How the Houston Cougars Practice At the Start of Fall Camp: ‘It’s Groundhog Day’

Fall camp is in full swing for the Houston Cougars as they continue to prepare for the highly anticipated start of the 2026 season. This is the start of the third season under coach Willie Fritz, and it is a key year for the team to truly transition into one of the top Big 12 contenders.

The Cougars have a talented roster across the board, and this year’s fall camp will be competitive given the amount of potential difference-makers. This is just the first week of practice, and camp will continue for the rest of the month.

It’s important for a program to build its culture and establish the way practice is run at the start of camp. Fritz, like most coaches around the country, has a specific way of doing things. A big part of the process is to have the same routine and get after it every single day.

Fritz and the players have the exact mindset.

Houston’s Fall Camp is Groundhog Day

Oct 25, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Houston Cougars defensive back Kentrell Webb (8) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“It’s just a grind. Coach Fritz calls it Groundhog Day because it’s the same thing every single day. This being my fifth camp, I’ve done it a lot,” senior defensive back Kentrell Webb said.

Webb is one of the veterans of the defense and understands this better than most, given he started his career at Tulane in 2022 and has played under Fritz his entire college career.

“Luckily, we have veterans, but we want to do the best job we can every day. I know that sounds cliché, but that’s what we’re looking to do,” Fritz said.

It’s the same effort every single day that builds players in fall camp.

There are a couple of key points that Fritz likes to emphasize at the start of camp.

“We want to teach them how we practice. Hustling on and off the field, going past the second white line. Just how we do things at the University of Houston. Really teaching them how we practice early in camp is what our expectations are,” Fritz said.

These basic fundamentals will have to be taught early so that the rest of the practice goes smoothly and the players can really learn and improve their position skills.

“We have a staff meeting, and one of the things I’m going to talk about is coaching the drills. Coaching our expectations and how we do things. The No. 1 thing you want to coach in practice is effort,” Fritz said.

The Cougars will also have a meeting that lasts an hour and a half to discuss film, technique, schemes and fundamentals. Houston had a lot of players who practiced in the spring and have continuity from last year, with a multitude of players and most of the coaching staff returning.

As the week has gone on, the effort has definitely increased, as well as the focus on how practice is done.

“The part that we’ve got the coach like crazy, especially early in camp, is effort. Playing hard is not a natural habit for people, so you’ve got to make them understand what our expectations are on every single play,” Fritz said. “We should be running full speed until I blow the whistle.”

The Cougars are old school and also pride themselves on not beating themselves. “Coogs don’t beat the Coogs!” This is the one mantra that Fritz has preached throughout his time at Houston. The expectation is to go all out every practice.

"At the end of practice today, I told them if you’re saving for the second practice, you’re not very smart. The key to winning ball games is preparation first and foremost,” Fritz said.

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