Willie Fritz and the staff have made great use of the portal the past two seasons, but they added significant quality across the board in the 2026 window. The offense has a chance to take another leap with the players they’ve added.
The Houston offense lost 135 catches to graduation, most of which came from tight end Tanner Koziol. But QB Conner Weigman committed another season to the Coogs, and the staff rewarded him with new weapons.
The TE room returns three players who each participated in at least six games. Luke McGary played over 200 snaps before suffering a season-ending injury against Oklahoma State. Experience isn’t going to be an issue, but production is lagging. In total, the returning TEs logged 5 catches for 16 yards (and a touchdown in the Texas Bowl).
Patrick Overmyer
Kingwood Park HS product Patrick Overmyer comes to Houston after spending three years at UTSA. Overmyer is a former HS QB and comes from an athletic family (he’s also the cousin of former NFL TE Kyle Rudolph). Overmyer hit his stride in the last six games, catching 18 balls for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Overmyer is 6’5” and is, similar to Koziol, able to take advantage of his length. But Overmyer has a fluidity and quickness that Koziol did not. While Koziol was able to win mostly with his frame and great hands, Overmyer can create more separation and get downfield faster.
Listed at 235 with a lean frame, there may be some questions about how Overmyer handles himself in the trenches. He is a capable blocker and uses his athleticism to block smaller players in space. The former QB does a good job of staying engaged and finishing blocks. His athletic ability will be a good fit with the offensive lineman brought in and what the offense wants to do.
I expect Slade Nagle to use Overmyer in the same ways as Koziol. And for Weigman to get comfortable with his ability. One interesting wrinkle he provides is his ability in short-yardage sneak situations (he even scored a touchdown as a ball carrier). Overall, this will be a good fit. Overmyer could catch around 50 passes this season.
Trent Walker
One of the three UH players to catch 30 passes last year was Amare Thomas, who had 74 (the other two were Koziol and running back Dean Connors, with 67 and 34, respectively). Oregon State transfer Trent Walker has 149 receptions over the last two seasons, a welcome sight for an offense that is looking to spread the target share.
The team really needed to bring in a proven pass catcher. Defenses will focus on taking away Thomas, but that won’t be so easy with Walker occupying the same field. Adding a runner like Makhi Hughes will keep defenses honest, too.
Walker is a good route runner, able to create separation, and quickly gets in and out of breaks. He took over half of his snaps in the slot this past season, and I think he will have a similar role in Houston. He could turn into a security blanket for Weigman once the pair gets comfortable.
I like Walker’s body control and his ability to adjust to the ball. He does a nice job of finding soft spots and settling there, making decisions easier for his quarterback. Weigman’s ball placement and accuracy will complement Walker’s ability, which should lead to more yards after catch for Walker than in the past.
Walker will be a stick mover in Houston. He accounted for over 40 first downs each of the last two seasons. Similar to Overmyer, I could see Walker pulling in 50 catches this year as well.
The staff also brought in Texas Tech transfer Tyson Turner, who has three years of eligibility remaining. He was a good track and field athlete at Bryan HS in College Station. He recorded a personal best of 6’10” in the high jump.
Similar to the offensive line, the pass catchers have been reloaded and potentially upgraded as a whole, giving Weigman achance at another big year. And the Coogs have a chance to make noise again in the Big 12.
