Six Houston Position Rooms, Six Breakout Candidates to Watch
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Houston Cougars football really needed to develop depth across the board when they first joined the Big 12. Over the past two years under coach Willie Fritz, Houston has been working towards that. 2026 now shows that depth at almost every level of the team.
There's a reason why the Cougars went 10-3 last season and are now ranked No. 23 in the Preseason AP Poll. It's the amount of talent Houston has that puts it in a position to contend for the Big 12 title.
Here are six players from these position rooms ready for a potential breakout year.
WR Room: Koby Young
This much has been obvious throughout the course of fall camp, but the redshirt sophomore in Young seems quite poised for a breakout year. Young has speed and the ability to make big plays happen while also making some tough, contested catches.
He's shown that he can be a reliable target for deep shots or to take the top off the defense. Young is listed at 6-foot and 180 pounds and makes catches that make him seem bigger than he is. Young had 12 catches for 191 yards last season, but perhaps he can truly break out in 2026.
RB Room: Re'Shaun Sanford II
Sanford, the redshirt junior, has experienced a lot of adversity during his college career so far. He tore his right ACL in fall camp during his true freshman season, which forced him to redshirt, and after a solid 2024 season, he tore his left ACL in the following fall camp.
Sanford missed his entire redshirt sophomore season and is now healthy and ready to go. He's had a good fall camp and offers a speed option in the backfield with his 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame. Sanford could be a good change of pace. He ran for 444 yards and one touchdown on 94 carries, along with 18 receptions for 157 yards in 2024.
Sanford led the team in rushing as a redshirt freshman in 2024 on an average of 4.7 yards per carry. He'll definitely be eager to contribute this season and looks quick even after two ACL recoveries.
TE Room: Traville Frederick Jr.
While redshirt junior Patrick Overmyer will obviously have the starting role and a big spot to fill, the Cougars do have more options available. Depth is key at tight end this season, and the junior in Frederick has been involved a lot in camp and has pulled in a good amount of receptions so far.
Frederick had two catches for three yards and one touchdown in the Texas Bowl against LSU. He got involved in the passing game on the last night of the season. Given that he's in his third season with Houston and has been a good blocker, it seems like Frederick could be a breakout TE2 candidate.
Defensive Line Room: Ashton Porter
The redshirt junior never got many opportunities in his three seasons at Oregon, but he will be a starter for Houston on the defensive line. Porter is really set up for a breakout year with the Cougars, given how much more playing time he'll get and how much bigger his role will be.
Porter also returning home to the Houston area could help. The Cypress native and Cy Ranch High School graduate was a consensus four-star prospect and has real potential to be a star on the defensive line. He only had 25 total tackles, one sack, one pass defended and 2.5 tackles for loss in three years as a Duck.
LB Room: Carmycah Glass
The Cougars have more depth among the linebackers this year, but could still have Glass who played in all 13 games in 2025 fully break out. Glass is now a redshirt senior and his experience in the system from last year could play a big part.
The former three-star prospect out of Monroe, La., transferred to Houston last season. At 6-foot-4 and 230-pounds, Glass has the great size for a linebacker and only missed two total tackles last year. He even had one start at mike. Glass could reach another level this year even as a secondary option. He made 27 total tackles, had two passes defended, one sack and one forced fumble in 2025.
DB Room: Jalen Mayo
Houston needed another good cornerback alongside preseason All-Big 12 team member in redshirt junior Will James. He was also named to the Nagurski Award preseason watchlist, given to the best defensive player in the country.
The fifth-year cornerback Jalen Mayo had a good camp and is now in control of the second corner spot. Mayo has a great story, having started at the Division II level before playing a year at Stephen F. Austin in the FCS. He's now starting for a Power Four team. Mayo made 47 tackles, snagged four interceptions, and had nine passes defended with SFA last year.
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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.