Son of Former Texans Legend Committed to Houston Cougars
In this story:
While the primary recruiting period and early signing day for college football are in the past, the official national signing day was back on Feb. 4. Most of the top names committed to the Houston Cougars made their official intentions known back in December, and then transfer portal players followed.
This football recruiting class for Houston overall was one of, if not the best in program history, led by the top five-star recruit in the country in quarterback Keisean Henderson. Houston also has four-star athlete Paris Melvin Jr. among the top names in the class.
The Cougars got to add another name to the high school recruiting class back on Feb. 6, and it is three-star athlete Jonathan Joseph Jr. out of Stratford High School in Houston. The name is familiar in H-Town as he is the son of former Houston Texans two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jonathan Joseph. The 15-year NFL veteran retired in 2020 and spent nine seasons with Houston, becoming one of the best corners in Texans history.
Congratulations to @StratfordFB1’s Jonathan Joseph on his commitment to University of Houston! #SBISDProud pic.twitter.com/aWsk5qTpAL
— Spring Branch ISD Athletics (@sbisdathletics) February 5, 2026
His two Pro Bowl selections were in 2011 and 2012. Most of Joseph’s best seasons were in Houston, and he also was a second-team All-Pro in 2011, where he had four interceptions, a forced fumble, and 44 tackles. Joseph ended up with seven pick-sixes in his professional career and was the 24th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Bengals.
His son is now trying to carve out his path to the league, but is doing it in more phases than one.
Houston Legend’s Son Repping H-Town
Joseph Jr. played in all three phases of the game in his last two years of high school football at Stratford. He had four other offers besides UH, such as UCF, Boston College, and UNLV, but chose to stay home and continue the family legacy now at Houston’s collegiate football team.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound athlete can be used in a lot of positions by coach Willie Fritz. As a senior, Joseph Jr. recorded 69 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 2 interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two recoveries on defense as a cornerback.
He added one kick block and a punt return touchdown on special teams. Joseph Jr. also played wide receiver and made 16 catches for 359 yards and four touchdowns, as well as 68 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. He earned First Team All-District for his efforts.
While he initially started out as a wide receiver and returner at Strake Jesuit, Joseph Jr. transferred to Stratford as a junior in 2024. Like Melvin Jr., he can play at wideout, secondary, and return kicks. As if he wasn’t versatile enough already, he also competed in basketball and track and field in high school as well.
"At first, I wanted to play receiver because I grew up watching Odell Beckham. He's my favorite player. Later on, I came to corner, so I had my dad here to help me. Then he has helped me develop as a better player," Joseph said to Randy McIIvoy of KPRC 2 in August 2025.
This could be another electric player for Houston to have for the next few years with the NFL blood in his veins.
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.