Houston's Most Underrated Player At Each Offensive Position Ahead of Spring Practice

The Houston Cougars have several key players returning for the 2026 season, who are some of the under-the-radar-names.

Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Houston Cougars will be looking ahead to the 2026 season to build upon a much-improved 2025 season and year two under head coach Willie Fritz. The Cougars concluded this season with a 10-3 overall record and a 6-3 record in the Big 12 and with their first bowl game victory since 2022 after a win over the LSU Tigers in the Texas Bowl.

The Cougars will now put last season behind them and look towards the upcoming season in which Fritz will be tasked to blend several of his returning players that were key contributors, along with a talented class of 2026 recruiting class and a transfer portal class that's full of immediate impact players.

The next big step for the Coogs is on the horizon with the start of spring practice now only just one week away. The Cougars are soon to put offseason workouts and winter conditioning behind them and head to the practice field. With spring practice right around the corner, here is the most underrated offensive player at each position for the Coogs heading into the spring.

Quarterback: Luke Carney

Syracuse Orange quarterback Luke Carney runs between North Carolina Tar Heels safety Gregory Smith III and defensive back Jaiden Patterson. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Everybody obviously knows who will be the starting signal caller for the Cougars once they return to the field to take on the Oregon State Beavers in the season opener, that being returning starter Conner Weigman. Weigman ended his first season with the Coogs, throwing for 2,705 yards, 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions, while also rushing for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Also, a well-known piece of the Cougars' quarterback room is incoming freshman Keisean Henderson, who in the 2026 recruiting class was ranked as a five-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the class of 2026 by 247Sports.

The pick in the quarterback room is former Syracuse quarterback Luke Carney. The transfer saw minimal action with Syracuse as a freshman, recording just seven pass attempts while completing five for 22 yards and rushing for a touchdown. Carney will likely not compete for the starting job, but with a season of college football under his belt, he could offer some experience to the Coogs QB room.

Running Back: Re’Shaun Sanford II

Re’Shaun Sanford II missed out on his redshirt sophomore campaign and the Cougars' 2025 season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in fall camp. Sanford II was productive in his second season as a Coog, recording a team-high 444 rushing yards on 94 carries while scoring a lone touchdown.

The running back was also a factor in the passing game, tallying 18 receptions for 157 yards. Now paired with transfer running back Makhi Hughes, Sanford II could be a big piece of the Houston running back room if he can get back into the form he found as a redshirt freshman.

Wide Receiver: Harvey Broussard III

Houston Cougars wide receiver Harvey Broussard III against the Arizona State Sun Devils. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Coogs bring back wide receiver Amare Thomas, who had a breakout season in 2025, leading the Cougars in receiving yards and touchdowns. Also returning from Houston's wide receiver corps from a season ago is Harvey Broussard III, who could carve himself a role on next season's offense.

In 2025, Broussard III appeared in all 13 games with eight starts at wide receiver as he recorded eight receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. At six-foot-three, the wide receiver could become a good deep ball or over-the-middle-of-the-field option for Weigman and the Cougars offense.

Tight End: Kaleb Thomas

Houston Cougars tight end Kaleb Thomas against the Arizona State Sun Devils. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Cougars are saying goodbye to tight end Tanner Koziol, who was a huge piece of the offense. While Houston did bring in transfer tight end Patrick Overmyer to likely fill the starting role, redshirt sophomore Kaleb Thomas should have an opportunity to compete at the very least for a backup role.

Thomas played in nine games a season ago and made his first career start in the Cougars' bowl game victory over LSU. The tight end was one of the best blocking players at his position with a 74.2 pass block grade, which ranked fourth among Big 12 tight ends, and a 74.2 pass block grade, which led Big 12 freshmen tight ends.

Offensive Line: Anthony Boswell

The Coogs will have a brand new look offensive line headed into next season, especially with the number of additions Houston made out of the transfer portal to its offensive line. One of the additions that will end up being bigger than expected is the addition of Anthony Boswell.

A transfer from Toledo, Boswell earned a First-Team All-MAC as a redshirt freshman while also earning All-American honors, who should become a key piece to the Cougars new look offensive line.