Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook is the most high-profile offer the Coogs have made to this point. He visited Houston on Friday. Cook led the nation in rushing yards with 1659 yards (5.6 ypc) with 16 touchdowns. He is originally from Round Rock and attended Stony Point HS before going to TCU.
Cook is eligible for the draft but is looking to prove himself at the P4 level to improve his stock. Despite the loss of most of the starting offensive line, Houston still intrigues him. In his case, I don’t think it’s as simple as going to the highest bidder either. His long-term future will be affected by where he chooses to play football next.
It should give Houston fans some confidence that the staff has a plan to put together a competent offensive line if Cook is considering them. He is going to require a financial investment, and they would not want to waste resources without some expectation that they can fill other holes as well.
Cam Cook Film Study
I watched a few games to get an idea of what Cook can do. A lot of Jacksonville State’s offense had him running horizontally and utilizing his speed. He was able to get outside often and create big plays. Had he been able to keep his balance on a few runs, he could’ve turned some big runs into touchdowns.
His best quality is his acceleration. He shows patience on inside runs and allows holes to open in front of him. He is also able to get skinny and slip between bodies in traffic. Once he’s cleared the chaos, he can burst through to the second level, essentially going from standing still to five yards downfield in a blink.
Cook could provide the same kind of impact as Dean Connors had, but he does have significant interest across the country. UH lost J’Marion Burnette to the portal Friday, but DJ Butler announced he is returning to UH in 2026, and all expectations are that Re’Shaun Sanford will return.
UH Offers (That I’ve seen)
RB Cam Cook – Jacksonville State (Visit – 1/2)
WR Jeremy Scott – South Alabama (Visit – 1/5-6)
WR Tony Diaz – UTRGV
OL Braydon Nelson – North Texas
OL Chimdia Nwaiwu – SFA
OL Hayden Wright – Northwestern
DL O’Marion Brown – Wofford (Visit – 1/7)
DL Kevin Roberts – West Florida
DL Ryan Henderson – San Diego State (Visit – 1/4)
LB Tristan Exline – UTPB
LB Chris Jones – Southern Mississippi
LB Gideon ESPN Lampron – Bowling Green
Transfers Out (Reported so far)
QB Zeon Chriss-Gremillion
QB Austin Carlisle
RB J’Marion Burnette
WR Devan Williams
WR Marquis Shoulders
WR Sahfi Reed
OL David Nduwke
OL Demetrius Hunter
OL Derek Joiner
DL Reshad Sterling
DL Zavian Tibbs
DL Joshua Donald
LB Corey Platt
LB Zion Taylor
LB Jesus Machado
Announced Returning (So far)*
QB Conner Weigman
WR Amare Thomas
WR Koby Young
JACK Brandon Mack
RB DJ Butler
OL McKenzie Agnello
DL Khalil Laufau
DB Jordan Allen
*As of 12:30 p.m. January 3, 2026
