Houston’s offense has the look of a group that could take a real step in 2026, and the pieces are there to make the jump happen.
The Cougars averaged 29 points, 216 passing yards and 178 rushing yards per game in 2025, but that production came before a wave of transfers and recruits arrived to reshape the unit. Now the big question is whether all that added talent turns into a bigger stat line or gets buried under the weight of expectations.
At quarterback, Conner Weigman is the centerpiece. He threw for 2,705 yards last season, which was triple what he produced in 2024 at Texas A&M.
He’s stepping into what looks like the best offensive situation of his career, with multiple receiving threats and running backs around him to lighten the load. With Willie Fritz’s system behind him, a 3,500-yard passing season in 2026 is very much in play.
If the offensive line holds up and the receivers deliver on big plays, Weigman’s arm talent and experience could help Houston develop into one of the Big 12’s top passing attacks.
The ground game has a chance to be just as dangerous. Transfer running back Makhi Hughes ran into a wall at Oregon last year, finishing with only 70 rushing yards, but the bigger sample from 2024 tells a different story.
At Tulane, he piled up 1,401 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Now he’s back in Fritz’s offensive system and running behind what is described as one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12.
If Houston can get the run game rolling, Hughes has the profile to become one of the conference’s best backs.
Out wide, Amare Thomas gives Houston a true featured target. He put up 966 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season and enters his senior year with a quarterback who trusts him.
Thomas brings elite route-running and playmaking ability, and he wins plenty of one-on-one matchups. The addition of transfer receiver Trent Walker should help by pulling attention away from Thomas and creating more chances for him to work in space.
He finished just 34 yards shy of 1,000 last year, and a push past that mark - even up to 1,200 yards - would not be a surprise.
There’s also a cleaner, sharper version of this offense that Houston is trying to build in 2026. Fritz put his system in place in 2025, and this year is about refining it.
Protecting the football has been a priority, and with veterans spread across the lineup, keeping turnovers down to 10 is a realistic target. That kind of ball security would not only raise the offense’s ceiling, it would also give the defense more breathing room and better field position to work with.
In Other News...
Houston Is Getting The Kind Of Preseason Respect Fans Wanted
Houstons preseason profile is starting to look like the kind of thing fans have been waiting to see. Nine Cougars landed on the 2026 Shriners Childrens 1000 Watchlist for the 2027 East-West Bowl, matching last years total and underscoring just how much talent is stacked across the roster. Senior quarterback Conner Weigman is on the list, along with a mix of experienced returners and newcomers who give the group a much deeper feel than it had a year ago.
The names tell the story of where the program is headed. Offensive linemen Shadre Hurst and Drew Terrill, running back Makhi Hughes, wide receivers Amare Thomas and Trent Walker, tight end Patrick Overmyer, defensive lineman Brandon Mack II and defensive back Jalen Mayo all earned recognition, giving Houston a broad spread of talent on both sides of the ball. For a program trying to turn rising expectations into something more tangible, this kind of preseason attention is exactly the sort of signal that matters. [Read more 🡒]