Ranking Every Houston Football Offensive Position Group by Confidence Rating
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Houston football concluded its spring season with a solid all-around showing in the annual spring game.
With several new faces from the transfer portal and the 2026 high school class, the Cougars are inching closer to finalizing their roster for the upcoming season.
The offensive group especially stands out, and the Cougars should see an increase in scoring in 2026.
Offensive Position Group Ranking
1. Wide Recievers
Houston’s wide receiver room is undoubtedly the strength of the offense this season and the depth and experience is what make this position dangerous.
Senior receivers Amare Thomas and Trent Walker are the leaders of the wideouts, and their experience will be much needed playing in a stout Big 12 Conference.
The duo combined for 135 catches for 1,789 and 14 touchdowns in 2025, and they very well could be the best receiving duo in the conference.
Senior receiver Harvey Broussard III and sophomore receiver Koby Young also have a ton of untapped potential, and they will get a huge increase in snaps in 2026.
To round out the room, Houston’s sophomore receivers Jaquise Martin and Muizz Tounkara are young guys with high potential who should get several opportunities to make an impact.
2. Running Backs
The running back room is also stout and ranked high on the list also because of experience.
Houston went out and got senior running back Makhi Hughes from Oregon, and he previously was a star at Tulane, rushing for 2,779 yards and 22 touchdowns across his two seasons there.
He is now in line to be the RB1; however, the Cougars have two other returners who will see the field a lot.
Junior running back Re’Shaun Sandord II was one of Houston’s best running backs before suffering a season-ending injury last season.
Now back from injury, Sanford can make a real difference as a runner and pass catcher.
Junior running back DJ Butler rounds out the room, and he had a real chance to shine towards the end of last season.
He racked up 68 carries for 301 yards, and he should have even more of an impact this season.
3. Offensive Line
Head coach Willie Fritz has figured out the key to building an offensive line, and it is through bringing in experienced players through the transfer portal.
He began this method last season, and he continued the same plan this offseason.
The Cougars brought in senior transfer Alvin Ebosele, sophomore transfer Anthony Boswell, senior transfer Shadre Hurst, senior transfer McKenzie Agnello, and senior transfer Drew Terril all through the portal.
With an o-line built through the portal made up of all guys who have significant reps under their belt, the offensive line could end up being a strength of Houston’s offense.
4. Quarterbacks
While senior quarterback Conner Weigman will be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 Conference next season, there is almost zero college football experience behind him.
Freshman quarterback Keisean Henderson will be Houston’s next star and leader of this team, but he only has one offseason under his belt, so there is no way to know how he’d fare in a full collegiate game.
Behind him is Syracuse transfer quarterback Luke Carney who got very limited reps last season.
While the quarterback room is filled with talent, the lack of experienced depth is why they are lower on the list than other positions.
5. Tight Ends
While Houston’s tight ends should be solid for the team this year, they are the last spot on this list for the simple fact that their floor and ceilings in the offense are unknown.
UTSA transfer tight end Patrick Overmyer should slide into Tanner Koziol's role very nicely, being a downfield threat.
Senior tight end Luke McGary should take over most of the blocking duties and he will have a big responsibility in setting up blocks for Houston’s strong running back room.
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Ashton Grissom is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He is currently a senior at the University of Houston and majoring in Sports Media Production with a minor in Marketing and Spanish. He also works for two student organizations: The Cougar and CoogTV. You can find Grissom on his Instagram (@ashtonagrissom8) or Twitter (@ashtongrissom8).