Junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson caught three passes for 120 yards in loss to Cincinnati on Oct. 12 . | File Photo
In the wide world of college football, there are inexperienced teams, ones going through growing pains and other veteran-laden ones.
Houston’s program is attempting to jump from the growing pains category to the veteran-laden one – look no further than the redshirting of starting upperclassmen for proof.
To become that veteran-laden squad that reaps the benefits of elderly talent, a team must not just have notches on its belt. It has to have skill.
On Dec. 18, Houston got a boost in the veteran skill department when junior wide receiver Marquez Stevenson chose to return for his final season over the bright lights of the NFL Draft.
“After long thoughts and sitting down with my family, I’ve decided to return to Houston to finish out my degree and to finish what I started with my brothers,” Stevenson said on Twitter.
Stevenson’s return is perhaps the most impactful move of the offseason for a Cougars’ team hoping to rebound from a 4-8 campaign. In year two of the Dana Holgorsen-era, Houston will need more veteran playmakers as all teams do.
They got just that in “Speedy” Stevenson.
A back-to-back first-team All-American Athletic Conference nod, Stevenson is a big-play threat for Houston’s offense. In the past two seasons, he’s tallied 127 receptions for 1,926 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also brought-back two kick returns to the house in 2019.
“The first recruiting win is Marquez Stevenson,” Holgorsen said on Dec. 18. “That adds another fifth-year senior and a pretty dadgum productive one.”
UH will trot-out an NFL-level talent on offense in 2020.
Stevenson could be a professional football player next season. Instead, he will be a Cougar, making his return the most valuable of the 2019-20 offseason.
