
Former Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman. | Courtesy of Chris Swann/The Battalion
The NCAA implemented the transfer portal on Oct. 15, 2018, and it has redefined college football by allowing teams and players to find their perfect fit.
The transfer portal has evolved from the original idea of an easier way to communicate and transfer schools to now, where money plays a large role in players’ decisions.
While university paying players directly is on the horizon, in the meantime athletes can now receive compensation through NIL deals.
Free agency
Sports analysis Josh Goldsberg compares the transfer portal to NFL free agency.
For example, LSU commit Bryce Underwood received a strong offer from Michigan for a four-year deal for 10-12 million dollars that he ultimately accepted.
Underwood was believed to be strongly committed to LSU before he received the NIL deal from Michigan. His story sounds like NFL free agency just as Goldsberg described.
“All the things that I believe in, for all these years, 50 years of coaching, no longer exist in college athletics,” former Alabama coach Nick Saban said.
While college sports are very different than they have been previously, coaches are having to adjust to the changing times in order to compete.
In the past three seasons alone, Houston has had 63 players enter the transfer portal. To make up for this, they acquired 59 players from the portal in that same time frame.
This year, 16 players left Houston during this year’s winter window. Coach Willie Fritz and his staff responded by adding 16 players and placed seventh in the Big 12 in transfer portal rankings, per On 3 Sports.
It was the Dec. 2023 hire’s first full offseason and Houston, and his chance to put his stamp on the program that has struggled since entering the Big 12 conference in 2023. The team has posted back-to-back 4-8 records and finished in the bottom half of the conference each season.
“You have to be very smart with the transfer portal,” Fritz said. “You have to be careful bringing players in and making sure they fit your team’s culture.”
With the early football transfer portal window closed now, UH has shown aggression in this year’s cycle.
Offensive additions
Houston added one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks coming out of high school, redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Weigman.
Weigman was a five-star recruit and ranked as the third-best quarterback when he announced his commitment to Texas A&M.
He played three seasons with the Aggies and committed to Houston on Dec 11, 2024.
“He is a natural playmaker whose functional athleticism allows for scrambling ability that leads to chunk yardage or accurate throws while on the move,” Gabe Brooks of 247 Sports said.
Houston also was aggressive in surrounding their new portal quarterback with explosive playmakers.
They picked up their rivals senior running back Dean Connors from Rice who recorded 11 touchdowns and 1,265 total yards on the season.
UH also added two wide receivers junior Louisiana transfer Harvey Broussard and junior UAB transfer Amare Thomas.
The two receivers combined for 93 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns in the 2024 season and bring plenty of explosiveness to this Cougar offense.
Houston added another pass catcher in sophomore Tulsa transfer Luke McGary. He is known for his run blocking but still managed 17 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown while averaging 13.6 yards per catch in his 2024 campaign.
Houston ranked dead last in the Big 12 last year in offensive efficiency and a big reason why was the offensive line.
The Cougars ranked 122nd in the country in pass protection and averaged almost five penalties per game.
UH addressed this immediately in the first portal window by adding five offensive linemen which include: senior New Mexico transfer McKenzie Agnello, senior Oklahoma State transfer Jason Brooks Jr., junior Baylor transfer Alvin Ebosele, senior Texas Tech transfer Dalton Merryman and senior California transfer Mathew Wykoff.
Fritz and his crew wanted offensive linemen with size and experience. They brought in four seniors and one junior, with an average weight of 311 pounds.
Defensive additions
On the defensive side, Houston finished fourth in the Big 12 in total defense last season and was a bright spot for the Cougars.
This season they prioritized several position groups to bring in a balanced transfer portal class.
Junior Washington State defensive lineman Khalil Laufau is the lone d-line commit in the first portal window. He accounted for 16 total tackles and four sacks in the 2024 season.
UH also picked up two defensive backs out of the portal with junior LSU transfer Jordan Allen and Southern Mississippi transfer Will James. The duo recorded a combined 48 total tackles last year.
Houston also added a pair of linebackers in junior Utah transfer Sione Fotu and junior Louisiana transfer Carmycah Glass. These two athletes combined for 95 total tackles last season.
Special Teams
The final addition to the winter portal was senior Old Dominion transfer kicker Ethan Sanchez.
UH only converted 71.43% of field goal attempts last season. Sanchez posted an impressive 91% field goal percentage in 2024 and his only miss came from over 50 yards.
He made all 10 field goal attempts inside of 50 yards and downed his year-long of 53 yards.
Fritz and the Transfer Portal
“I came in here and had to establish our NIL,” Fritz said. “We were way behind and in order to compete I had to change that.”
The transfer portal is far more than just finding the best players available for the Houston program.
Fritz expressed high hopes and optimism for the future of the program in a end of the season press conference on Dec. 4.
“I want our guys to fit the culture and enjoy being here. I think I slept three hours last night thinking about our program,” Fritz said. “Our student-athletes are chomping at the bit to get back out there and I am excited about this 2025 season.”