Houston enters 2026 with plenty of players trying to make a name for themselves, but a few already have the kind of resumes that suggest even better is coming.
At the top of that list is quarterback Conner Weigman, who chose to stay with the Cougars rather than head into the transfer portal. His 2025 season looked like a full-scale breakout: 2,705 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and a Texas Bowl MVP nod. That kind of production carried extra weight because the previous three years at Texas A&M were mostly slowed by injuries.
Now Weigman gets a chance to build on that momentum in a situation that looks tailor-made for another jump. He brings experience and leadership, and he also serves as a valuable mentor for freshman quarterback Keisean Henderson, who could wind up backing him up. Add in the best supporting cast he has had in his career, an offensive line that could be dominant in the trenches and a head coach who has rebuilt the team around him, and Weigman is set up for what could be his strongest season yet.
Wide receiver Amare Thomas is in a similar spot. After posting 966 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025, he returns as one of the Big 12’s most dangerous targets and earned a spot on Pro Football Network’s 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 First Team. Those numbers were the best by a Cougar since Tank Dell in 2022, and Thomas finished second in the conference in both receiving yards and touchdowns last year.
What makes Thomas so tough to handle is the full package: athleticism, sharp route-running and the kind of playmaking that can flip a game in a hurry. He may also benefit from more favorable matchups with Oregon State transfer Trent Walker joining as the likely No. 2 receiver. With another threat drawing attention away, Thomas could be in line for his biggest year yet.
On the defensive side, Will James gives Houston a steady presence in the secondary. He finished 2025 with three interceptions, two forced fumbles, eight pass breakups and 38 total tackles, and he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors. James has become one of the key anchors back there, thanks to his experience and his knack for jumping routes.
Houston also had some defensive departures after the 2025 season, which makes James’ return even more important. Along with Jordan Allen and Kentrell Webb, he could help turn the secondary into one of the conference’s best units in 2026.
In Other News...
Houston Is Back In The National Conversation Under Willie Fritz
Houston is back in the preseason spotlight, landing at No. 23 in the initial Associated Press Top 25 poll for the 2026 season. The ranking, released Monday morning, gives the Cougars their first appearance in the opening AP poll since 2022 and only the third time in 26 years they have been included at the start of the season.
For a program trying to reestablish itself nationally, it is the kind of recognition that signals more than just a good offseason. It puts Willie Fritzs team back into a conversation Houston has not occupied often enough, and it raises the standard before a single snap is played. The challenge now is living up to the attention that comes with being on the board in late August. [Read more 🡒]