The Arrival of Weigman Gets the Cougars’ Receivers Excited

The Cougars’ offense was one of the poorest in the Big 12 last season and was the reason they finished at the bottom of the table with a 4-8 record. They were ranked second-to-last in points scored and 126th in total offensive yards per game among the 133 FBS teams. Their senior wide receiver, Mekhi Mews, wasn’t happy with their performance.

“We didn’t have much team chemistry last year,” Mews said. “It was hard for everyone to get to know each other with Coach Fritz and the new staff coming in during the summer and trying to quickly put the team together. That made it difficult for us to make connections.”

Mews added, however, that he has full confidence in head coach Willie Fritz and believes he will overturn their fortunes this season. “The culture around here is a little more set, and we’ve got guys who know what the expectations are and how to set the tone for the new guys coming in and developing the culture,” he added.

Mews is one of two senior receivers for the Cougars, alongside Stephon Johnson. Both of them are back for UH, with Johnson playing an important role in recruiting former five-star quarterback Conner Weigman. Johnson and Weigman played on the same middle school 7-on-7 team, which was one of the reasons Weigman chose UH.

“It was great when I found out he was coming here,” Johnson said. “Just seeing some of the stuff he’s gone through at A&M the past couple of years and the way he’s fought through adversity, I’m grateful that we were able to be there for him and pick him up to become the guy we know he can be for our team.”

“We’ve come in with the mindset that this year, in every game, we’re trying to score 50,” said Johnson. “Conner’s been a vocal leader in the locker room, and I’m just trying to do everything I can to be in the right spots for him.”

Weigman isn’t the only one to join the Cougars this season. Harvey Broussard III from Louisiana and Tanner Koziol also joined the list of highly rated players who chose UH over other programs. Koziol is a highly touted tight end and was named a Group of Five All-American at Ball State last season.

“Coach (Slade) Nagle and Coach Fritz kept it real with me through the whole process, which I appreciated,” Koziol said. “So with the coaching staff, and then the addition of Conner, I decided to make the jump and come here.”

The receivers had been performing well, but it was the attack that struggled to score points consistently. They are now working with Weigman to try and cover the gaps before the new season begins. Devan Williams, last season’s recruit from Tulsa, has been putting in time with the new quarterback as well — and it seems like it's working.

“We’ve been going at it all summer and doing two-a-days, just trying to work with Conner and build our connections,” said Devan Williams. “We’ve gotten to a point where he’s usually coming with the ball before we’re out of our breaks, and we feel like we’ve made a lot of progress with him.”

Broussard is another recruit who chose the Cougars over other teams, bringing his explosive style of play with him. His dynamic running will help the Cougs stretch the field significantly.

“Coach Fritz recruited me while he was at Tulane, but I didn’t end up going there,” Broussard said. “But he stayed in touch, and when I decided to transfer, he told me how, with the style he wanted to play, he needed someone like me to go catch jump balls and help the offense that way. I knew he was a great coach, and they were getting a good quarterback, so that’s what made me decide to come aboard here at UH.”

With this kind of recruitment and a strong defense already in place, the Cougs’ plan is to win games and score as many touchdowns as possible. Koziol was clear in their ambition to win the Big 12 this season, citing Arizona’s brilliant run last year despite being predicted to finish at the bottom.

“We want to win the Big 12 this year,” Koziol said. “Arizona State was predicted to finish last in the conference last season and made the playoff, so they set the blueprint for a team that struggled the year before to go all the way and win the conference. I believe we have enough talent here to go and win the conference and make a playoff run this year.”