When the Houston Cougars hired Wille Fritz away from the Tulane Green Wave, the thought of a quick turnaround hovered above H-Town. However, Fritz could not get the toothless Cougars moving in a positive direction.
Willie Fritz Falters in Year 1
College Sports Network graded every first-year head coach from 2024 and gave Fritz a C- grade. In an honestly blunt account, CSN laid out the case for their grade, and no one can reasonably disagree:
“We’ve become accustomed to Wille Fritz’s success in college football, but he suffered some trials and tribulations as the Houston Cougars’ first-year head coach. The program has struggled to adjust to life in the Big 12, and the former Tulane Green Wave head coach only matched the 4-8 campaign from 2023 that saw the departure of his predecessor, Dana Holgorsen.”
The Dana Holgorsen reference cuts to the bone. Houston hired Fritz to erase the previous era, where the team went a mediocre 31-28 during his 59-game tenure.
The problems with the Cougars immediately start with the offense — or lack thereof. The offense, under Fritz scored just 14 points per game. Unless you can roll out the Iowa Hawkeyes’ defense behind it, tallying two scores per contest when you possess the ball will not work.
The team scored fewer than seven points an astonishing five times. Moreover, the total offense ranked 128th overall, largely unchartered territory for a Power Four team.
Despite completing 65% percent of its passes, Houston sat underwater with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 9:17.
With a contract base of $4.5 million per season, the administration does not look comfortable with a protracted rebuild encompassing multiple seasons. The injury to quarterback Donovan Smith kneecapped any consistent plans for a competent offense.
Wes Fritz, the head coach’s son, runs the player personnel department. Under those circumstances, critics point to UH’s lack of what many perceived as a good recruitment class for 2025. According to 247 Sports, the Cougars ranked 48th in recruiting (including transfers).
Now, that may seem a bit premature, as the depth that Houston received looks rather promising. Fritz will welcome depth at receiver and along the line of scrimmage. Immediately, that should foster a bit of hope, as the depth chart looked pasty thin a year ago.
Despite signing a long-term deal to coach the Cougars, one problem arises and will not go away: the Big 12 schedule. The days of five or more layups among Big 12 teams ended with the last expansion.
This year, UH faces Arizona State, Colorado, and Arizona, among others. While Arizona still looks further away, Fritz will immediately need to contend with the Buffaloes and the Sun Devils.
Deion Sanders replenished his reserves with elite talent. Meanwhile, Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils won the conference championship and took Texas to overtime during the College Football Playoff. While Houston avoids Kansas State or Iowa State, the Cougars need to stack wins.
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The 2024 season hurt Houston and, by extension, Fritz. They need to rapidly improve to quiet concerns and keep the coaching seat at a suitable temperature. A 6-6 record may not seem like a positive step, but considering where UH emerged from, .500 looks like a dream. No one doubts Fritz and his capabilities.
His track record at Tulane signifies that coaching is not the issue. Building enough depth to overcome injuries and the inevitable attrition is. The 2025 campaign gives him the chance to atone for his rough to his tenure at Houston.
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