{"id":378117,"date":"2026-07-18T19:15:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T19:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/378117\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T19:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T19:15:11","slug":"the-biggest-concern-nobody-is-talking-about-for-houston-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/378117\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Concern Nobody Is Talking About For Houston Football"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5v\">Houston\u2019s head football coach Willie Fritz has done an outstanding job at recruiting since he took over in 2024, and he may have put together his best overall team yet for this year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5y\">In just two seasons, the Cougars went from 4-8 to 10-3, and they finished fourth in the Big 12 Conference.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"61\">With all the positives about Houston\u2019s upcoming 2026 season, there are still major questions surrounding <a href=\"https:\/\/uhcougars.com\/sports\/football\/roster\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Houston\u2019s offensive line<\/a> and how they will perform as a unit this year.<\/p>\n<p>Will Houston\u2019s Offensive Line Be An Issue in 2026?<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/01kxtady8qdpg8s6zrs9.jpg\" alt=\"Houston head coach Willie Frit\" title=\"Houston head coach Willie Frit\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6e\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jul 7, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA;  Houston head coach Willie Fritz speaks to reporters during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6i\">While Houston really doesn\u2019t have any glaring weaknesses heading into fall camp, the offensive line poses the most concern because of the uncertainty of how the group will be able to gel as a unit.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6l\">A big reason why there are questions surrounding the offensive line is that it was built entirely through the transfer portal over the last two offseasons.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6o\">Fritz has shown strong interest in bringing in offensive linemen from other schools, and he has brought in all five starters from the portal.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6r\">In the 2025 offseason cycle, Houston brought in offensive linemen Alvin Ebosele and McKenzie Agnello to add experience to a depleted group.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6u\">Ebosele transferred from Baylor, and he started all 13 games at left tackle. He ultimately became quarterback Conner Weigman\u2019s blind-side protector and he will be vitally important for protecting the star passer.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6x\">Agnello transferred from New Mexico State with nearly 800 career snaps to his name. Last year, he graded as Houston\u2019s highest-rated pass blocker and he is projected to start at right guard this season.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"70\">To help fill out the offensive line with starting-caliber players, Houston brought in Shadre Hurst, Anthony Boswell and Drew Terrill, who will all have a huge impact in 2026.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"73\">Hurst transferred from Tulane, where he earned all-conference honors in both 2024 and 2025. Because of his strong performance over the years, he was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 First Team, and he will without a doubt be the starter at left guard for the Cougars.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"76\">Boswell was brought in from Toledo, and he developed into one of the top centers in the MAC last season. With his breakout year, the Cougars decided that he would be the answer at center for the foreseeable future since he is just a sophomore.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-14\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"79\">Terrill is the final project starter at right tackle, and he was brought in during the offseason from Miami (Ohio).<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7c\">He also was a standout in the MAC and showcased a mix of physical run blocking and experience that Houston really liked.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7f\">While the unit on paper looks very solid, there are so many unknowns with this group that make it the biggest concern in 2026.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7i\">Houston has only two returning starters on the line, and it very well may take an extended period of time for the unit as a whole to gel with three new transfers being added to the starting lineup.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\">Another concern is that Houston really went all in with its starters from the portal, and there is very limited depth behind them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\">While all the experience on the line could ultimately make this unit very strong down the road, right now the offensive line is Houston\u2019s biggest concern heading into the 2026 season.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Houston\u2019s head football coach Willie Fritz has done an outstanding job at recruiting since he took over in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[56,58,57],"class_list":["post-378117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}