Conner Weigman’s first offseason as Houston’s quarterback came with a little bit of everything: soccer, cooking, film study and plenty of time spent building the kind of chemistry that can carry over once the season starts.
That’s the kind of routine that makes sense for a player who already gave the Cougars a huge lift in 2024. After transferring to Houston in the offseason, the former five-star recruit and Texas A&M quarterback settled the position down immediately. He helped Houston win 10 games, take the Texas Bowl and finish in the top 25, then moved into his senior season with expectations rising again.
Weigman’s workload last year told the story of how much Houston leaned on him. He threw for 2,705 yards and 25 touchdowns, and he also ran for 700 yards on 171 carries. That bruising season didn’t keep him from making the most of the offseason, though.
One of the lighter moments came when Weigman attended his first soccer match, a FIFA World Cup group stage game in Houston between Portugal and D.R. Congo.
He was hoping to see Cristiano Ronaldo break out the trademark “Siu!” celebration, but Ronaldo didn’t score and the match finished in a 1-1 draw.
He also spent time with teammates away from the field, including cooking together and going out to dinners.
"Just hanging out, nothing crazy, nothing forced. We're all friends and brothers, so just being able to have that bond we have, it's truly special," Weigman said.
That kind of connection matters for a quarterback who quickly emerged as a leader in the program. Weigman seems to have settled in not just as the face of the offense, but as a player who’s built real trust with the guys around him.
The work didn’t stop when he got away from the field, either. Weigman said he spends a lot of time studying tape on his iPad, even going back to games from 2010 when he’s bored. He also said offensive coordinator Slade Nagle had the group do a report on their favorite NFL player, and Weigman wrote a two-page paper on Aaron Rodgers.
"It was really cool to go back and watch some of his film from his MVP season. He's an amazing players and it was really cool to watch," Weigman said.
"He was my favorite player when I was a kid, and my dad was from Wisconsin. We were Green Bay fans when I was younger, so he was a guy I've looked up to for a while."
That Rodgers connection fits the bigger picture with Weigman. Last season, he was one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks and showed off the dual-threat ability that made him such a dangerous high school player in Cypress. He scored 11 rushing touchdowns, and Houston clearly found a way to use that part of his game.
Now the question is whether he can keep that same edge as a senior and keep making plays outside the pocket the way Rodgers did in the NFL.
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