Preparations for the 2024 Dave Campbell’s summer magazine begin in April and that means stops at every FBS level for our staff. The first stop for me on the spring tour was to see Willie Fritz and his Houston Cougars. 

This is not a wholly original thought, but I believe in the “New Partner Theory” when it comes to hiring coaches. Basically, just how you’d want your new girlfriend/boyfriend to be the opposite of your last failed fling, so do college administrations when replacing a failed head coach. You’d be hard pressed to find bigger opposites than Dana Holgorsen and Fritz. 

Practice, which was open to the media, is in the morning. Both players I spoke to talked about added discipline and accountability. Both coordinators I interviewed explained the importance of fitting scheme to personnel and not personnel to scheme. The word used most around campus on Tuesday was “consistency.” Fritz has won at every stop in multiple levels of college football, and he does it by remaining the same and sticking to his principles. 

Here are some notes from the stop. 

Offense:

• Projected starting QB Donovan Smith cannot throw this spring and that’s allowed Louisiana transfer Zeon Chriss to get most of the first team snaps. 
• Wide receiver appears to be the strength of the offense, which isn’t a surprise even with Matthew Golden transferring to Texas. Sam Brown and Joseph Manjack IV are proven commodities. New OC Kevin Barbay loves the length and potential of Stephon Johnson and Joshua Cobbs. Georgia transfer Mekhi Mews is already a QB favorite from his slot position and should be the team’s top returner on punts and kicks 
• The RB position is another one to feel good about for Coogs fans. Parker Jenkins showed flashes as a freshman and should fit well into the offense. Stacy Sneed is impressing with his versatility as a pass catcher. Tony Mathis is also in the mix. 
• The OL is the biggest question mark on the team. On Tuesday, the starting unit was David Ndukwe (LT), Peyton Dunn (LG), Demetrius Hunter (C), Tank Jenkins (RG), Shamar HobdyLee (RT). 
• TE is trending in the right direction with transfers Maliq Carr and Jayden York bolstering a room that includes returner Matt Byrnes. 
• Overall, fans should expect a balanced attack with tempo. Barbay likes to use multiple of formations to disguise plays. He’ll also use RPO in a way Holgorsen didn’t. 

Defense:

• Defensively, Shiel Wood followed Fritz from Tulane to Houston as defensive coordinator. He said the defense bases out of a 34 but uses 4-3 personnel. In truth, the Cougars will be multiple, and no team bases out of single formation anymore. The spring is for finding out what the defense can run and what roles each individual player can fill. 
• The outside linebacker/edge position is called the “Dog” position in this defense. The staff feels like a trio of players – Nadame Tucker, Brandon Mack, and Torren CooperEl – can play the role and provide Houston with a true pass rusher. Tulane transfer Keith Cooper is impressing at the defensive end spot on the other side. 
• The interior of the defensive line includes Xavier Stillman and AJ Holmes. Wood gave Holmes high praise. The Cougars lost a lot of production from the middle of its defense, so Holmes and transfers such as Stillman and Everitt Rogers must step up. 
• Fritz said he thought linebacker could be a worry heading into spring, but he feels confident with four or five players now. That includes Jamal Morris and transfers like Kendre Grant, Michael Batton, and Corey Platt Jr. 
• The secondary is the strength of the defense, at least on paper. Isaiah Hamilton is back after a strong 2023 season and will start at one cornerback spot. The other might be filled by former USC and Oklahoma transfer, Latrell McCutchin. Wood described the former Austin LBJ starlet as a “Sunday” player. The safety spot is in great hands with AJ Haulcy and Juwon Gatson and transfers Teagan Wilk and Hershey McLaurin.