Houston Cougars Fans Should Be Excited About Loaded Freshman Class

“Our current freshmen have what Galen had as a freshman, which is crazy competitiveness,” Sampson said. “They don’t necessarily know how to hit first, but they all do a good job of hitting back, whether it's on the day, whether it's in a workout, whether it's competing in positional stuff, small groups. They all have an awesome resolve about them.”

The four freshmen Sampson is talking about are guard Isiah Harwell out of Pocatello, Idaho, guard Kingston Flemmings out of San Antonio, Texas, forward/center Chris Cenac Jr. out of New Orleans, Louisiana and guard Bryce Jackson out of Pearland, Texas. Each one of the newcomers was a top high school recruit and was rated either four or five stars. 

“All four of them have very, very few insecurities and so they allow themselves to get coached,” Sampson said. “They’re not defensive. It’s allowing them to progress and improve at a really, really good rate.”

The development of the freshmen will be crucial in the Cougars’ pursuit of a championship in 2025. In 2024, the squad leaned on its group of veteran leaders to pave the way. With most of those guys no longer with the program, the youth have an opportunity to shine.

"Our freshmen are going to come along, I'm excited about what they can be," Kelvin Sampson told Jon Rothstein. "November will be an interesting month for us, but I've said before that I don't get carried away with wins and losses in the month of November. The team will be what it is by then and we'll see where they are at the end of it."

Houston will start its 2025 campaign against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on October 26. The game will be played at the Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas, with tipoff time to be announced.