Houston football forms a huddle after practice, Thursday, August 14, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/ The Cougar.
Entering the offseason after Houston’s second straight 4-8 finish, the goal for now second-year coach Willie Fritz was clear.
Retool, replenish and restore.
Fritz, with more time and resources in year two, focused on retooling his roster through the transfer portal, which brought in 30 new players to the school.
The program has restored depth, bolstering several positions and ensuring the Cougars can keep up with the demands of the Big 12 conference.
Here are some of the 30 transfers that could make an impact in Houston’s 2025 campaign.
Quarterbacks
Houston’s offense averaged a conference-worst 152.7 passing yards per game last season, but received a jolt when former Texas A&M standout Conner Weigman announced he would be transferring to Houston in December.
Injuries have impacted the former five-star recruit and Texas A&M signal-caller’s past two seasons, with a season-ending foot injury in 2023 limiting him to four games and a shoulder injury in 2024, ultimately forcing him to lose his starting role.
However, a noticeably slimmer Weigman has mentioned feeling “one of the healthiest” he has been heading into a football season, and it’s been reflected by his performance throughout fall camp, with numerous end zone connections and tight-window throws that made him a seamless match for Houston.
“Really blessed to have him here. I think it’s a good fit for him, and I think it’s a really good fit for the University of Houston,” Fritz said.
Weigman has worked with the first-team unit all throughout fall camp, and all signs point to him being the team’s starting quarterback to begin the season.
Running Backs
One word among coaches and players alike has remained consistent throughout the entire summer: depth.
At just about every position.
Few on Houston’s roster possess it more than its running backs room.
Senior running back Dean Connors, who transferred from cross-town Rice, exemplifies the dynamic skillset that both Fritz and first-year offensive coordinator Slade Nagle envision, while bringing more experience to the group.
“I think coach Nagle is very creative. Whatever he wants me to do, whether it’s catching or running the ball, I have all my faith in him and we’ve done some great stuff so far,” Connors said.
Connors rushed for 771 and 780 yards over the past two seasons, while also gaining 403 and 485 receiving yards in those campaigns. He was Rice’s second-leading receiver in both seasons as well.
Wide Receivers
Every year, there are position battles that go down to the wire, with numerous players all vying for a starting spot or to be fixtures in the rotation.
Two of those in the thick of competition are junior wideouts Amare Thomas and Harvey Broussard III, who transferred from UAB and Louisiana, respectively.
Broussard, at 6-foot-3, boasts a unique skillset that could make him a viable end zone target over smaller defenders, while Thomas’ abilities have received praise from teammates and coaches.
“Jump balls, 50-50 balls, whatever you want to call it. That’s my skillset, and I’m going to use my advantage to do that.”
Tight Ends
Last year, the idea of regularly running two tight end sets seemed inconceivable. This season, it may come to fruition.
Behind the addition of senior tight end Tanner Koziol from Ball State and junior Luke McGary from Tulsa, Houston has brought in two more ready-to-start tight ends, alongside senior Jayden York, who is entering his second year with the program.
York, aside from being settled into Houston, boasts four prior years of experience in the Big 12 as a member of Texas Tech from 2020-23.
Experience that those around him immediately benefit from.
“When I come off the sideline after the play, I’m with Luke McGary, I’m with Jayden York and we’re talking about it,” Koziol said. “It’s been very complementary just getting better with everyone.”
Koziol and McGary bring similar skill sets, both possessing pass-catching and run-blocking abilities, which McGary says allows them to feed off of each other and is part of what makes the unit “so good.”
Offensive line
An area Fritz knew was in desperate need of an overhaul in the offseason was his offensive line, which ranked among the worst nationally in 2024.
He responded by bringing in five offensive linemen, all with several years of Division I experience.
Among them is fifth-year offensive tackle Dalton Merryman from Texas Tech, who played left tackle in the past but has worked at right tackle throughout the spring and fall camp.
“We’ve got some dogs. We’ve got some old heads on the line… some guys who have been around college football for a little bit,” Weigman said. “So to be able to have that familiarity within the game, and be comfortable behind them in the pocket, it’s gonna be huge for me.”
Defensive line
Leading Houston’s defensive line is senior Carlos Allen Jr., who Pro Football Focus rated as the top interior defender in the Big 12 last year. An established face of Houston’s defense, Allen has spoken highly of the team’s newcomers ahead of the season.
Among them is former Tennessee Tech defensive tackle Myles Parker. Parker spent two years with the program, recording 48 total tackles, including 29 in 2024 and a career-high five-tackle performance on Sept. 28, 2024, against Gardner-Webb.
Other names to keep an eye on are junior Khalil Laufau from Washington State and senior Eddie Walls III from FIU.
Linebackers
Last season, it was sophomore linebacker Corey Platt Jr. who followed Fritz to Houston.
This year, it’s senior linebacker Jesus Machado who did the same, ready to make his return following a torn ACL he suffered during the first quarter of the 2023 Military Bowl.
Machado, excited for the season, says he feels great and credits familiarity with Fritz and Tulane teammates like Platt Jr. for quickly learning the defense’s scheme and playbook.
“Jesus is picking up what we’re doing. This is a different scheme than what we had at Tulane, but he’s a really, really smart football player, as well as Corey,” Fritz said.
Defensive backs
Houston witnessed firsthand the perils of the transfer portal this past spring, losing two starters– the program’s two top ballhawks in senior safety A.J. Haulcy and senior cornerback Jeremiah Wilson.
They departed on back-to-back days, with Haulcy entering the portal just hours after participating in the school’s annual spring game.
As a result, coach Fritz used the second portal window to find more depth.
In the span of weeks, the program added sophomore cornerback Will James (Southern Miss), junior cornerback Keany Parks (Wyoming), senior cornerback Zelmar Vedder (Sacramento State), senior safeties Wrook Brown (Wyoming) and Blake Thompson (Louisiana Tech).
Defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has applauded their adaptability and how they’ve caught up despite limited practices, comparing it to the NFL, where players are added in the offseason and teams must find ways to “make it work” through all the challenges.
Special teams
Houston will be without its field goal specialist, Jack Martin, who departed this past spring after two years with the program.
Martin was perfect from under 40 yards out last season and finished 11-for-11 on extra-point opportunities in 2024.
To replace him, the program brought in senior kickers Ethan Sanchez from Old Dominion and Zac Yoakam from Notre Dame.
Sanchez, in his career, is 11-for-11 on field goals inside 50 yards and his 91.7 made field goal percentage ranked 12th in college football.
Yoakam kicked in 20 games across three seasons with Notre Dame due to limited playing time in 2023-24, appearing in just seven contests.