How One Transfer Has Made an Instant Impact With Houston Cougars
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Taking the Houston Cougars from zero to hero is a tough task, and in just his second season as head coach, Willie Fritz seems to have his squad on the right track.
Weaponizing the transfer portal for his own good, Fritz went out and completely rebuilt his squad. Out of the 24 starting roles available on a football team, 15 of them are transfer portal additions new to Houston this season.
While quarterback Conner Weigman has been all the talk for the newcomers, tight end Tanner Koziol has quickly become his go-to guy and one of the biggest pieces of this Houston Cougars offense.
Houston, We Have a Solution
With the Cougars, Koziol is on a tear. Heading into Week 4, he currently ranks third nationally among tight ends in receptions, where he has recorded 17 through three games.
In 2025, he has tallied 148 yards and a touchdown, quickly becoming one of Weigman’s favorite targets. He has also been graded as one of the top-five tight ends in college football to this point by PFSN College.
Putting up numbers 🔥@tannerkoziol88 is ranked top 5️⃣ nationally among TEs in receptions 💪 pic.twitter.com/jma3OH74kw
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) September 18, 2025
Before transferring to the Third Ward, Koziol spent three seasons as a Ball State Cardinal. As the holder of multiple Ball State tight end records, Koziol logged 94 catches for over 800 yards last season as well as eight touchdowns. After his impressive year, he decided to enter the transfer portal.
In the Winter transfer portal window, Koziol decided to take his talent to the Wisconsin Badgers. After spending three weeks with the team, he decided the program was not the right fit for him and rendered the portal for the Spring window. Once the tight end was back in the portal, Fritz knew he would be the perfect addition to his dynamic new offense.
Each season, Koziol has made an impact on whatever team he has been on. He has an innate sense of space and how to find soft spots in zone coverage and exploit them, similar to the Kansas City Chiefs’ all-time great tight ends Travis Kelce.
Having a player with that ability can do wonders for offenses and they quickly tend to become a quarterback’s best friend. As Weigman has what seems to be a career resurgence in Houston, expect Koziol to continue playing a major role in the Coogs’ offense.
Houston is set to take the field again on Friday, Sept. 26 when it makes the trip to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers, who currently sit at 0-3.
