Column: The 2025 Houston football awards

2025 was the year that “Fritz Magic” arrived for Houston football. After back-to-back 4-8 seasons in 2023 and 2024, coach Willie Fritz’s first season in H-Town, the Cougars completed a stunning turnaround this season. 

With a revamped offense featuring star transfer junior quarterback Conner Weigman and a defense remaining consistent from the previous year, Houston finished 10-3, its best record since 2021, topping it off with a bowl game win against LSU in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl.

With the season resting on the bookshelf, senior staff writer Sean Paul now honors the best of the best with the annual Houston football awards. (P.S: This was his toughest one to date.)

Best Game: Dec. 27 vs. LSU (Kinder’s Texas Bowl)

Was there really any other choice? This win put a feather in the cap of one of the best seasons of Cougar football in recent years.

Despite falling 14-0 early in the game, Houston remained calm and composed throughout the shootout to come out with a 38-35 win, defending NRG and H-Town in the process. It was Houston’s best performance of the season and one that Cougar fans will cherish forever.

And call me crazy, but I think this game was better than all the first-round CFP games combined. I know, this hot take could break the entire internet (wink, wink).

Best Clutch Play: Kentrell Webb’s game-winning INT vs. UCF

Junior defensive back Kentrell Webb is responsible for two of the four clutchest plays for the team this season, and while his Madden NFL hit-stick style maneuver on redshirt sophomore wide receiver Derek Eusebio in the dying minutes against then-No. 24 Arizona State was considered for this award, it was his late-game heroics at UCF that sealed the deal.

Down 30-27 with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Knights’ redshirt freshman quarterback Davi Belfort threw a pass intended for junior wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr. in the endzone for the game-winning score. But Webb saw it just in time to pick it off for a touchback with 11 seconds remaining.

Houston would drain the remainder of the clock to hand Central Florida its first-ever “Space Game” loss. The Cougars showed who takes the title of “Space City”.

Best Celebration: Latreveon McCutchin gives away a kiss

Serious question, does junior linebacker Latreveon McCutchin have the best rizz on the team? Because that stunt he pulled in the UCF game gives him a good case.

On 2nd-and-5 on the Knights’ 45-yard line in the second quarter with 6:48 left, McCutchin intercepted a pass from redshirt junior quarterback Tayven Jackson and took it all the way to the endzone to give Houston a 14-10 lead. After the play, McCutchin then blew a kiss to a female UCF fan in the stands.

Looks like McCutchin got himself a fan for life.

Most Emotional Moment: #Unbreakable

“Death is undefeated, but I’ll take it to three overtimes.”

Before the Cougars’ win over the then-No. 24 Sun Devils on Saturday, Oct. 25, it was announced that the team’s strength and conditioning coach, Kurt Hester, passed away early in the morning from stage four melanoma cancer.

Hester was first diagnosed back in February and was given only four-to-six weeks to live. But Hester didn’t follow the script and persevered for seven months, aiding the team the only way he knew how.

Hester was an invaluable asset to the team, and his legacy will live on forever.

Best Offensive Performance: Conner Weigman vs. LSU

Unlike my 2024 awards, there were plenty of worthy contenders for this award this year. But taking it is Weigman’s masterclass vs. the Tigers in the Texas Bowl.

Weigman had arguably the greatest game of his collegiate career. He completed 27 of his 36 passes for 236 yards (6.6 Y/A), four touchdowns, no interceptions, a passer rating of 166.7 and a QBR of 93.5. He also ran for 56 yards on 13 carries.

He was awarded the bowl game’s MVP award for his efforts.

Best Defensive Performance: Eddie Walls III vs No. 24 Arizona State

The defense remained consistent as ever from 2024, but only one performance could take home the award, and that honor belongs to senior defensive lineman Eddie Walls III for his performance in the 24-16 road win against then No. 24 ASU.

Walls tallied five tackles, three of them being a loss for yards, three sacks and a pass deflection. He became the third player in the Big 12 to post three sacks in a conference game this season and the first Houston player since Nelson Ceaser at Baylor on Nov. 4, 2023, tying the program record for most sacks in a Big 12 game.

He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Best Defensive Player: Carlos Allen Jr. 

This was the toughest category out of the entire awards ceremony. There were so many worthy contenders, but only one could walk out with the trophy. And this year, it belongs to senior defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr.

Allen finished second in the regular season in tackles by a defensive lineman and led all FBS interior linemen in tackles with 73, the most by a Houston interior lineman since 2005. The 6-foot-1, 295 lb native from Atlanta was a force to be reckoned with on run plays, as his run-stop percentage rate of 8.4 became the second-best among all Big 12 interior linemen with at least 200 run plays defended, while his 26 stops led all Big 12 interior linemen. 

For his performances throughout the season, Allen made the All-Big 12 Second Team, the AP All-Big 12 Second Team and Dave Campbell’s All-Texas First Team.

Best Offensive Player and MVP: Amare Thomas and Tanner Koziol

For the first time in the history of the annual Houston football awards, we have co-winners for both Best Offensive Player and MVP: junior wide receiver Amare Thomas and senior tight end Tanner Koziol. Shocking, am I right?

Thomas finished the season with career highs in receptions (66), receiving yards (972), yards per catch (14.7) and receiving touchdowns (12), the latter two of which were the most by a Cougar since 2022. His 12 receiving touchdowns are tied for the most in the Big 12 and tied for third in the nation, while his 972 receiving yards are the second most in the conference.

He was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, Dave Campbell’s All-Texas Second Team and the AP All-Big 12 First Team.

Koziol finished the season having led the Big 12 and the entire nation in tight end receptions with 74, first in the Big 12 in tight end receiving yards with 735, the most by a Houston tight end since 2008, and tied first in the conference and tied third in the nation in tight end receiving touchdowns with six.

He made the All-Big 12 First Team, Dave Campbell’s All-Texas Second Team, the AP All-Big 12 Second Team and a Pro Football and Sports Network (PFSN) All-America First Team honor.