end Patrick Overmyer (9) yells out after a touchdown against Kansas State Wildcats during the game inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas, on Oct. 10, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In the Friday game against Colorado, Overmyer racked up nine catches, 116 yards and a touchdown in the loss. He was quarterback Conner Weigman's most reliable target when everything else on the offense seemed to fail.

Overmyer caught two big passes that set up running back Makhi Hughes' touchdown run. He later caught a 22-yard touchdown on fourth down to finish a 62-yard drive.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

The numbers he has produced make his case for the John Mackey Award. After the Colorado game, he has 614 yards and eight touchdowns on 52 catches, which is one reception short of Houston wide receiver Amare Thomas.

He went into the game with 497 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. According to Houston Athletics, he had the second-most touchdowns for an FBS tight end and was tied for the seventh-most among all pass catchers in the nation.

There are many other tight ends that are vying for the award too. Entering this weekend, Virginia Tech tight end Luke Reynolds had 560 yards and six touchdowns, while North Carolina's Jelani Thurman had 525 yards and eight touchdowns.

Statistically, Overmyer ranks second in yards behind TCU tight end Kari Ashley and is tied for first in touchdown catches, giving him a good chance to win the award.

The loss showed how valuable Overmyer was and how reliant Weigman was on him. Colorado seemed to know where Weigman was going to throw but the tight end was able to get open regardless.

Last year, Eli Stowers won the award with 769 receiving yards. Overmyer is 155 yards away and has twice as many touchdowns as Stowers. He tied the FBS single-game record for most touchdown catches by a tight end with four against Kansas State.

With two games remaining in the regular season against West Virginia and Baylor, Overmyer could have close to 750 yards and 10 touchdowns to cap off the year. This also doesn't include a potential bowl game for Houston, which could put him close to 800 yards.

Overmyer's case to win the award only got stronger despite the loss against Colorado.

Add us as a preferred source on Google