Family vibes helped Houston beat in-state competition for four-star WR

Jayden Warren is a four-star wide receiver from Rosharon, Texas. He's one of the top wideouts in the country, and his recruitment came down to an all-Texas final group.

Houston, TCU and SMU were all in contention for his commitment. Ultimately, though, Willie Fritz and the Cougars won out.

Warren committed to Houston this past weekend, and he credited the Cougars for keeping it real with him on the recruiting trail.

"It was really the loyalty they showed me from the beginning when they offered me," Warren explained via Jackson Dipasquale of 247Sports. "The loyalty and being able to put on for the city in front of my family and friends is why I wanted to commit."

Rosharon is less than a 40-minute drive away from the University of Houston, so this was an important commitment on both sides of the table. 

For Warren, it's being able to stay near home to play college football. For Houston, it's landing one of the top wideouts in the country, who just so happened to be right in their own backyard. Warren is ranked as the No. 19 wideout in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Staying home was clearly a big thing for Warren, but he also felt the right vibes during his official visit this past June with the program.

"Going on the OV, you don't really necessarily know everybody there but from the start of the visit with Houston everybody just felt like family and one big group not just a bunch of individuals," he explained. "Coach Fritz and the rest of the staff have all been together at different schools and to see all of them come together and create that culture of a big family was something I wanted to be a part of."

Warren is Houston's 14th commitment, and he's one of the top-ranked recruits in the class. He absolutely profiles as a big-play, athletic wideout. As a junior for Iowa Colony High School, he caught 26 passes for 613 yards and 14 touchdowns. He notched 23.6 yards per catch.