Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars just added one of the more interesting prospects of the transfer portal cycle with the commitment of Oregon running back Makhi Hughes.
Hughes is an intriguing player because of what transpired in the last calendar year. He transferred to Oregon as one of the top available running backs in the transfer portal last season, but did not see the field much at all with the Ducks.
His numbers at Tulane were truly ridiculous, with back-to-back seasons of 250+ carries and more than 1,350 rushing yards. He posted a total of 525 carries for 2,779 yards and 24 scores with the Green Wave before transferring and seeing just 17 carries for 70 yards.
Now, he’s back in the transfer portal, albeit with a little less hype than the last time around, but it’s easy to see why the move to Houston makes sense for both parties. For starters, Hughes’ dominant 2023 season came under Willie Fritz in his final year at Tulane. If anyone knows how to get the most out of his players, one he’s already coached and developed, it’s Fritz.
In 2025, Houston was responsible for the fifth-most rushing yards per game in the Big 12 with 178.1, and with the team’s leading rusher, Dean Connors, out of eligibility, it was time to put a new face in the backfield to work alongside Conner Weigman.
Willie Fritz has Houston approaching heights the program hasn’t seen in decades, and if things continue to trend that way, the Big 12 may have woken up a sleeping giant, now and forever.
