Houston Football Preview 2025: Offense and Defense Breakdown

Houston Cougars Preview 2025: Offense

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Houston 2025 Preview 
Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season

- Did you like last year’s Houston Cougar offense? Of course you didn’t, because it was totally miserable.

It was 128th in the nation in yards, only Kent State scored fewer points per game - do you have any clue how bad you have to be to average just 0.1 point per game more than the 2024 Kent State Golden Flashes? - there were too many turnovers, not enough third down conversions, and …

Houston’s coaching staff isn’t crazy. There wasn't a wholesale change of talent, but it’s close. The transfer portal was kind.

- Can Conner Weigman make the offense his? The former Texas A&M starting quarterback was good, but injuries and ineffectiveness kept him to just 15 games in three seasons. The tools are all there to put up huge numbers with this receiving corps.

- Stephon Johnson was a bright spot in a dismal year. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy led the Cougars with 32 grabs. Joining him is Amare Thomas, who’s coming off a 115-catch, 1,107-yard, 11-touchdown two-year run at UAB, and Harvey Broussard III, a deep threat who averaged close to 16 yards per grab last season at Louisiana.

Making a good situation even better is the addition of Tanner Koziol at tight end. He caught 163 passes in three years at Ball State, was going to Wisconsin, and now will combine with Luke McGary (Tulsa) to make the position a strength.

- The offensive line has a veteran left tackle in David Ndukwe and an experienced center in Demetrius Hunter, but the portal is taking over the front five. Among the potential four new starters, tackle Dalton Merryman (Texas Tech) should be the best of the bunch. Now they all need to provide a push for the ground game that struggled to get going.

- Houston has the backs. They just need the room to move. Leading rusher Le’Shaun Sanford is back, but he ran for only 444 yards and a score. Dean Connors ran for over 770 yards in each of the last two years at Rice - along with 16 scores - but his real worth was as a receiver with 105 catches for 888 yards.

Houston Cougars Preview 2025: Defense

- The offense might have sputtered and coughed, but the defense picked up the slack here and there. The pass rush struggled, but the D was second best in the Big 12, great against the run, and it should be even stronger with help from the portal.

- The linebacking corps has a few veteran parts returning. Jalen Garner will be one of the team’s leading tacklers in the middle, but the stat-sheet filler should be Carmycah Glass, who’s coming off a 75-tackle season at Louisiana.

- Again, there has to be more of a pass rush. Senior Brandon Mack is the perfect-sized edge rusher for one side. Carlos Allen made 43 stops last year on the inside, but he might work as a huge end with the addition of Joshua Donald (Appalachian State) and Khalil Laufau (Washington State) as big options for the interior.

- The interceptions left the building. Corner Jeremiah Wilson picked off four passes and left for Florida State, AJ Haulcy took off for LSU after coming up with five, and finished second on the team in tackles.

There’s a lot of scrambling to do, and it starts with CJ Douglas (Samford) and Marc Stampley II (Georgia Southern) filling in at safety, and Will James (Southern Miss) and 6-3 Zelmar Vedder (Sacramento State) working in at cornerback.

Houston 2025 Preview 
Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season