Houston Football completed practice No. 10 on Tuesday, with several recruits on hand. A number of area coaches attended, as did one from a little farther away. Several coaches from a high school in Alberta took in the UH practice.
Head coach Tommy Knitter brought several of his staff members from Cochrane High School in Alberta, Canada. Knitter said he was “in awe of the efficiency and organization” of Houston’s practice. While the rules in Canadian football are slightly different, Knitter said that there are still things they can take back to help them improve their program.
“I’m very impressed by the communication between staff and players”, Knitter said. Cochrane is one of the top programs in the province, and the coaches used their spring break to travel to learn from coaches in the U.S.
The Houston staff is very open to allowing high school coaches to attend practice and absorb whatever knowledge they can. Maintaining open communication with high school coaches and building relationships will continue to help them recruit in the area, and perhaps find a player or two out of the country.
Recruiting
Visit list from Tuesday:
| Name | Pos - Yr | HS |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Newhouse | WR - 2026 | Austin Westlake |
| Thompson Bennett | ATH - 2026 | Austin Westlake |
| Kaleb Walker* | DL - 2026 | Lindale |
| Canon Toon* | QB - 2026 | Second Baptist |
| Stanley Peters | CB - 2027 | Seminary (MS) |
| Joshua Vilmael | CB - 2027 | FB Travis |
| Jacob Lee | CB - 2027 | Cy Ranch |
| Kalen Simmons | S - 2028 | Iowa Colony |
| Christian Williams** | ATH - 2031 | Wright JHS |
*UH commit
**It’s never too early
Joshua Vilmael from Fort Bend Travis is a player to monitor. He has an official visit scheduled with Houston this summer, June 4-6. He’s been on campus multiple times and to a few Spring practices. Today, he attended special teams and defense meetings, as well as the cornerback position meeting with Coach Marcus Trice.
Sitting in on a meeting is valuable for Vilmael because it gives insight into the kind of coach recruiting him. He pays attention to the “scheme fit and actual corrections the coach makes,” but that the “delivery and the message are more important” to him. Vilmael believes that Coach Trice builds up his players, using meetings, in his words, as a “growth tool” rather than to scold.
Vilmael tells me that Houston is in his top four at the moment, which he admits is a fluid group. His hope is to make his decision about where he will attend college by August.
Former UH coach Corby Meekins was also in attendance today. He’s the head coach at Lutheran South and brought two of his assistant coaches with him.
Coaches in attendance:
| Coach | School |
|---|---|
| Tommy Knitter | Cochrane (Alberta) |
| Walter Anderson | Cochrane (Alberta) |
| Kyle Moortgat | Cochrane (Alberta) |
| Randy Shiman | Cochrane (Alberta) |
| Corby Meekins | Lutheran South |
| Jeff Poth | Lutheran South |
| Jon Mueller | Lutheran South |
| Jim Regan | John Cooper School |
| Aaron Carpenter | John Cooper School |
| Darrell Jimerson | Ridge Point |
| Ivan Robinson | Strack Intermediate |
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