2026 Big 12 Media Day Storylines: Houston Cougars
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No Big 12 team changed its perception more over the last 365 days than the Houston Cougars.
Houston joined the Big 12 in 2023 and spent the first two years cycling through 4-8 records, positioned near the cellar of the conference. But in the second year of the Willie Fritz era, the trajectory dramatically changed. The Cougars claimed 10 victories, captured a Texas Bowl victory, and finished the season ranked. And with some of the conference’s best continuity, Houston carries significant momentum into the 2026 season.
Head coach Willie Fritz, quarterback Conner Weigman, wide receiver Amare Thomas, guard McKenzie Agnello, defensive tackle Khalil Laufau, free safety Kentrell Webb, and strong safety Jordan Allen were among the representatives for Houston at 2026 Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, TX. They discussed heightened expectations and several other storylines for this upcoming fall:
From hunters to hunted
Make no mistake about it. The Houston Cougars have arrived.
It was a three-year acclimation period from the American Conference to the Big 12, but the Cougars are finally in the upper echelon of their new conference. They compiled a 10-3 record, defeated LSU in the Texas Bowl, and finished ranked No. 22 in the final AP Poll.
What’s the next step after a meteoric ascension from 4-8 to 10-3? Becoming the seventh different school in seven years to win the Big 12 Championship Game.
“Everybody’s expectation right now here, today and tomorrow in the Big 12, is to win the Big 12 championship,” head coach Willie Fritz said. “We’re no different. Obviously it helps when you have more depth and talented players. We’re one of the few teams in the country that has the same offensive, defensive, and special teams coordinator and the same starting quarterback coming back. I think there’s maybe 11 schools like that in the country, so if you’ve got that, that’s a really good building block for your program.”
Last fall, Houston was the surprise story of the Big 12. However, the entire conference is aware of the danger the Cougars present now. Only the 2025 Big 12 Championship participants Texas Tech and BYU drew more selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team than the Cougars did. This shifts Houston from the role of hunters to the hunted.
“We don’t mind being the hunted,” strong safety Jordan Allen said. “We definitely are still gonna do our thing and hunt every day, every team on our schedule. Last year 10 wins is good, it’s good to build off that, but you can have a downfall also if you lean on that too much and worry about that too much. Once that new schedule came out and we saw those new opponents for this year, we put last year in our back pocket and we’re worried about trying to win every game on our new schedule.”
Coming off a 10-win season with coaching continuity and 12 returning starters, Houston players understand there’s a new standard for this program. The foundation for success is finally in place, but maintaining success is harder than building it, and the Big 12 can be unforgiving to teams with considerable hype. Just two years ago, Oklahoma State returned 20 starters fresh off a 10-win season and produced a 3-9 record.
“We’ve gotta build off it and not live off it,” quarterback Conner Weigman said. “Some people are like, ‘We won 10 games last year. That’s gonna happen this year.’ No, we’re going into Week 1 0-0. We gotta go and play an even better brand of football than we did last year, but we’re in a good spot right now.”
The Trice is right
While Houston’s staff is the embodiment of continuity with Fritz and all three coordinators back, there was still some turnover in the coaching department. Safeties coach Josh Christian-Young accepted the same position at Kentucky and cornerbacks coach PJ Hall slid into that vacancy, leaving an opening for a cornerbacks coach.
Filling that role is Marcus Trice, who spent 2022-25 coaching defensive backs at Stephen F. Austin at the FCS level. Houston played Stephen F. Austin in its 2025 opener, and the Lumberjack defense impressed despite entering as heavy underdogs, limiting the Cougars to 152 passing yards and 27 points, while forcing seven punts.
“Coach Trice, that’s my dog,” Allen said. “I actually met Coach Trice as soon as he got here and I’m already sold about him. He’s consistent. Every single day it’s the same amount of energy. Every single day he holds us to a high standard. He’s not even my individual coach. If you think we came to work and you’re BSing or not giving full effort, he’s letting you know in front of you.”
Trice wasn’t the only Stephen F. Austin transplant to make the in-state trek from Nacogdoches to Houston this offseason. First team all-conference cornerback Jalen Mayo followed, and he is expected to carve out a significant role on this defense to replace the NFL-bound Latrell McCutchin.
“Some guys it can be hard coming from the FCS level to the FBS,” free safety Kentrell Webb said. “Sometimes the game speed is a little more, guys are a little bigger or more physical. Mayo has adjusted well, and having Coach Trice is good for him. He’s comfortable. Me and (Jordan Allen), we bring him in like family and try to watch as much film with him and extra little stuff. He’ll be ready. Mayo is gonna showcase it this year.”
Another key addition to the defensive back room is Javion White, who registered 50 tackles, three interceptions, and six pass breakups on Tulane’s 2025 College Football Playoff team. White never played under Fritz at Tulane, but he was one of several former Green Wave players to transfer to Houston this offseason, alongside running back Makhi Hughes and guard Shadre Hurst.
“I didn’t get to play with J-White, but I was really familiar with him,” said Webb, who played at Tulane from 2022-23. “I still had times when I visited New Orleans, so me and him had a connection. When he got in the portal, I was like, ‘Bro, let’s do it. You can come here and do what we did at Tulane.’ He was all with it, and ever since he got here, he’s a workhorse.”
Year two for No. 1
An easy way to generate preseason buzz: a successful team retains its quarterback. Houston won 10 games and finished ranked No. 22 last year, and quarterback Conner Weigman committed to running it back for the 2026 campaign.
Fritz confirmed Weigman remains the starter, despite the Cougars landing the nation’s No. 1 quarterback recruit in Keisean Henderson. The head coach also noted Weigman’s strides in his healthiest offseason to date. The quarterback looks to expand upon a season that featured 2,705 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and Texas Bowl MVP honors.
“It’s the first year he’s been able to lift weights and run and do everything in January, February, March, April, go through spring football,” Fritz said. “He’s gotten stronger, faster, quicker, bigger. He’s got more velocity on the ball. He’s throwing the ball further than what he did last year. I think he’s a little faster. He’s improved physically. Then he’s got total control of what we’re doing offensively. He understands this game’s complicated. Very rarely when we call a play we’re running that play. A lot of time, there’s a run-pass element, and everything changes — protection, routes — based on coverage, based on fronts. He’s gotta be able to process all that quickly. He’s a sharp guy and does a great job.”
Weigman improving his speed and physicality could work wonders for the Cougars’ offense. But one thing changes from 2025 to 2026. Last year, his mobility was more of a surprise to opposing defenses which often didn’t gameplan for it. In his previous three seasons at Texas A&M, Weigman logged more than 40 rushing yards once — 66 vs. UMass in 2022. Last year with the Cougars, the quarterback eclipsed 80 yards six times and 100 on three occasions. Even though the secret’s out, Weigman trusts his own versatile skillset and the coaching staff to brainstorm other ways to defeat defenses should they limit quarterback mobility.
“We’re gonna have a lot of different ways to be able to beat teams, so if they take one thing away, we’re gonna have an answer for that,” Weigman said. “Just being able to play chess on the football field with me and the coaching staff against these defenses we’re about to play is gonna be a lot of fun.”
Beefing up the trenches
Houston’s defense returns six primary starters from last year, but there is one striking difference between the 2025 unit and the 2026 unit.
“Size,” defensive tackle Khalil Laufau said. “We’re just a lot bigger.”
The graduated seniors on the defensive line included defensive tackle Carlos Allen (6’1”, 295 pounds) and defensive end Eddie Walls III (6’4”, 250 pounds). Allen and Walls were two of the most productive players on defense, and Houston consulted the portal to fill those vacancies. The Cougars landed defensive tackles Ejiro Egodogbare (6’3”, 310 pounds) and De’Marion Thomas (6’2”, 340 pounds) and defensive end Ashton Porter (6’3”, 280 pounds), adding significantly more weight to the defensive front.
It’s not just the transfer additions that bring size. When asked to provide a breakout player for this coming season, Laufau repeatedly showed enthusiasm about Myles Parker. Parker, a 6’1”, 325-pound defensive tackle, suited up in 12 games last year and logged one start. But after an impressive offseason, he appears poised for an expanded role.
“He played a little bit last year,” Laufau said of Parker. “To see him come back, I’m excited for you guys to see his potential and what he changed and how much he’s worked this offseason. I’m just excited for him to showcase it to y’all this fall.”
Houston didn’t just address one side of the trenches in the transfer portal. The Cougars also added three projected starters on its new-look offensive line in left guard Shadre Hurst (Tulane), center Anthony Boswell (Toledo), and right tackle Drew Terrill (Miami (OH)). Hurst, a two-time First Team All-American Conference selection, quickly became popular amongst his teammates for his absurd lifting numbers — benching nearly 500 pounds, squatting roughly 700, and hang cleaning with four plates on each side.
“Shadre is the strongest man I’ve ever seen,” Weigman said. “He’s a freak in the weight room. Every single day, we got the whole team watching him lift some absurd amount of weight… I’ve had some linemen lift like that, but him hang cleaning was the most impressive thing I’ve seen in a long time.”
One other valuable element Hurst offers is something every Cougar wants — College Football Playoff experience. To achieve that lofty goal, Houston must contend for a Big 12 championship, and the Cougars hope these new additions to the trenches provide the boost needed to make that incremental jump.
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