Houston running back Houston running back Re’Shaun Sanford II (26) runs the ball as BYU cornerback Evan Johnson (21) defends during the first half of a college football game Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Provo. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
Rick Egan/Associated Press
Houston running back DJ Butler (25) runs against TCU safety Jamel Johnson (2) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Houston, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Makhi Hughes is at UH after starting his college career at Tulane and then a season at Oregon.
Matthew Hinton/AP
Motivation isn’t an issue inside the University of Houston’s running backs room.
For various reasons, Re’Shaun Sanford II, DJ Butler and Makhi Hughes went through spring practice — which concludes with Saturday’s Red-White Game — with “a little chip on their shoulder” as they prepare for the 2026 season, running backs coach Jordy Joseph said.
Sanford is coming off ACL surgery for the second time in three years. In his only healthy season, Sanford led the Cougars in rushing in 2024.
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“He’s hungry again,” Joseph said. “I see a little more of that fire in him. He’s like that underdog mindset.”
Entering his third season, Butler is coming off his most extensive workload, finishing third on team with 301 rushing yards. He obviously wants more.
“He’s hungry to be the guy,” Joseph said.
The newest addition to the backfield, Hughes, is ready to hit the reset button. After producing nearly 3,000 yards in two seasons at Tulane, including one year under current UH coach Willie Fritz, Hughes never found a role at Oregon and played just four games last season.
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“He’s like, ‘I want to prove myself,’” Joseph said.
All three are expected to contribute to varying roles in the backfield as UH replaces Dean Connors, an all-purpose back who had a team-high 977 yards in his only season with the Cougars. Connors had 200 rushing attempts, more than triple any other running back on the roster.
As a team, UH ranked fifth in rushing in the Big 12, averaging 178.1 yards per game. Quarterback Conner Weigman contributed to UH’s success with 700 yards and team-high 11 touchdowns.
Hughes has the most experience and will end the spring atop the depth chart. In his final two seasons at Tulane, Hughes rushed for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 and 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024.
At the time Hughes signed this offseason, Fritz described Hughes as “a badass.”
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“He’s tough,” Fritz said.
Hughes was one of the top running backs in the transfer portal after the 2024 season, eventually signing with Oregon. He saw limited action in four games before asking to redshirt the remainder of the season.
“For him, it’s been good because I see he has a natural joy and love for the game of football,” Joseph said of the four months since Hughes’ arrival.
Sanford was primed to pair with Connors in the backfield before he tore a ligament in his left knee just a week before the season opener. He suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in preseason camp in 2023.
By late December, Sanford had made enough progress in his recovery that Fritz said he could have played in the Texas Bowl. There are no restrictions as Sanford went through UH’s 15 spring practices.
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“All the reins are off,” Joseph said. “The biggest thing is getting back into game speed. That comes with more and more reps and contact.”
Nearly eight months post-surgery, Sanford said he’s ready to pick up where he left off the last time he played in a game.
“Just to be being back doing what I love to do… being away from it really helps me understand how much I really do appreciate it,” said Sanford, who led the Cougars with 444 rushing yards as a redshirt freshman. “Like people always say, you never really know how good you have something until it’s taken away from you. I have the chance again.”
Unlike the first knee injury, Sanford said he knows what to expect after going through a second rehab process.
“The first time, I admit I was a little nervous coming back,” Sanford said. “This time the training wheels are off, I’m older now. You don’t really have time to be scared or not have any faith in yourself. You have to be able to trust the process and everybody around you.”
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Meanwhile, Butler is ready for an expanded role. As a freshman in 2024, Butler had 16 rushing attempts (his nearly 5 yards after contact was third among Power Four freshman). He had 68 carries last season, seeing an increased role late in games against UCF and Baylor.
The Cougars are also expected to look at John Hebert, a four-star signee from Strake Jesuit who piled up more than 8,000 rushing yards in his prep career, and JayShon Ridgle, a junior who has bounced between the wide receiver and running back rooms. Ridgle, who is up to 215 pounds, is a downhill runner clocked at 22 miles per hour.
“He’s an intriguing one,” Joseph said of Ridgle. “He’s a wild card.”