Cougars 2024 Big 12 Race: Having Thrown For 2,801 Yards And 22 Touchdowns Last Season, Top-Star Returns Back
Picked 15th in the 2024 Big 12 race, Cougars say they are dangerous with veteran QB Donovan Smith returning
When a college football team returns its starting quarterback, it often receives favorable preseason predictions from prognosticators.
However, this isn’t the case for the Houston Cougars, who are projected to finish 15th in the Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll.
Quarterback Donovan Smith, who threw for 2,801 yards and 22 touchdowns last season, is back for 2024. Unfortunately, the Cougars had a 4-8 record last year, coach Dana Holgorsen was fired, and the Big 12 newcomer is only predicted to outperform Arizona State this season.
Despite this, there’s some optimism at TDECU Stadium.
New coach Willie Fritz, brought in from Tulane, has a history of success at every stop in his career. Houston supporters are hopeful that the 64-year-old Fritz can return the program to its former glory in the American Athletic Conference.
“When I took the job at Houston, I mentioned that I feel like it is a sleeping giant, and the sky is the limit, and I feel the same about the Big 12,” Fritz said at the Big 12 football media days last week. “We are at the epicenter of football in the world in Houston, Texas. I loved the fact that I didn’t have to get on a plane to go recruit.”
Indeed, Houston is a football hotbed. Whether Fritz can keep his share of local talent remains to be seen.
Retaining Smith, who completed 64.5% of his passes last year, is a promising start.
“His football IQ is off the charts,” Fritz said of the son of Indianapolis Colts running backs coach DeAndre Smith.
Houston went 2-7 in the Big 12 last year, tying for 11th with BYU and Baylor.
The Cougars will host league favorite Utah on Oct. 26, a game locals believe could be an opportunity for Houston to gain national attention and possibly pull off an upset. More realistically, Houston will face BYU on Nov. 30, a game that could determine which of the Power Four newcomers in 2023 will make it to a bowl game.
Offensively, Houston returns 10 lettermen, including Smith, running back Parker Jenkins, and offensive lineman Tank Jenkins. Parker Jenkins ran for 464 yards and three touchdowns on 99 carries last year.
“Parker Jenkins is a quality back who can do a little bit of everything,” Fritz said.
There are some questions on the offensive line, as Tank Jenkins is the only returning starter from that unit. Replacing Patrick Paul, who was drafted in the second round by the Miami Dolphins, won’t be easy.
Defensively, Houston also returns 10 lettermen. Linebacker Jamal Morris, who recorded 64 tackles and had five pass breakups, is one to watch, along with defensive back A.J. Haulcy. Kicker Jack Martin has proven to be reliable as well.
Houston starts its season at home against UNLV, a must-win game if the team hopes to qualify for a bowl game. Following that, the Cougars will face Oklahoma on the road, a probable top-10 team. The Big 12 play begins on Sept. 21 at Cincinnati, another crucial game for teams coming off subpar seasons and seeking stability in a major conference. “One of the things that we’re going to do is play a lot of guys the first few weeks, kind of figure out the rotation, how many guys — which guys should be playing 50, 60 snaps, which guys should be playing 10, 20,” Fritz said. “And that will be decided after a couple weeks because I haven’t done a lot of live action with these guys.”
Another priority for Fritz is to improve the rushing attack, which was lacking in 2023. The Cougars averaged only 118.7 rushing yards per game last year, ranking among the worst in the nation, with just 10 rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, they also struggled, ranking 100th or worse in every significant defensive category.
New defensive coordinator Shiel Wood has his work cut out for him as he transitions the team to a 3-4 scheme. There are high hopes for new cornerback Latrell McCutchin, a USC transfer who sat out last year, to strengthen Houston’s pass defense.