- Head Coach: Willie Fritz (Second season)
- 2024 Record: 4-8
- Strength of Schedule: 59th
- PFF Projected Win Total: 5.2
- FanDuel Win Total: 5.5
2024 Recap
Willie Fritz’s first year as Houston’s head coach ended the same as Dana Holgorsen’s final season in 2023, with a 4-8 record. It’s the Cougars’ worst two-year stretch since 2001-02.
While the Cougars fielded one of the 35 most efficient defenses in the nation by EPA per play, the offense dragged the team down. Houston was home to the Power Four’s least efficient offense in that statistic, and the fourth worst in the entire FBS. The good news is that the Cougars completely revamped that side of the ball through the transfer portal, as only two returning players are projected to start offensively. The bad news is that six of Houston’s seven highest-graded defenders from 2024 left the program.
Biggest Strength: A potentially much-improved passing game
Houston’s passing game ranked last in the Power Four in 2024 in EPA per play, so there’s nowhere to go but up. Aside from that glass-half-full approach, the Cougars made big-time additions in the transfer portal, including former five-star quarterback Conner Weigman and Tanner Koziol, a top-five tight end in college football.
Dean Connors transferred in from Rice after leading all FBS running backs with 889 receiving yards since 2023. Houston also returns its top pass catcher from last year in wide receiver Stephon Johnson.
Biggest Weakness: Pass rush
The Cougars earned just a 60.9 team PFF pass-rush grade in 2024, the fifth-worst mark in the FBS. Their two returning starters on the defensive line, Carlos Allen Jr. and Brandon Mack II, each posted sub-60.0 PFF pass-rush grades last year. Appalachian State transfer Joshua Donald also earned only a 63.5 PFF pass-rush grade.
Houston’s hopes for improvement from this unit hinge on FIU transfer Eddie Walls III, whose 91.3 PFF pass-rush grade on true pass sets in 2024 placed him eighth among all edge defenders in college football.
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