For Webb, Platt, Houston’s rise under Fritz feels familiar

On the outside looking in, the fact Houston football is practicing in December to prepare for a bowl game—with 10 wins on the line—comes as a surprise. 

On the inside, it’s a different story.

Especially to those who have seen it happen before. 

For sophomore linebacker Corey Platt Jr. and junior safety Kentrell Webb, it’s not the first time that they have witnessed coach Willie Fritz orchestrate a turnaround.

Platt was a member of the 2021 Tulane team that went 2-10, and won just a single conference game, a 45-14 rout of South Florida, which finished with an identical record.

“You can go 0-12, but 2-10 isn’t really too far from that,” Platt said.

The very next year, Tulane flipped its fortunes, finishing No. 9 in the final AP Poll rankings and with one of the best marks nationally at 12-2. 

Webb was a part of that Tulane team that made the 10-win leap in 2022. Though he redshirted, he saw the culture and perception change in real time under Fritz. 

“I put trust in coach Fritz and I’ve seen his product, his work, and how he’s flipped around the program,” Webb said. “That’s one of the reasons I came with him, because I knew we were gonna be able to turn this program around.”

That perspective helped both Platt and Webb navigate their first season in Houston, where the Cougars finished with a 4-8 mark in Fritz’s first campaign and for the second consecutive year. 

Being able to go through a full recruiting cycle and addressing depth via the transfer portal were benefits Fritz had in his second offseason, compared to when he arrived in December of 2023.

“It makes a big difference when you have your time and you’re not worried about moving your coaches and things like that,” Webb said. “You can focus on bringing in who you need to win games.”

By game seven this season, Houston had already secured an automatic bowl bid. 

The Cougars finished 9-3, their best single-season record since 2021, and good enough to earn a Texas Bowl clash against LSU at NRG Stadium. Just a 20-minute drive southwest of campus. 

Fritz has reiterated to his team that double-digit wins are rare in college football, with it being a total only a select number of teams reach every year. 

For Platt, his time away from the field also shaped this season’s meaning.

After starting 13 games in 2022, Platt only appeared in one game the following year, the season-opener against South Alabama. A game he didn’t get a chance to finish, due to a torn Achilles.

It marked the beginning of a two-year period that saw him tear both Achilles tendons, with the other occurring during fall camp of 2024 with Houston. 

Both times, Fritz was the first one to see Platt, whether it was on the field or in rehab. 

Fritz even allowed Platt to spend nights at his home whenever he couldn’t stay with family.

That commitment to his well-being and choice to keep him rostered resonated with Platt.

“And then the loyalty part, of him keeping me on the team and bringing me back each year built the loyalty even stronger and I really appreciate him for that,” Platt said. 

The injuries forced Platt to watch instead of play, a vantage point he said changed the way he appreciated the game of football.

“It was heartbreaking. Both years, just watching people do the stuff you love and you can’t do it,” Platt said. “But the second year I gained perspective and realized it’s not your time.”

Then at last, his time came. 

In week two against Rice, Platt’s career had come full circle. He recorded a sack in the second half, the same play that took him off the field over two years ago. 

“It’s only something truly God can do. So it was just a great moment for myself and my teammates as well, as they were with me throughout the journey, and they knew what I went through,” Platt said. 

Webb saw the season as the next step of a process he had already witnessed before. While Platt saw it as something that can’t be taken for granted.

Yet, they’re both in the same place, practicing in December ahead of a defining moment in this era of Houston football.

“It’s a great opportunity to get to 10 wins. It’s a SEC opponent in front of our city, I don’t think it gets better than this,” Webb said. 

Platt added, “It’s been a minute since 10 wins came to the University of Houston, so being able to do that would be very special for this group.”