Houston didn’t just need talent when it moved into the Big 12 - it needed depth, too. Two years into Willie Fritz’s tenure, that depth is showing up all over the roster, and it’s a big reason the Cougars went 10-3 last season and landed at No. 23 in the Preseason AP Poll.
With Houston carrying enough talent to think about the Big 12 race, there are six players in particular who look ready to make noise this fall.
At receiver, redshirt sophomore Young has been one of the clearest breakout names in camp. He brings speed, a knack for creating big plays and the ability to win in traffic.
Young has also shown he can be a dependable target on deep shots and stretch the defense vertically. Listed at 6-foot and 180 pounds, he plays bigger than that when the ball is in the air.
Last season, he caught 12 passes for 191 yards, but 2026 could be the year he takes off.
In the backfield, redshirt junior Sanford is back healthy after a rough road through college. He tore his right ACL in fall camp during his true freshman year, redshirted, then tore his left ACL in the next fall camp after a solid 2024 season.
Sanford missed his entire redshirt sophomore season, but he’s healthy now and has had a strong camp. At 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, he gives Houston a speed element and a change-of-pace option.
In 2024, he ran for 444 yards and one touchdown on 94 carries and added 18 catches for 157 yards.
Tight end is another spot where Houston has options beyond redshirt junior Patrick Overmyer, who is expected to handle the starting job. Junior Frederick has been active in camp and has already hauled in a solid number of catches.
He finished last season with two receptions for three yards and a touchdown against LSU in the Texas Bowl, getting involved in the passing game late in the year. Now in his third season at Houston, and already established as a blocker, Frederick looks like a strong candidate to emerge as the TE2.
On the defensive line, Porter may be set up for the biggest opportunity of all. The redshirt junior barely got a chance to show what he could do at Oregon, but he’s now in line to start for Houston.
A return to the Houston area only adds to the appeal. The Cypress native and Cy Ranch High School graduate was a consensus four-star recruit, and the Cougars are counting on that upside.
In three years with the Ducks, he totaled 25 tackles, one sack, one pass defended and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Houston’s linebacker group is deeper this season, but Glass still has a chance to take another step. The redshirt senior played in all 13 games in 2025 and brought valuable experience in the system after transferring in last season.
At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, he has the frame to stand out at the position, and he missed only two tackles all year. Glass also logged one start at mike and finished with 27 tackles, two passes defended, one sack and one forced fumble.
The secondary also has a spot to sort out next to preseason All-Big 12 corner Will James, who was also named to the Nagurski Award preseason watchlist. That’s where fifth-year cornerback Jalen Mayo comes in.
Mayo had a strong camp and now appears to have the second cornerback job. His path to this point stands out: he began at the Division II level, spent a year at Stephen F.
Austin and is now starting for a Power Four team. Last season with SFA, he recorded 47 tackles, four interceptions and nine passes defended.
In Other News...
Trent Walker Faces A Pressure Spot Houston Fans Will Be Watching
Trent Walkers first season in Houston comes with a built-in spotlight. The former Oregon State wide receiver arrived as a fifth-year senior after a breakout 2024 run in Corvallis, where he piled up 81 catches for 901 yards and finished seventh on the schools single-season receptions list. Houston brought him in to be an important piece of the passing game, and the Cougars are counting on that experience to show up right away.
The timing only adds to the intrigue, because Houston opens the season against Walkers former team. It is the kind of matchup that can make an early impression on a new fan base, especially for a player expected to play a major role in the receiving corps. For Walker, it is a chance to turn a familiar opponent into the first big statement of his Houston tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Secondary Has A Willie Fritz Wild Card This Fall
One of the more intriguing pieces of Houstons secondary this fall is Javion White, a defensive back who followed Willie Fritz from one program to another and now finds himself in position to help the Cougars right away. Fritz recruited White to Tulane in 2023, and after two seasons there, White arrives at Houston with a reputation for being adaptable and productive in the back end.
White transferred after the 2025 season and is back under Fritz as the Cougars work through fall camp, where he is expected to factor in as a versatile piece on defense. For Houston, that kind of familiarity matters, especially with a player who already knows the coaching staffs expectations and brings experience from his time in the American Athletic Conference. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Faces One Early Threat In Opener Fans Should Not Ignore
Houston opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 at TDECU Stadium with a matchup that already carries a little extra edge. ESPN sees the Cougars as the favorite, and Houston enters the game with several players on national watch lists, but the first weekend of the year still brings some unfamiliar variables, including a new Oregon State coach in JaMarcus Shephard and a roster that will look different from the one Houston saw in past meetings.
One of the more intriguing layers is the return of wide receiver Trent Walker against Oregon State, giving the opener a familiar face on Houstons side and a little added personal weight to a game that is supposed to be manageable on paper. Oregon State also brings in a fresh quarterback situation with Braden Atkinson set to make his FBS debut, which makes the Beavers a little harder to read than a typical early-season opponent and gives Houston a few reasons to stay alert even in what looks like a favorable home opener. [Read more 🡒]