Houston's Willie Fritz aims for recruiting turnaround with Cougars in 2024
Houston Cougars Head Football Coach Willie Fritz has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, having his hands full with revitalizing the Cougars football program and recruiting talent that will make their program a perennial power for years to come. Fritz's ability to bring in 14 players from the state of Texas either through the transfer portal or from High School speaks to his drive. He wants opponents to know the Cougars are coming to win this upcoming season and going forward.
The Cougars needed additional help on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Last season the team allowed 31.5 points per game while their scoring average was 23.7 points per game. Fritz and his staff understood they needed to get athletes that would help them build a winning culture and step into the locker room with an understanding there was a new standard being set. The Cougars recruited 13 defensive players out of the transfer portal that originated from an FBS or FCS program.
Looking at a few of the Cougars new additions on defense, Jeremiah Wilson started as a true freshman and played in 22 total games for Syracuse. Central Michigan Defensive End Quindario Lee, who played three seasons for the Chippewas, will be a nice contributor to the defensive front that will look to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks this upcoming season.
There were a few transfers that stood out on the offensive side of the ball, too. One in particular is the dual-threat quarterback transfer from the Louisiana Ragin Cajun Zeon Chriss. He played in a two-quarterback system last season. In eight games, Chriss had 73 carries for 492 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry for six touchdowns. He also went 102-of-153 for 1,222 passing yards with 11 TDs and 5 INTs. Chriss redshirted his freshman year after playing in four games. He’ll have the opportunity to learn the system behind senior quarterback Donovan Smith and could very well position the Cougars offense up for continued success once Smith leaves the program for the NFL in 2025.
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Two other transfers that also stood out were Michigan State tight end transfer Maliq Carr, who led the Spartan tight ends with 30 receptions for 352 yards and three touchdowns. He’s joined by University of Georgia wide receiver/return specialist, Meki Mews, who was fourth in the SEC last season in combined kick return yards and caught 13 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown. I’m sure the return team for the Cougars will find additional ways for Mews to be featured and give Houston's offense good field position next season. This will ultimately lead to the Cougars to have more scoring opportunities.
Fritz also found himself with a few players that we could see playing as Freshmen this season. J ’Marion Burnette running back from Andalusia High School (Alabama) is a freight train that isn’t waiting to be stopped upon instant impact. This beastly rusher is a hard downhill runner like former Alabama Heisman winner Derrick Henry. Burnette can catch the ball out of the backfield and has great field vision. This young man should get some snaps this upcoming season.
Fritz and his staff are looking to compete and win right away while continuing to develop the program into a contender. The former head football coach at Tulane University wasted no time recruiting the type of athletes that will help bring a winning culture he created previously. The team is prepared to compete now in their second season in the Big 12 Conference. Coming off a 4-8 season in their first year, the hope is to get their football team back to playing at the top-tier level it was during their 2021 season when they went 12-2 playing in the American Athletic Conference.