Latest news with #WillieFritz
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Houston coach Willie Fritz revamps offense with new coordinator and QB
HOUSTON — Coach Willie Fritz spent this offseason upgrading his offense after Houston had one of the worst units in the nation last year. The Cougars ranked second-to-last in scoring offense by managing just 14 points per game, were 128th in total offense with 288.1 yards and 126th in passing offense with 152.7 yards as they finished 4-8.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Houston coach Willie Fritz revamps offense with new coordinator and QB
HOUSTON (AP) — Coach Willie Fritz spent this offseason upgrading his offense after Houston had one of the worst units in the nation last year. The Cougars ranked second-to-last in scoring offense by managing just 14 points per game, were 128th in total offense with 288.1 yards and 126th in passing offense with 152.7 yards as they finished 4-8. The biggest changes Fritz made entering Year 2 in Houston were adding former Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman and hiring Slade Nagle to replace offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay, who was fired before last year's season finale. Nagle spent last season as an assistant at LSU. Before that, Nagle spent several seasons working with Fritz at Tulane, where the Green Wave won 23 games combined in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Fritz is thrilled to be reunited with Nagle and loves how he interacts with the offense. 'Obviously when you hire someone you want them to have the same philosophy as you have,' Fritz said. 'I know Slade very, very well. He… really does an excellent job of leading and coaching all the positions, which I think is unique. I also think his experience at LSU is going to help us. They were one of the leading passing teams in the nation. I see some concepts that he's using that are a little different than what we have done at Tulane. But he also understands the importance of being balanced.' Fritz is also eager to see Weigman operate Nagle's offense after the Houston native spent the last three seasons with the Aggies. Weigman played just 15 games at Texas A&M after suffering a season-ending foot injury in his fourth game in 2023 and dealing with a shoulder injury before being benched in October of last season. 'He's been everything that I hoped he'd be,' Fritz said. 'He's a great young man, great leadership abilities … he's just been aces. We're just very, very fortunate to have him in our football program, interacts with everybody, just a real old-fashioned type of quarterback.' Weigman threw for 2,694 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his career at A&M. Roster competition Fritz believes the Cougars will be improved this season because they've built much more depth in the program. 'We've got a lot of legitimate competition positionally,' he said. 'Last year we didn't have a lot of depth, we didn't have a whole lot of competition. One guy was going to start for us no matter what. Now we're going to have to use our first two or three games to figure out exactly who's going to be playing and how much they're going to be playing.' New defensive coordinator The Cougars not only have a new offensive coordinator but also a new face running the defense in Austin Armstrong. He was hired to replace Shiel Wood, who left Houston for the same job at Texas Tech. Armstrong spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Florida and was the youngest in his position in the Southeastern Conference when he got that job at just 31. Returning receivers Weigman will have a couple of senior receivers in Mekhi Mews and Stephon Johnson as he takes over Houston's offense. Johnson led the team last season with 32 receptions for 402 yards. Mews ranked third with 29 receptions and 253 yards. Mews is also the team's kick and punt returner and had a 75-yard punt return for a score last season. The schedule The Cougars open the season Aug. 28 by hosting Stephen F. Austin before visiting crosstown rival Rice in Week 2. They open Big 12 play at home Sept. 12 against Colorado before an early off week. They return to play Sept. 26 with a visit to Oregon State before hosting No. 23 Texas Tech on Oct. 4. A big test comes Oct. 25 with a visit to 11th-ranked Arizona State and they'll close the regular season with a trip to Baylor. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
New York Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
2025 college football predictions: Undervalued Temple will win AAC
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. The AAC is going to be a gauntlet in 2025. Although they didn't send a representative to the College Football Playoff last year, the AAC has no less than six potential candidates in 2025, with Tulane leading the pack. The Green Wave are the favorites to win the AAC, and their +750 odds to make the College Football Playoff trail only Boise State (+190) when it comes to G5 teams. But Tulane has plenty of company at the top of the betting board in the AAC. Navy, UTSA, Memphis, and Army are all between +350 and +600 to win the conference, and they're all considered viable threats to get to the dance. 2025 AAC odds Team Odds Tulane +300 Navy +350 UTSA +500 Memphis +550 Army +600 South Florida +600 North Texas 14/1 East Carolina 18/1 Rice 75/1 FAU 100/1 UAB 100/1 Charlotte 150/1 Temple 150/1 Tulsa 150/1 Odds via bet365 2025 AAC preview, picks, and best bets The Favorite Tulane was expected to have a down year in 2024 following the departure of head coach Willie Fritz and quarterback Michael Pratt, but they put together a strong campaign that saw the Green Wave get to the conference championship, where they lost to Army. The Green Wave comes into Year 2 under Jon Sumrall with heightened expectations, but there are plenty of questions about whether or not this team can meet them. Not only do they have plenty of tough competition in the conference, but they'll need to replace eight starters from last year's overachieving unit. Blake Horvath of Navy. AP Tulane did work effectively in the transfer portal, but the lack of continuity for the betting favorite in a deep conference is a red flag. Navy, the second favorite, is a team I want to back for a big year in 2025, but I think the best way to do that is to bet on quarterback Blake Horvath to win the Heisman as a massive 500/1 long shot. If the Midshipmen are in the mix for the conference and/or Playoff, it means Horvath is putting up big numbers. All three of UTSA, Memphis, and Army are going to get plenty of love from bettors and the media, and the Tigers are the most intriguing of that trio, but the prices are just too short in this gauntlet. Dark horses The market does seem to have some love for North Texas in Year 3 under Eric Morris. The Mean Green had some success with an explosive, risk-happy offense in 2024, but the defense was a shambles and will need a complete overhaul to make their offensive output stand up. North Texas addressed the issue by bringing in Sam Houston State's defensive coordinator and plenty of his players from an impressive defense last year, but we'll see how the former BearKats step up in this new environment. There are some sharp bettors who believe that North Texas can be a rabblerouser in the AAC, but the number has been slashed too much to be interesting. Betting on College Football? Long shots There are a couple of massive long shots in the AAC, including one or two that could be more perky than their odds suggest. The first one to monitor is Tulsa. There's been a little bit of love for the Golden Hurricane as a potential moonshot in the AAC thanks to the arrival of head coach Tre Lamb. A 35-year-old offensive whiz who led Gardner-Webb to the FCS Playoffs two years in a row before turning around ETSU, Lamb will be tasked with making the Golden Hurricane relevant again. The way to do that is to outscore their opponents, as the defense will be a real project. Tulsa was hanging out at 300/1 earlier this summer, which would get some couch money if it pops back up there. The other long shot that could provide quite a ride is Temple. K.C. Keeler takes over in Philadelphia after leading Sam Houston State to an FCS Championship and then leading their successful transition into a decent Group of 5 program. Keeler now returns to the region of the country where he burst onto the scene by leading Delaware to an FCS Title in 2003. Keeler simply wins everywhere he goes. Best bets for the AAC Temple to win the AAC (200/1, FanDuel) This is a bet on a terrific coach at a massive price. It seems like every year we see a first-year coach have a massive impact on his new program in the Group of 5, and Temple could be the team that makes a leap under Keeler. In a conference that should see everyone at the top beat up on one another, there could be a path for a team like Temple to get on a roll and surprise everyone. Bill Connelly, the creator of SP+, gives Temple with a 2.2 percent chance of winning the AAC, and while that isn't much to go off of, it's better than the 0.5 percent implied probability the Owls have according to their 200/1 odds at FanDuel. Why Trust New York Post Betting Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
All 16 Big 12 head coaches ranked by USA TODAY Sports
All 16 Big 12 head coaches ranked by USA TODAY Sports Is Deion Sanders a top-5 head coach in the Big 12? The Big 12 should be a total battle during the 2025 season, with several teams capable of winning the conference. Every season in the Big 12, surprises happen in both directions. A team like Arizona State will make the College Football Playoff, while the preseason favorite to win the conference, the Utah Utes, has only won two Big 12 games. That kind of variation makes it a difficult league to coach in. On any given Saturday, any team can win, making sustained success extremely difficult. The Big 12 has head coaches of all experience levels, including 20-year veterans like Utah's Kyle Whittingham and others who just finished their first season, like Houston's Willie Fritz. Seven of these coaches could be in the running for a conference championship this year, so here is USA TODAY Sports' ranking of all 16 Big 12 head coaches: 16. Scott Frost, UCF Career record: 35-38 UCF record (previous stint): 19-7 He's back! The question will be whether he can recapture the magic that led to the Knights being able to claim a national title in 2017. 15. Brent Brennan, Arizona Career record: 38-56 Arizona record: 4-8 (2nd season) Brennan enters his second season in charge of the Wildcats after vastly underachieving last season. Tetairoa McMillan was a top 10 pick, and now Brennan will have to prove to the fan base that he is the right man for the job. 14. Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati Career record: 84-64 Cincinnati record: 8-16 (3rd season) Satterfield enters 2025 likely needing to make a bowl game to get off the hot seat. He began last year 5-2, but ended the year with five losses. 13. Willie Fritz, Houston Career record: 212-124 Houston record: 4-8 (2nd season) Willie Fritz's team can take advantage of a poor schedule this year and perhaps make some noise in the Big 12 in 2025. He has a deeper roster this year, and Fritz is known for turning programs around as he did with Tulane. 12. Lance Leipold, Kansas Career record: 168-67 Kansas record: 22-28 (5th season) Leipold might have his best Jayhawk team since he took over the program in 2021. Quarterback Jalon Daniels is back, making reaching a bowl game the expectation. 11. Dave Aranda, Baylor Career record: 31-30 Baylor record: 31-30 (6th season) Aranda won the Big 12 title with the Bears in 2021, but the following two seasons were a far cry from that success, winning only nine combined games. Baylor might be some people's preseason pick to win the conference after winning six of its final seven games to close out 2024. 10. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia Career record: 190-129-2 West Virginia record: 60-26 (entering 1st season of his second stint) One of the more veteran coaches in the Big 12 is back for his second stint in Morgantown. His first stint was so successful that he got the Michigan job. Mountaineers' fans should hope for a similar outcome. 9. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Career record: 169-88 (all with Oklahoma State) Gundy used to be the cream of the crop when it came to Big 12 head coaches. A 3-9 season last year, combined with an abysmal 0-9 conference record, created doubts about his future. The pressure is on Gundy to steer the Cowboys back toward the top of the Big 12. 8. Sonny Dykes, TCU Career record: 98-76 TCU record: 27-13 (4th season) Dykes is one of only two coaches in the Big 12 to make the College Football Playoff. The Horned Frogs struggled in 2023 following their run, but after a 9-4 record last year, they should be back in the thick of the Big 12 race. 7. Kyle Whittingham, Utah Career record: 167-86 (all with Utah) Whittingham has hinted at retirement, but after a 2-7 conference season in 2025, he likely wants to leave the Utes on a high. Even with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback, Utah will be a formidable opponent for any Big 12 team. 6. Joey McGuire, Texas Tech Career record: 23-16 (all with Texas Tech) During McGuire's first season with Texas Tech in 2022, the Red Raiders defeated Texas and Oklahoma, a program first. It was also the program's first winning season in conference play since 2009. After three seasons of at least seven wins and bringing in one of the country's top transfer portal classes, the Red Raiders look all-in on getting over the hump and making some noise in the Big-12. 5. Deion Sanders, Colorado Career record: 40-18 Colorado record: 13-12 (3rd season) Winning without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter is a different beast than when they were on the field for Sanders's first two seasons in Colorado. Players around the country want to play for "Coach Prime," and as long as that continues, the Buffs should be able to field a talented roster. 4. Chris Klieman, Kansas State Career record: 120-41 K-State record: 48-28 (8th season) Klieman might be the most successful coach in the conference. After winning four FCS championships with North Dakota State from 2014 to 2019, Klieman continued to win when he got the job at K-State. The Wildcats have only one losing season since Klieman took over, and they should be considered the top favorite in the Big 12 this year. 3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State Career record: 99-66 Iowa State record: 64-51 (10th season) Campbell is the winningest coach in school history and consistently seems to have the Cyclones in contention. Last year was Iowa State's first 11-win season, and there is a solid foundation to build off of in Ames. 2. Kalani Sitake, BYU Career record: 72-43 (all with BYU) Sitake took BYU to national prominence with Zach Wilson under center and transitioned the Cougars from being independent to the Big 12. After a down year in 2023, 11 wins last year put BYU on the cusp of a CFP berth. With seven bowl appearances in Sitake's nine seasons, winning six games is the minimum in Provo. 1. Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State Career record: 14-12 (all with Arizona State) Dillingham returned to his alma mater and led the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff, completing a major turnaround for the program. The 34-year-old head coach may be just starting, but the makings are there for Dillingham to have a long and successful career. ASU will be a significant Big 12 contender in 2025 and beyond. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
