Conner Weigman heads into 2026 in a spot he hasn’t really had before: healthy, settled and finally able to spend an entire offseason building instead of repairing.
That matters for Houston. After a major overhaul on offense last year with offensive coordinator Slade Nagle and Weigman at quarterback, the Cougars made a real jump.
In 2024, they were one of the worst offenses in the FBS. By 2025, they had climbed to 61st nationally in total yards and moved from last in the Big 12 to ninth in the league in points per game at 29.1.
Weigman was at the center of it. The Texas A&M transfer and former five-star from Cypress, Texas, came home and found a clean fit with the Cougars.
He led the Big 12 with 36 total touchdowns and added a dimension Houston simply didn’t have before. His legs were a weapon, too - 700 rushing yards and 11 scores, both tops in the conference.
Now the question is how much more there is. The setup around him is better, and the offseason has been the first truly stable one of his college career. He played all 13 games in 2025 except for one half against Texas Tech after a concussion, but that still stands in sharp contrast to what came before.
In 2023, Weigman broke his left foot in the fourth game of the season at Texas A&M and missed the rest of the year. The following season started badly, too, with an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder in the opener. That issue lingered, his play suffered, and he was eventually benched.
This summer, though, he got to work without the usual interruptions.
"I worked really hard on my mechanics this summer. My footwork, having everything in tune.
I definitely got stronger, faster, physically and mentally. I feel like the best I've felt probably in my college career.
I'm really excited about this year," Weigman said.
Houston coach Willie Fritz saw the same thing.
"This is the first time he's gone through a whole offseason program. I see more zip on the ball, a little more distance when he throws it. It's the first time since high school he's been in the same system," Fritz said.
That combination of continuity and health gives Houston a chance to keep pushing its offense forward. Weigman also made the Maxwell Award preseason watchlist for the second time in his career, and he’s got help around him. The Cougars’ receiver and running back groups are deeper, and the offensive line includes preseason All-American guard Shadre Hurst.
If Weigman takes another step, Houston has a real path toward the Big 12 championship picture. For Weigman, though, the bigger thing is simpler. This is his senior season, and he knows what it means.
"I just walked out there and smiled. This is for all the marbles. I just want to go out there and give it all I have and have no regrets with this," Weigman said.
In Other News...
Houston Is Building The Kind Of Big 12 Roster Fans Love
A preseason look at college football rosters suggests Houston is building in a way Big 12 fans tend to appreciate, leaning into the kind of regional identity that can help a program feel rooted instead of assembled. Rotowires study of the 2026 rosters across the FBS found that, on average, just 32.2% of players are homegrown, meaning their hometowns are in the same state as their school. Against that backdrop, the programs near the top stood out for keeping talent close to home, with San Jose State leading the way and other Texas schools also showing up prominently.
For Houston, the larger takeaway is less about one ranking than the recruiting philosophy it reflects. In a league where roster movement can be constant, a team that can stockpile more in-state talent gives fans something tangible to connect to, from familiar recruiting footprints to a roster that looks more like the region it represents. Georgias SEC profile offered the same lesson from a different corner of the sport, reinforcing that some of the strongest programs still value high school recruiting and local ties as much as any transfer-market shortcut. [Read more 🡒]
John Hebert Is Giving Houston Fans A Reason To Watch Early
Willie Fritz has made keeping Texas talent at home a priority, and Houstons 2026 class is already reflecting that approach. The group is headlined by five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson and backed by pieces like John Hebert, the Strake Jesuit standout who flipped his commitment from Washington State to Houston and gives the Cougars another local name fans can follow closely.
Hebert has also sounded comfortable with the move into college football, and his fall camp preparation has put him on the radar as someone who could help right away as a true freshman. For a program trying to build momentum with in-state recruiting and turn that into on-field production, having a young back arrive with both local roots and early buzz is exactly the kind of development that can make the opening stretch of the season feel worth watching. [Read more 🡒]