Willie Fritz Reveals Key Details on Houston Running Back John Hebert's Injury
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One of the big areas that Houston football has upgraded over the last year has been the depth. The Cougars have plenty of that at the running back position as well. Senior Makhi Hughes and redshirt junior Re'Shaun Sanford II are the two leaders in the ground game, followed by junior DJ Butler as a third option.
The Cougars also landed a talented, local four-star recruit in this year's freshman class, John Hebert. He took over the Houston high school season at Strake Jesuit and became one of the biggest names of the class.
Even as a freshman, Hebert got involved and scored two touchdowns against Southern. He became one of the primary options on kickoff returns as well. Coach Willie Fritz first announced the news on Oct. 5 that Hebert would miss the rest of the season with a lower-leg injury that he suffered on a kickoff against UCF in Week 5.
Fritz then clarified in the following weekly press conference on Monday that it was an ACL injury. Hebert underwent ACL surgery on Oct. 8 and everything went well.
More on Hebert Injury Outlook
"We think he's going to be full-go when the summer begins, which is good. It was clean, so he'll be in good shape to start rehabbing and training when we come back in early June," Fritz said.
Hebert was an effective returner for Houston in the few opportunities he got, given his ability to evade tackles and make big plays. His five carries for 65 yards and one touchdown, as well as his 20-yard touchdown reception in Week 2, showed what he can do in the future. Butler will be handling more kickoff duties, and even fifth-year transfer safety Myles Rowser as well, per Fritz last week.
Sanford, who's currently Houston's leading rusher, has gone through two different ACL injuries, one in each leg, in the first three years of his collegiate career. He has now looked excellent over the first half of the season.
"I told him he's going to use Re'Shaun as a good example for him. Re'Shaun's had two major injuries and has come back and is playing better than he ever has, so John will do a great job," Fritz said.
The Cougars' current one-two punch in Hughes and Sanford has yielded strong results so far this year, with the second-most rushing yards in the Big 12 after Week 6. Houston will certainly miss Hebert on special teams, but will remain in good hands.
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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.