Someone accused of him of just commiting because of the injury but he said he was coming regardless so they could be a potent 1-2 punch at RB
Who gives a **** what his motivations are. Elite recruits know this is a business, and playing time is currency. Let's go Brandon! (lulzzzzzzzzzz)
Re-upped my season tickets. Should be much hotter ticket in town. Best Houston football team to watch followed by maybe Rice and some of the HS teams.
Spoiler Nearly three years ago, inside the dining hall of Houston’s athletics center, Dana Holgorsen approached a few reporters to discuss his unorthodox redshirt strategy. Just moments before, Holgorsen, starting quarterback D’Eriq King and receiver Keith Corbin had completed an unprecedented news conference, announcing that — after a 1-3 start to the 2019 season — the two players were redshirting the rest of the year with the intention of returning to the Cougars in 2020. The idea, which Holgorsen broached to the players after a rough start to his debut UH campaign, was a unique utilization of the NCAA’s adjustment to the redshirt rule, which allows players to play up to four games without burning a year of eligibility. It sparked accusations from observers of “tanking,” which Holgorsen vehemently denied. At a minimum, sitting two of the team’s best players four games into the season elicited a heavy dose of skepticism, which Holgorsen sensed, prompting him to further explain his reasoning to the reporters after the news conference wrapped up. One of them told Holgorsen that day that he was the only coach in the country who could try such a strategy, given the job security he had. He was warmly welcomed in Houston after another unorthodox move, leaving a successful Power 5 program (West Virginia) to join a Group of 5 school. It was true, which Holgorsen admits three years later. In a must-win era that regularly sees underachieving coaches dismissed after three seasons — heck, the coach Holgorsen replaced, Major Applewhite, was fired after posting two winning records — few have the backing to flush a season in the spirit of rebuilding. “I knew I was going to be here. I had confidence (in the plan),” Holgorsen told The Athletic recently. “I was more interested in changing the culture than winning games. And that’s almost impossible in this profession. You don’t get the time. “If I failed, I failed. I was just like ‘All right, I’ll just f—ing go do something else.’” His mood now is light years better than it was then, because the Cougars are coming off a 12-2 season, an appearance in the American Athletic championship game and a bowl win over Auburn and are primed for another run at the league title with a loaded roster before likely jumping to the Big 12 in 2023. Through it all, Holgorsen feels validated by his initial vision. The journey to this point has been far from smooth. Houston endured a 4-8 showing in 2019 and a 3-5 year in 2020 that included eight games impacted by COVID-19 scheduling issues. Also, King and Corbin ultimately transferred (King after the 2019 season, Corbin after 2020). But with the use of Holgorsen’s redshirt strategy, which numerous other players adopted that season, and a 2020 NCAA-induced eligibility freeze, he achieved his goal of aging the roster. Houston’s quarterback, Clayton Tune, is a fifth-year senior coming off a career year. He’s surrounded by talented, experienced playmakers. The Cougars are deep on defense despite losing three players to the NFL Draft. The coaching staff has largely remained stable. Recruiting has improved. New facilities are pending and investment in the program continues to grow. And Holgorsen, who just signed a contract extension this offseason, isn’t going anywhere. Big picture, the Cougars are in the best shape they’ve been in since the Southwest Conference imploded in the mid-1990s. The team itself should be a New Year’s Six bowl contender in 2022. After a rough start to his Houston homecoming, Holgorsen feels much better about where the Cougars sit now. “I believed in our approach,” he said. “I believed in the administration. And I felt like I had to do some drastic **** to change the culture. “Yeah, I took heat, but I don’t care. We had a plan and we executed the plan.” Offense After two seasons hovering around 30 points per game, the Cougars made a big jump offensively in 2021, averaging 35.9. That put them in the top 15 nationally and third in the AAC. There’s reason to believe they can flirt with those marks again this year. The Cougars enter 2022 with their quarterback firmly entrenched. Tune returns for his fourth season as the starter. The veteran has come a long way since succeeding King in 2019. There was a time in previous seasons, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said, that Tune “tried to be Superman” and made mistakes that cost UH wins. In 2021, with the exception of a four-interception performance in a season-opening loss to Texas Tech, Tune turned the page. “He played his ass off,” Dawson said. “He managed games, took chances when chances were there. Other than the first game, he didn’t ever put us in a bad situation.” Tune’s mastery of the offense, from knowledge to communication to control, is unmatched. He posted career highs in every passing category, including touchdown passes (30) and completion percentage (68.3) last season. “He’s worked himself into the position that there aren’t really any glaring problems,” Dawson said. “He’s become a really solid football player.” Said Holgorsen: “The way he performed the last eight games, he’s got a chance to be one of the top five guys (nationally) out there next year.” Tune’s backup, sixth-year senior walk-on Ike Ogbogu, also returns. Holman Edwards, a junior college signee from the 2021 class, got a healthy number of practice reps during spring. But Tune’s potential successor could be a player the Cougars landed from the transfer portal, former Arkansas quarterback Lucas Coley. Coley, a three-star 2021 recruit from San Antonio, was heavily recruited by Houston out of high school. He chose to head to the SEC, but the Cougars pounced when he became available again. Spring practice brought misfortune at a key position, where running back Alton McCaskill suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during an early April practice. McCaskill shined in 2021 with a team-high 961 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, most among FBS true freshman running backs. It’s a big loss. Whether McCaskill can return in time to play in late-season games or has to sit out the entire 2022 season to recover remains to be seen. McCaskill’s absence likely means an increased workload for senior Ta’Zhawn Henry. The former Texas Tech transfer was the team’s second-leading rusher last season (513 yards, seven touchdowns) and also caught 21 passes. Though diminutive in stature (Henry stands 5-foot-7 and weighs just 170 pounds), he’s “a really solid player who can do anything,” Dawson said. Even before McCaskill’s injury, the Cougars sought additional running back depth in the portal and that search proved timely. Former USC running back Brandon Campbell, a four-star 2021 recruit, was on an official visit to Houston and committed just before McCaskill got hurt. Campbell, a Houston-area product, has a frame (5-11, 210) comparable to McCaskill’s, which should allow the Cougars to use Campbell and Henry this season similarly to how they used McCaskill and Henry in 2021. “Adding BC is crucial,” Dawson said. Behind Campbell and Henry, third-year back Stacy Sneed is the likely next option. The 2020 recruit hasn’t played in his first two years on campus but had an impressive enough spring that Holgorsen is confident he doesn’t need to hit the portal to find another back. “He’s probably the most talented guy in the room,” said Dawson, who called Sneed the most improved player at the position. At receiver, Houston possesses sufficient talent. Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, who led the AAC in catches (90), receiving yards (1,329) and touchdown catches (12) last season, returns. So does Ke’Sean Carter, a Texas Tech transfer who came on strong midseason but missed the last five games with an injury. With some key losses at the position, Holgorsen beefed up the room via recruiting and the portal. The player who turned the most heads this spring was true freshman Matthew Golden, a four-star signee. Golden, who is the fourth-highest-rated prospect Houston has signed in the modern recruiting era, quickly acclimated himself to the offense and should challenge for a starting job this season. The Cougars also added two transfer receivers: West Virginia’s Sam Brown and USC’s Joseph Manjack IV. Both players proved more than capable in the spring and, coupled with Golden, may make the passing attack more diverse (Dell had 53 more receptions than the next best pass catcher in 2021). “Those guys are going to add an element to our offense that we’re not going to be so one-dimensional with targeting (Dell),” Dawson said. “We’re gonna have other places to go with the ball when they do focus their defensive strategy on Tank and so it’ll ultimately make us a more explosive offense.” Their additions also allow Dell to return to his natural position as an inside receiver. The staff didn’t feel it had enough options at outside receiver, forcing the Cougars to play some guys out of position. Golden and Brown will both be outside receivers, and Manjack can play either. Redshirt freshmen C.J. Guidry and Khiyon Wafer also provide some depth outside. Tight end has a familiar, reliable face returning in Christian Trahan, the team’s second-leading receiver last year. He has 81 catches for 936 yards in the last three seasons combined and will remain a key part of the offense.
