NIL has changed the way college football teams think about keeping talent, and Houston has a few players who could be in line for bigger paydays if they keep pushing through fall camp.
One of the more interesting names is Javion White, a defensive back who followed head coach Willie Fritz from Tulane to Houston. That familiarity matters.
White already knows Fritz’s system, and if he develops into one of the best defensive backs in the Big 12, Houston will have a real incentive to hold onto him. He’s heading into his junior year and is expected to be one of the captains and anchors in the secondary, the kind of presence that’s tough to replace.
White is earning around $715,373 going into 2026, but that number could rise if he becomes one of the captains after fall camp.
Sione Fotu is another player with a chance to boost his value. He could emerge as a captain on Houston’s defense alongside linebacker Jaden Yates, and his blend of physicality, experience and leadership makes him a strong candidate for an NIL deal.
Fotu logged 53 total tackles and four pass deflections last season, giving Houston a coverage linebacker while Yates handles more of the run-stopping work. That kind of pairing could be something the Cougars want to keep together.
Fotu is earning around $429,00 in NIL, and a strong showing in fall camp could push him toward a bigger deal.
Anthony Boswell stands out in a different way. Offensive linemen often do a lot of the heavy lifting without getting the spotlight, and Boswell fits that mold.
He may not have flashy statistics, but he’s viewed by many as one of the best offensive linemen in college football. According to 247 Sports, Boswell is the 16th-ranked interior lineman transfer.
Houston Athletics lists him at No. 10 overall, No. 3 in run blocking and No. 17 in pass blocking by FBS centers. He also didn’t allow a sack and gave up just six pressures on 403 snaps in 2025 at Toledo.
Boswell is sitting around $684,000 going into 2026, but that could change after fall camp if he continues to look like one of the top transfer linemen in the country.
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Houston Faces The Big 12 Test That Will Define Its Rise
Fall camp is opening with a different kind of expectation around Houston, one built on what the Cougars showed in 2025 and on the belief that they can spend this season hanging around the top of the Big 12 race. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman and wide receiver Amare Thomas give the offense a familiar foundation, while transfers such as senior guard Shadre Hurst and junior defensive lineman Ashton Porter add more proven pieces to a roster that looks deeper than the one that entered last fall.
The bigger question now is how that talent holds up when the schedule starts asking for answers. Houston has the kind of key league tests that can turn a promising season into a championship push, with Texas Tech and Utah standing out as the games that will likely shape whether the Cougars can stay in the conversation all the way to the Big 12 title picture. [Read more 🡒]
Amare Thomas Is Becoming Houstons Standard For The Big 12 Race
Amare Thomas has already established himself as one of Houstons most reliable offensive pieces, emerging as a leading receiver in 2025 and earning All-Big 12 first-team honors. Even with that recognition, he still fell short of the leagues top offensive award, which only adds to the sense that his rise is still in progress rather than complete.
Now the focus shifts to what comes next and how Thomas sets the tone for a roster that is still sorting itself out. Houstons depth is competitive, its rookies are still in the development process, and Thomas level of play has become a marker for what the staff wants the rest of the group to look like as the Cougars push into another Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]