Houston Wide Receiver Stephon Johnson Officially Granted Extra Year by Court Ruling
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Houston Cougars coach Willie Fritz revealed at the start of the week that wide receiver Stephon Johnson rejoined the team for practice, and the expectation was in the Houston camp that Johnson would end up being eligible to play his fifth season of college football.
Fritz mentioned multiple times that he wanted to wait until he had some certainty about where this whole situation was going to go. Given the current landscape of the sport with rules and potential eligibility changing every day, that made sense.
Houston's thoughts about Johnson's case turned out to be right. A Dallas judge granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday that gives out an additional year of eligibility to the 41 plaintiffs involved in the case, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. That includes Johnson, who's now been granted that fifth year by the court.
Johnson's Return to Houston Confirmed by Court Ruling
Former Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez was also named in the case as an eligible player.
This all started in the wake of the NCAA's 5-for-5 rule, which will allow players five seasons in five years. However, the class of 2022 athletes were not included in the rule, which began these court decisions.
Johnson was a part of the class of 2022. Judge Martin Hoffman from Dallas County signed the order that prevents the NCAA, SEC, and SEC commissioner from excluding players this season due to having previously played four years.
It also prevents players from being excluded due to the transfer portal rules, playing in a professional event, or signing a contract, as long as they terminate such a contract and repay any money received prior to playing collegiately.
Johnson did join the New York Giants mini-camp, but never actually signed a professional contract. Additionally, Houston was quick to bring him back to the program once it was determined that it was possible for Johnson to return.
The Power Four conferences have now each set up their own rules when it comes to this latest situation, and the Big 12 stated that no team can roster a player who has been listed on the roster of a professional sports league, signed a contract, or declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw in a timely manner.
Johnson has done well for Houston over the past few years and has 69 receptions for 954 yards and seven touchdowns since 2023. He adds to the now very deep group of receivers with experience. Johnson will have to learn quite a lot on the fly, but it's still a similar system that was run last year.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver suffered a Lisfranc injury last season and only played five games.
Meanwhile, former Arizona State All-Big 12 safety Myles Rowser, who committed to UH this week from the transfer portal, was not included in this TRO. This situation continues to evolve everyday and Rowser's eligibility will be worth monitoring.
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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.