Where Houston's Tanner Koziol Graded Out Among Top TE's in the Country
In this story:
The Houston Cougars are coming off a 2025 season in which they were one of the most improved teams in the nation, jumping from back-to-back four-win seasons to a 10-3 finish in 2025, in which the Coogs were ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll.
The Coogs' season was highlighted by many big contributions from many of the players that head coach Willie Fritz brought in from the transfer portal. The biggest undoubtedly came from the player under center, quarterback Conner Weigman, and from wide receiver Amare Thomas, who became one of the top weapons for Weigman.
Another transfer who made an impact and made the most of his single season with the Coogs was not only one of the best players wearing Cougar red and white in 2025, but was also one of the top players in the country at his position.
Koziol Ranked Highly by Pro Football Focus
That impact player for the Coogs was tight end Tanner Koziol, as the big 6-7 target became one of the top options for the Cougars offense throughout the season. For his performance throughout the season, Koziol was graded as the No. 5 tight end in the country by Pro Football Focus.
The tight end earned a 78.9 PFF grade with the only players ahead of him being BYU's Carsen Ryan, Texas Tech's Terrance Carter Jr., Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers and Indiana's Riley Nowakowski.
Highest Graded Tight Ends from the 2025 Season🔥 pic.twitter.com/mQaafpXMDi
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 4, 2026
Koziol ended his only season with the Coogs with a team-leading 74 receptions, which also paced all tight ends in total catches in the country as he totaled 727 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
PFF's Dalton Wasserman spotlighted Koziol prior to this year's Senior Bowl, breaking down why the tight end might be an interesting prospect to watch in the Senior Bowl and as the NFL Draft gets closer.
"Koziol was among college football’s most productive tight ends over the past two seasons, one each at Ball State and Houston," Wasserman wrote. "He recorded a whopping 164 catches and 1,500-plus receiving yards in that span while posting at least an 87.2 PFF receiving grade in both seasons. Koziol’s athleticism, fluidity and contested-catch ability could shine in one-on-ones and red-zone drills."
There is still plenty of time for Koziol to increase his draft stock and impress NFL scouts and head coaches, as the tight end should put on a good display in Houston's Pro Day on March 27. And if given an invitation to the NFL Combine, Koziol could continue to impress and move up on draft boards, leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23-25.
