The Houston Cougars have put themselves in position to chase something bigger in 2026.
After last season’s massive jump from four wins to 10, Houston enters the new year with real momentum and real expectations. In the third season under coach Willie Fritz, the Cougars are being talked about as a team that can contend for the Big 12 title and maybe even more. A strong transfer portal haul and a solid high school recruiting class have added depth across the roster, and Houston looks like a true Big 12 program with the talent to make noise.
Still, even a team that looks complete has to live with one nagging question. For Houston, it comes on the defensive side, where the pass rush could end up being the thing that separates a good season from a great one.
That’s not because the Cougars are short on size or overall ability. It’s because losing veterans Eddie Walls III and Carlos Allen Jr. up front leaves a hole that has to be filled by returning players stepping into bigger roles. Houston should be sturdy against the run, but getting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks is a different challenge.
Senior linebacker Brandon Mack is the most proven name in that group right now. He led the way last season with five sacks, the most by any UH defensive lineman, and he enters this year as Houston’s top pass-rushing option.
Senior defensive lineman Khalil Laufau is another important piece. He finished last season with two sacks and will be asked to help anchor the front for the Cougars.
The most intriguing addition is junior linebacker Ashton Porter, a major transfer portal pickup and a former four-star recruit out of Cypress. Porter spent his first two seasons at Oregon before coming back home, and while he had just one sack last season, Houston expects his role and playing time to jump in a big way.
That’s why the pass rush stands out as the main area to watch. If Porter delivers on the promise that made him such a big get, the conversation around Houston changes fast.
In Other News...
Houston Suddenly Faces Its First Real Test Of This Roster Rebuild
Houstons roster overhaul has already shown up in the win column, with the Cougars climbing from a 4-8 finish in 2024 to a 10-3 bowl-winning season. Even so, the next phase of the rebuild is where the depth chart starts to matter, and the backfield is one of the first places the staff has to sort out what kind of team this really is.
The running back job is open enough to draw a real battle, with DJ Butler, ReShaun Sanford II and transfer Makhi Hughes all in the mix and no obvious automatic starter. With Dean Connors now gone, Houston is looking at a competition that could define the early shape of the offense, especially if Sanford is able to push back into the picture and Hughes brings the kind of experience that makes every rep count. [Read more 🡒]
Willie Fritz Just Raised The Stakes For Houston Football
Willie Fritz did not come to Houston to spend his time merely stabilizing a program. The veteran coach arrived from Tulane with the kind of long-view ambition that fits a place with Big 12 membership, better resources and the kind of recruiting footprint that can change quickly when the right coach starts stacking classes and transfers.
Houston has already given him a promising start, with a 10-3 season and momentum that has the Cougars looking more like a program on the rise than one trying to catch up. The bigger question now is how far that progress can go in a league where the margin is thin and the path to something bigger has opened up, even if the teams standing in the way are already easy to spot. [Read more 🡒]
Houston May Be Walking Into A 2026 Big 12 Trap Game
A 2026 trip to Boulder could end up looking a lot trickier for Houston than it seems on paper. Colorados upside under Deion Sanders gives the Cougars a potential trap-game feel, especially if the Buffaloes keep building around a more dangerous offense and lean on the kind of home-field edge that can make life uncomfortable for visiting teams.
Folsom Field brings more than just noise, with altitude, cold weather and air quality all part of the equation for a road team trying to stay sharp. Houston does have experienced pieces such as Conner Weigman, and that kind of veteran presence should matter in a game that could swing either way if the Cougars handle the moment cleanly. [Read more 🡒]