Houston kept building its 2027 class over the weekend with another Texas addition, landing Jason Wooden on Oct. 4.
Wooden, a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, is listed as an athlete out of Frisco Emerson High School in McKinney, Texas. Houston views him as a player with two-way value, since he’s listed at both wide receiver and cornerback.
The commitment came fast once the Cougars got involved. Wooden originally pledged to Iowa State on May 31, only three days after visiting Ames on May 28.
Houston offered him on Sept. 19, he did not take an official visit to campus, then he backed off his Cyclones commitment on Oct. 1.
Three days later, he chose the Cougars.
Wooden stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds, a frame that fits neatly on the outside at either receiver or corner. He’s also a multi-sport athlete who plays basketball and runs track and field. As a sophomore in 2024, he began getting game experience on both sides of the ball, and in track he competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter events.
At receiver last season, Wooden caught 25 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
His commitment gives Houston its 15th pledge in the class of 2027, and he becomes the second athlete in the group. Thirteen of the 15 commits are three-star prospects, per 247Sports. The class also includes four-star corner Kameron Roberson of Cypress, Texas; three-star athlete Marcus Watson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and three-star wideout Mo Poko of Fulshear, Texas.
The Texas pipeline is still front and center, too. Thirteen of Houston’s 15 commitments are from the state, and Wooden adds another in-state piece to the mix.
In Other News...
Houston Fans Had Plenty To Say After This TDECU Stadium Win
Houston had plenty to feel good about Saturday night after erasing a 17-point halftime deficit to beat UCF 27-17 at TDECU Stadium, a comeback that delivered the Cougars their first conference win of the season and pushed them to 4-1 overall. The setting helped make it memorable, too, with the teams special Gridiron Galaxy helmets drawing strong reactions from both fans and players as the planet-themed look added a little extra shine to a needed conference breakthrough.
Still, the atmosphere came with its own challenges. A crowd of 25,593 packed into a stadium that holds around 40,000, and plenty of those in attendance noted how hot it felt while the game unfolded. Even with the heat, the night ended with Houston giving its supporters a reason to stay engaged, and the response online made it clear the win and the uniforms both landed well with a fan base that has been waiting for a moment like this. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Just Got A New Respect Problem In The Big 12
Houstons comeback win over UCF was the kind of result that usually buys a team some breathing room, and the Cougars needed every bit of it after digging out of a 17-0 hole to win 27-17. The victory pushed Houston to 4-1 and kept the Cougars in both the AP Poll and the US LBM Coaches Poll, which matters in a league where every week can feel like a referendum on who belongs.
Still, the Week 5 AP Poll did not give Houston much of a bump for the fight it showed. The Cougars slid two spots to No. 22, a reminder that in the Big 12, winning is only part of the conversation and style still counts for plenty. Houston remains one of five Big 12 teams in the AP top 25, but the latest ranking suggests there is still work to do before the national perception catches up with the record. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Heads To Oklahoma State With One Huge Availability Question
UCF heads into its trip to Oklahoma State carrying the kind of injury uncertainty that can change a game plan in a hurry. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III and starting center Jacob Maiava have both been dealing with issues, and coach Scott Frost has been left to sort through a lineup that may look different from one week to the next as the Knights try to bounce back from their loss to Houston.
Frost has sounded optimistic about the depth behind those spots, but the timing is not ideal for a road game that already figures to be demanding. Oklahoma State will have its own reasons to test UCF early, and the Knights will need to manage the uncertainty up front while waiting to see just how much availability they can count on when kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]