The Coogs hauled in seven commits from their first OV weekend, including 16-year-old Troy HS offensive tackle Sonny Mullen.
Mullen (6’7” and 285lbs) first heard from the program when quarterbacks coach Shawn Bell visited his school for a practice. Bell let offensive line coach Eman Naghavi know to get an eye on Mullen. After watching his film, Naghavi called him on May 7th to offer him a scholarship.
“(Coach Naghavi) hadn’t given me his number at the time, so it was just a random call,” Mullen told me in an extended interview. “I answered it, and he ended up offering.”
The Visit
Troy, Texas, is just north of Temple, meaning the drive down was about three hours for Mullen and his parents. When they arrived, the Mullens were greeted outside the hotel by Naghavi, Bell, offensive assistant Henry Stone, and other staffers. When Sonny went up to his room, he found a gift bag with his favorite snacks and handwritten notes from the Houston staff.
From there, he went downstairs to the hospitality room, which was stocked with several PS5 consoles for the recruits to play (and more snacks). Later, Sonny and the other visitors made their way to campus for a short meeting with Willie Fritz, the staff, and the players’ hosts. After that, the players and parents split up: the players went for photo shoots while the parents met in depth with the coaching staff.
Sonny said that his host, Alvin Ebosele, was hyping him up along with other current players during the shoot. The night ended as coaches and parents joined the recruits and hosts for a BBQ dinner in one of the club areas at TDECU Stadium.
Day two began on campus, with catering from The Breakfast Klub, while the group heard from professors about what Houston has to offer. They also heard about the expected class workload and the mental health services available to them. Sonny was impressed with UH’s commitment to mental health.
The recruits then split up – offense and defense – and toured the Memorial Herman Football Operations Center, including the weight room, nutrition area, meeting rooms, and training area. “The facilities are amazing, Mullen said. “A lot better than I expected. I mean, they’re brand new.” He specifically mentioned the vibe in the weight room and his positive interactions with the new S&C coach, Bennie Wylie.
After a quick lunch, the recruits took part in a smoothie-making competition with nutritionist Emily England. As part of her introduction, England helped recruits make a smoothie, then had the coaches judge which was best. Once finished, Naghavi and other coaches spent time showing the offensive players the freshmen living facilities, the UC, and other landmarks around the UH campus.
The players then went back downtown to their hotel to relax and get ready for dinner. Down in the hospitality room playing a game of College Football 26 with Coach Stone, Mullen processed it all – the coaches, the family atmosphere, the facilities, the school, and the resources available to UH athletes – and made a decision. He gave his dad his controller and pulled Naghavi aside for a chat.
“Hey, Coach. I’m gonna be a Coog. I’m committing,” Mullen told Naghavi. “(Naghavi) got all hyped, he got all excited.” Shortly thereafter, Mullen walked in for a pre-planned meeting with Willie Fritz. After a photo with Sonny and his dad, Fritz asked the OL how he was liking the trip.
“I’m loving it,” Sonny responded.
“Are you wanting to be a Coog?”
“Oh yeah!”
“Are you gonna commit?”
“I already committed!”
Sonny says Willie got all excited and started screaming.
“I was a Coog during dinner,” Mullen said with a smile.
The recruits, their hosts, and the coaching staff went to dinner at The Grove in downtown Houston. During dinner, two other players told coaches that they were committing to play for the Cougars, too. After they finished eating, Fritz had Mullen and the other new commits announce their news with a big round of celebration for each one.
“It feels like one big family out there,” Mullen said. “The culture out there is amazing. I feel like they’re trying to build a championship team, and that’s what I want.
“It feels like they’re loving. I don’t feel awkward around them; I feel comfortable. I can see myself developing as a player. I can see myself developing as a man.”
Mullen says Willie shared a nugget about recruiting with him and the other commits. “You’re a commit now. It’s kind of like a marriage. You can’t go cheat on your wife. You can’t go talk to other schools.”
After dinner, UH players hosted the recruits at Shadre Hurst’s place, spending time getting to know each other. Afterward, Ebosele took Sonny back to the hotel, but not before Mullen ribbed him a little. “I noticed he had some McDonald’s trash in his truck, so I asked, ‘Oh, you like McDonald’s?’ And he said, ‘Yeah,’ and asked if I wanted some, and said nah, I’m good. But he took me to McDonald’s and got me some McDonald’s. You know, at 12 o’clock at night,” Sonny said with a laugh.
“It feels like a family,” Sonny nods. “I mean, it feels like a family.”
