Willie Fritz Gives His Overall Assessment of Houston Cougars Regular Season
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Houston Cougars football ends the regular season with a 9-3 record, thanks to a tough road win at Baylor on Saturday, 31-24.
UH goes undefeated on the road with a 6-0 mark and finished fourth in the Big 12. It was a massive turnaround for the Cougars from last season.
Head coach Willie Fritz gave his insights on an overall successful season that not many expected.
High Character
It was a tough start for Fritz in his first year leading the Cougars. He got to Houston late and was not able to recruit as he would have liked, leading up to the 2024 season. UH just won four games and repeated the same 4-8 record, although their Big 12 record slightly improved.
Houston did an excellent job in the transfer portal and recruiting for this year, and it paid off big time. The Cougars got senior tight end Tanner Koziol, senior running back Dean Connors and junior quarterback Connor Weigman, who revitalized their offense from being 132nd last year to 60th. Fritz gives a lot of credit to offensive coordinator Slade Nagle for that improvement.
Additionally, defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong was heavily praised by Fritz for rebuilding a stellar defense from 2024 that was one of the best in the country. They have maintained that standard this season. Overall, Fritz recognized the massive impact his coordinators have had.
Houston did face turnover from last year with five starters leaving, but quickly found new talent. What Fritz found particularly important was finding the right guys who fit the program, specifically in discipline.
“I've had very few problems, I’m very disciplined and structured in what we do, and I don’t put up with crap," Fritz said. "These kids have just been awesome to work with every day. I’m proud of my coaches for finding kids with character."
The five-win jump and winning more games than the last two seasons of Houston football combined is one of the best turnarounds in college football this year. It has been a truly productive year two of the Fritz era, and one more game still awaits this time as they look to find out what bowl they play in for the first time since 2022.
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.