Three Houston Cougars Named to AP Midseason All-America Team, Most in Big 12
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The Houston Cougars are currently ranked No. 20 in the country and a big reason for the program's continued rise has been the transfer portal. Houston put together another strong class, and a lot of the additions have flown under the radar.
Houston has given an opportunity for these transfers to shine at a Power Four level, and that's what has happened in the first half of the season. The Cougars now have three players who have made the AP Midseason All-America team, and all three of them were transfers.
Houston's three selections lead the entire Big 12, and it's also tied for the most selections in the country with No. 12 UCLA.
Redshirt sophomore center Anthony Boswell and fifth-year left guard Shadre Hurst were both named to the First Team Midseason All-America team, while redshirt junior tight end Patrick Overmyer was named to the Second Team.
More on the AP Midseason All-America Selections
Midseason @AP All-America Honors🇺🇸
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) October 15, 2026
1st Team:
Shadre Hurst
Anthony Boswell
2nd Team:
Patrick Overmyer#BuiltByHouston x #GoCoogs pic.twitter.com/sECtAY5D5t
Having two offensive linemen make the cut just demonstrates how good Houston's offensive line has been this year. Hurst and Boswell have been two huge reasons why the Cougars' offensive line has been one of the best in the country, helping provide for the 14th-ranked rushing offense in the FBS and the second-fewest tackles for loss in the nation.
Boswell, at 6-foot-2 and 301 pounds, is the highest-graded offensive lineman in the Big 12, the highest-graded run blocker in the NFL and the second-highest-graded pass blocker with a minimum of 350 snaps. He was a freshman All-American at Toledo before transferring to Houston.
Meanwhile, Hurst is the second-highest-graded offensive lineman as well as a run blocker in the Big 12. The 6-foot-2, 304-pound Hurst is just one of the nine players to advance from the Preseason All-American First Team to the Midseason First Team.
Overmyer was one of the biggest storylines of Week 6 in college football after he tied the NCAA single-game receiving touchdowns record for a tight end when he had four touchdown receptions against Kansas State. Overmyer was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his effort and was also the John Mackey Award Player of the Week, as well as the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Player of the Week.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Overmyer has turned into a big weapon for Houston's offense and leads all FBS tight ends with six total touchdowns, and his 399 receiving yards are second in the nation as a tight end.
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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.