Houston Cougars TOP 10 Football Players for 2024

the Willie Fritz era begins in Houston there's some optimism about where the program is headed I don't think you saw that in the Dan Dana hogerson era and now Houston has their sights on better things heading into the 2024 season we're taking a look at the top 10 players and you have to start with Donovan Smith this is a guy who is getting NFL attention already part of that has to do with his frame when you stand 6 foot five and 235 lbs you're going to get attention he has a great frame at the next level it's just a matter of can one stay healthy and put it all together he's currently battling an injury which has allowed a guy like Zeon Chris to get more reps but Donovan Smith make no mistake about it is the qb1 for Houston 2,800 run yards last year 22 touchdowns you'd like to see him get his 13 interceptions down I think that changes when you look at what the staff did with Michael Pratt there's reason to believe that Donan Smith can take that next step uh 428 yards six touchdowns on the ground he's a good runner a dual threat that's going to make this offense really fun to watch going through a little bit of transition in terms of getting certain guys get up to speed with the transfers they bring in the new coaching staff but Donovan Smith to me is set for a big year a guy who's kind of under the radar right now as a running back Parker Jenkins maybe this is too high for him on this list but when you look at the film it's easy to see the talent it's easy to see why this guy is going to be special 464 yards and three touchdowns doesn't necessarily tell you that but when you watch what this team can do when he is on the field it's really exciting to see where Houston is going to go in 2024 5 foot1 200 pounds has Good Feet has the ability to make guys miss can also run people over I really like the combination that he brings to the table and with what Willie Fritz wants to do establishing the run early on is probably going to be a focus and you pair him with Donovan Smith in that backfield and Houston is good to go now defensively this is really where Houston needs to improve and there's a reason why this the previous staff was let go last year was really tough to watch but that doesn't mean that there's not exciting players returning AJ Hy is a great safety for Houston now I think he can take another step in terms of his game and get even better and he'll do that under this new staff when you look at what Tain did last year this is definitely someone who can drive in this new under this new staff you have a new offensive coordinator coming in new defensive coordinator coming in along with that new head coach so that means that you're going to see plenty of exciting things now other players that you can keep an eye on there there's plenty of options in this secondary I think getting Brian Massie from SMU was a great addition for this team and there are a number of other players that we'll talk about that will make a big impact but a A J Hy is going to be the leader of this defense he's a natural playmaker can do a little bit of everything for this defense a versatile weapon and that makes things really exciting for a coaching staff that's trying to establish who's going to be their leaders who's going to be their go-to guys Hy is one of them an under eight addition to me in the transfer portal was getting kendri Gant from Louisiana 6'3 220 pounds you talk about the definition of playmaker he was exactly that 64 tackles 12 tackles were lost six sacks three passes defended three fumble recoveries three Force fumbles this guy knows how to get the ball back to his offense he knows how to be disruptive and that's huge for a team that needs to be much better when you look at the stats defens league for Houston last year it was abysmal at times there was an obvious struggle on the defensive side of the ball and had nothing to do with the talent and everything to do with the fact that this group just could not play well together and now you have a new coaching staff coming in you get to do a little bit of a reset which is great because I think when you look at what this team can do shwood is going to do a lot of good things he did a lot of great things at tane he's going to get this team up to speed and Gant could have a big year if he finds the right fit in this defense one of the more slept on wide receivers in college football is Joseph manjack IV 577 yards and six touchdowns so obviously the production isn't screaming get me under the spotlight but this man catches passes with no gloves he plays the game with no gloves Absolut insane to be able to do that at the Collegiate level and he's a reliable pass catcher he has been a reliable player for Houston the last couple years and he is back for one final season 6 foot three 205 pounds this is going to be a fun offense to watch when you look at the wide receiver options that that Houston has returning as well as who they added in the transfer portal you have a number of players that could have a big year we'll talk about Stefan Johnson in a little bit you have other players that come in via the transfer portal mikai Muse could have a big year and Marquees shoulders comes in from Tulsa even tight end Malik Carr is someone that everyone is excited about I think that was one of the better additions in the transfer portal we'll just see what he can do in terms of being a contributor to this offense coming with Fritz and staff to this team is Keith Cooper a guy who had eight and a half tackles for loss five sacks this was a defense into Lane that had a number of Playmakers so the production for a lot of guys wasn't maybe what you expected but this is someone who can be disruptive this is someone who is probably just scratching the surface on what he can do question is going to be how can he handle life in the Big 12 versus the AAC playing for Tain is a little bit different than playing for Houston because of the competition that you're going to face but he is a veteran who is going to play at a high level and he's going to help these other new guys that are coming in to get up to speed we talked about Zeon Chris earlier and he's getting a lot of valuable reps in the spring he'll get a lot more valuable reps in the fall as well and it's going to elevate the floor for Houston's quarterback room this is someone who had a great season for Louisiana last year 12200 yards passing 11 touchdowns nearly 500 yards rushing and six more scores it'll be fun to see what he can do with this staff it'll be fun to see what this staff can do with him they can get him up to speed and also what he can do with Donovan Smith like I said recovering from his injury Chris is getting a great opportunity to showcase what he can do and I think at at worst case is you sit behind Donovan Smith you learn for a little while and then next year it's your time to shine you get to show what you can do and if you can Thrive within you know the spring practices and then get your your reps in in the fall and push Donovan Smith as much as you can the 2025 season will be really fun to watch for Houston we mentioned Stefan Johnson and while his stats don't necessarily scream that he's going to be a starter we saw the potential in his game we saw what he's capable of doing and the former Oklahoma State transfer just needs an opportunity now you lose a couple of players with Samuel Brown off to to Miami via the transfer portal Stefan Johnson has a big opportunity to step up in his absence there's going to be a lot of competition there's going to be players that will push him we talked about Muse we talked about shoulders even Devin Williams another Temple or Tulsa transfer that's going to be someone who pushes him for a time so Stefan Johnson has an opportunity but there are definitely guys behind them that will push him if he's not ready Chan Davis has an opportunity after coming from Southern and producing at a high level to Showcase what he can do at a power five program when you look at what this team needs they need to stop the pass a lot better the secondary had so much potential two years ago and it tanked really fast Fritz and this staff have done a great job at Tain of elevating their defense and their secondary has been playing a big role and this is not just a secondary that's going to just sit back and cover guys deep they are going to be involved in the Run game they are going to be involved in various different things and Davis could be a guy that you're going to see Thrive with this new staff another underrated player to me is Stacy Sneed again there are so many new faces that you could put on this list Stacy's need to me has been underappreciated at Houston and he is someone who continues to just show up and put in the work 282 yards last year one touchdown 95 yards receiving another score he is a great backup option can also be your starter when needed but he is someone who definitely deserves a lot of love definitely deserves a lot of attention and yes there could be a number of other guys you put on this list especially when you look at this roster the France report auditions that this staff was able to bring is a long list but again how many of those guys are going to be able to contribute I think that you did a a great job when you're looking at this staff and what Willie Fritz did you brought a number of players in that revamp this roster but a guy like Sneed who has that experience who knows what it takes to get the job done it's a little bit of edge or someone who's coming in new but Houston has a lot of talent it's just a matter of what can Fritz and this staff do to turn things around quicker or at least sooner rather than later