Another college football season begins in earnest this Saturday, and along with such return is the drama that surrounds this sport on an annual basis. One team looking to generate more drama is the Houston Cougars who debuted at number 24 in the Preseason AP Poll. The Cougars return nearly 20 starters for a team that capped off a 12-2 season with a victory over Auburn in the Birmingham Bowl last year and figures to run the table in the American Athletic Conference before making their move to the Big 12 in 2023.
the absence of star running back Alton McCaskill (961 yards, 16 TDs as a true freshman in 2021) to a torn ACL in the spring, Houston features a healthy amount of depth at all positions that are worthy of a feature piece. Let’s dive into some of the top draft-eligible prospects at the moment.
Leading the charge is senior quarterback, Clayton Tune. The 2021 season saw tune complete 287 of his 420 attempts (68%) for 3,550 yards, 30 TDs and 10 INTs with two more scores on the ground. His 91.4 passing grade via PFF ranked fourth in all of FBS last season and the Cougars’ overall passing grade of 91.2 also finished fourth; with 2,074 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns, Tune will eclipse the 10,000/100 milestone. He is primed for his best season yet.
Beyond his production, experience, and size (6’2.5”, 220), Tune has a plethora of tools at his disposal. He’s comfortable playing within the pocket and puts the ball where he needs to while rarely putting it in harm’s way-his 2.7 percent of turnover-worthy plays was one of the lowest in the country among passers with 200 attempts. Aside from his four interceptions in the season opener against Texas Tech last season, Tune only gave six passes away over the next 13 games. Expect another productive season from Tune before a likely mid-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Replacing McCaskill will primarily fall on USC transfer Brandon Campbell and senior running back, Ta’Zhawn Henry. Henry began his career at Texas Tech where he amassed more than 900 yards and 12 touchdowns from scrimmage in his first two seasons before transferring to Houston; his eight rushing touchdowns as a freshman actually lead the Red Raiders. in his first season as a Coog last year, Henry tallied 524 yards and seven scores on the ground.
Despite his diminutive build (5’7” 170), Henry is a strong runner who’s not shy about sticking it between the tackles. That toughness has helped produce double-digit touchdowns from five yards or fewer throughout his career. Henry is also an elusive runner with the press-and-cut quickness to create space at multiple levels of the defense. That, in addition to his spatial awareness in close quarters to elude defenders, are on display above.
He’s nearing 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns on offense in his three seasons and should register another productive campaign that will be hard for evaluators to ignore. Despite the lack of success smaller draftees experience at the position, his NFL Draft status is also boosted by his experience returning kicks, having returned 20 of them for 429 yards (his 24.5 yards per return in 2019 were third in the Big 12).
On the receiving end of most Clayton Tune passes is Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, more commonly known as “Tank.” The Florida native spent the 2018 season at Alabama A&M where he registered 12 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns. Following his true freshman campaign, Dell transferred to Independence Community College for a stellar 2019 season: 52-766-8 receiving with 12 kick returns for 394 yards (32.8) and one touchdown and three punt returns for 105 yards (35.0). Dell then carried that momentum into his rookie year with the Coogs as the team’s leading receiver with 428 yards and three touchdowns on 29 receptions. For an encore, Dell snagged 90 passes for 1,329 yards and 12 TDs as a first-team All-AAC honoree.
Dell is lightning in a bottle, a playmaker whose film is littered with explosive plays both before and after the catch. He’s a smooth, sudden route runner adept at utilizing the breakpoint to create separation as well as a catch-and-run specialist whose dynamic skills initiated 597 yards after the reception, tied for 12th in the FBS according to PFF. Watch as Dell accelerates through the stem, widens the safety, and snaps it back to the post all without sacrificing his speed. That’s textbook and highlights the blend of suddenness and body control with which he plays. He begins the season on the Biletnikoff Award and Maxwell Award Watchlists (he joins Tune on the latter).
Through the lens of the NFL, Dell’s weight and frame will be points of contention; since 2000 only eight receivers invited to the NFL Combine have weighed in at 165 pounds or less. Of those eight, only five have been drafted with none going higher than Louisville’s Tutu Atwell in 2021 (57th overall). Nevertheless, he’s ready-made for the slot and figures to be one of college football’s best-at any position-in 2022.
Also on the receiving end of Tune’s passes is tight end, Christian Trahan. The 2021 season ended with new single-season bests in receptions (37) and yards (404) with two scores; Trahan enters the 2022 campaign as a member of the John Mackey Watchlist for the top collegiate tight end with 82 receptions for 955 yards and six touchdowns in his career.
The experienced Trahan has logged more than 2,000 total snaps in his career and posted receiving grades of 89.9 and 80.8 in 2019 and 2020 respectively. He’s aligned at various spots along the offensive formation during his time in Houston, showcasing his skills in the passing game along the way. He’s a big-bodied pass catcher who’s adept at finding soft spots in zone coverage with some potential to generate offensive with the ball in his hands.
Protecting the blindside and helping pave the way in the run game is Patrick Paul, the Cougars’ massive left tackle. While Paul was effective in the run game with a 71.2 run-blocking grade from PFF, he shines as a pass protector where he registered an 81.3 pass-blocking grade and surrendered a pressure on just three percent of his pass-blocking snaps. He was recognized as a first-team All-AAC selection for his efforts. He appeared on the Outland Watchlist this preseason.
Paul sports the desired frame, length, and build for the position. Despite his strength being a pass protector, he plays hard and covers ground in the run game at a surprisingly quick rate relative to his size. While he has multiple years of eligibility remaining, that blend of size and athleticism, in addition to further development that will occur naturally, will draw the attention of NFL scouts.
D’Anthony Jones kicks things off as we transition to the defense. The California native was a CCCFCA first-team All-American in 2019 at Long Beach City College before joining the Cougars for 2020 and 2021. Last year, Jones racked up 17 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, seven sacks, and four forced fumbles in his first full season in Houston. His seven sacks paced the team despite playing on roughly 40 percent of all defensive snaps and he generated a pressure on nearly 20 percent (!) of his pass-rush snaps, resulting in an impressive 87.9 grade when getting after the quarterback.
This is a common theme in Jones’ game. As the left end, number 44, Jones is off the ball in a hurry with a first step that forces tackles to expedite their sets. His ability to trim the edge exceeds what his size and build would suggest and that blend of twitch/first step creates an intriguing 3-Tech projection. Expect Jones to find his way to the quarterback yet again in 2022.
On the opposite side of Jones is Derek Parish, a muscle-bound edge rusher who’s parlayed his athleticism into backfield production throughout his time in Houston (25 TFls and 12 sacks in 47 games). His 83.8 grade against the run and 81.4 grade as a pass rusher established one of 18 FBS defenders to register an 81.0+ grade against both the run and the pass last year, doing so on fewer snaps than the majority of the other 17.
This clip of Parish, aligned as the stand-up right edge defender number (number 0), encapsulates his style as a strength and power-based player. He’s capable of collapsing the edge when unloading his powerful punch and further showcases strong, active hands to keep his frame clean in the run game. Parish also ties a motor that runs hot to create disruption behind the line and helps him compensate as more of a face-up pass rusher. Athleticism plus production will elevate Parish’s NFL future.
At the second level of the Cougars’ defense is Donavan Mutin, an experienced and energetic linebacker. Like Parish, Mutin enters the 2022 season with more than 1,800 career snaps under his belt. He’s posted consecutive defensive grades over 80.0 and pass rush grades over 70.0 and even graded out at 77.3 in coverage last season. His team-best 77 tackles propelled him to second-team All-AAC honors last year, bringing his career mark to 168. The remainder of Mutin’s career stat-line features 13 TFLs, three sacks, one INT, one PBU, and three forced fumbles.
Mutin, number 3, sports a compact build with good size that he plays behind. It will be interesting to see what his length numbers produce, but has remained a quality block-defeater and sufficient coverage defender. High-level instincts with the downhill mentality to follow are prevalent throughout his film much like we see here. He’s a stud against the run, ranking second among FBS off-ball linebackers in run defense grade and positively graded play rate against the run since 2020 per PFF. The Butkus Watchlist representative and team captain projects as a Day 3 defender right now who offers an immediate impact on special teams.
Patrolling the third level of the defense is Gervarrius Owens. The former JUCO All-American at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M joined some of his fellow teammates as Senior Bowl Watchlist members, and rightfully so. Owens has amassed 134 takedowns with 6.5 TFLs, half a sack, three INTs, 13 PBUs, and two blocked punts. He’s one of the most underrated defensive players in the entire country with appearances on the Watchlists for the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, and Thorpe Award.
Owens’ grades against the run, in coverage, and overall defensively have improved every year of his career in Houston and he’s logged a whopping 1,930 snaps across those three seasons. He’s a long, muscular defender with time at corner, safety, in the slot, and in the box as a versatile defender. The size/speed ratio at Owens’ disposal is on display here as the deep safety who plays the stem patiently before fluidly transitioning to the deep over route and utilizing his length and closing speed to generate a breakup.
Size, experience, athleticism, and production all blend together as a projectable NFL defense as either a strong safety or nickel; that closing quickness and desire to drive downhill are key traits that help him defend the run. Watch Owens closely this season and expect his name to gain traction during the postseason circuit.
An offense that outscored opponents nearly 3:1 in the first quarter pairs well with a defense that was tops in the country in third-down percentage and fourth in sacks. Per PFF, the well-rounded Coogs posted the 10th-best grade against the run (87.4) and in coverage (88.3) with the FBS’ top pass-rush grade (92.1) in 2021. With overall offensive and defensive grades of 93 and 92.2 respectively, Houston joined Michigan, Wisconsin, and Georgia as the only teams to finish top 5 in both last year. The cherry on top was their top-20 special teams grade of 82.6.
Other names to know: KeSean Carter (WR), Atlias Bell (DT), Malik Robinson (LB), Art Green (CB), Bubba Baxa (K), Laine Wilkins (P)
