Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz feels great about his team going into his third season at the helm. He has plenty of reasons to feel that way.
After taking over for Dana Holgorsen on the fly and rushing to put together a team in 2024, Houston won just four games. With a full recruiting cycle and enough time to use the transfer portal properly, Fritz elevated his program to 10 wins last season and a Texas Bowl win over LSU.
This season, he and the Cougars enter the campaign as a team that could reach the Big 12 Championship game for the first time. Success also allowed him to put together that only has four returning starters, but great depth on both sides of the ball put him and his staff in a position to target the right talent in the portal.
Plus, Houston picked up the No. 1 recruit in the country, quarterback Keisean Henderson, to back up Conner Weigman.
Under the old rules, Henderson would be more likely to redshirt than to play right away. Now, with the NCAA’s new age-eligibility rule, he can complete for playing time right away. He probably won’t unseat Weigman, but Fritz likes the idea of not having to choose between redshirting players anymore.
Willie Fritz Likes New NCAA Rule
Fritz talked about what the rule could do for his program going into a pivotal season during his time at Big 12 media days.
“That’s one of the areas I’m excited about this season is we’re going to have a little bit more depth because we’ve got some of these high school guys that are going to be playing for us this upcoming year, maybe were red-shirted,” he said. “I guess that’s a thing of the past. We’ll have these high school guys who have played for us, and also the portal guys.”
The NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule, the so-called “Five-for-Five” rule, allows qualifying student athletes to play up to five years of college sports. There are no more redshirts or waivers except in extraordinary circumstances. With no redshirts, Fritz doesn’t have to cap his freshmen at four games — which was the old rule — to protect their redshirt. If they earn the playing time, he can play them as needed, including every game this season.
It also improves his depth at nearly every position on the field, including quarterback, where one injury can destroy a season. Henderson may not be ready to play right away. But if he can carve out a Tim Tebow-like role as a true freshman, that could help Weigman and the Cougars compete for a Big 12 title.
It gives Fritz the chance to use every player on his roster, create more competition during fall camp and more usable depth during the season. For a coach that has won more than 250 career games, dating back to his time at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, it’s another level he can pull as he builds this year’s team — and builds the teams to come.
“When you bring a guy in … you want to find a guy that fits your program,” Fritz said. “To be a great recruiter, you have to be a talent evaluator, and you’ve got to be an information gatherer, and you have to find guys that fit the way you do things.”
