Elite QB, new coach have UH on radar
In 2016, it was Tom Herman and Greg Ward Jr. The last two seasons, all eyes were on Major Applewhite and Ed Oliver.
Now, it is Dana Holgorsen and D’Eriq King.
While there has been a lot of change, uncertainty and movement with the University of Houston football program, the team never fails to demand attention.
And as the squad starts practice this weekend, it deserves it.
The Cougars have had their ups and downs. They pushed to join a Power Five conference, earned a New Year’s Six Bowl and won it convincingly. But then there was Applewhite, Oliver and the jacket along with the biggest loss in bowl history.
So, good or bad, the Cougars already were a regular part of the college football conversation. It’s no different this year.
With a spirited and successful new coach and a senior quarterback who is on track to being one of the best in the country, the Cougars are primed and
ready to move on from the Applewhite era.
While Holgorsen is a big name and a proven winner who had winning records in seven of his last eight seasons at West Virginia, UH still has ways to go to reach the next level.
Defensively, the team needs quite a bit of work. And while the offense boasts a lot of talent, beginning with King, it has a new coaching staff and a new system to implement.
Holgorsen was fortunate to inherit a program that has been on the rise for some time.
The Cougars’ new coach was equally fortunate to inherit King as his quarterback.
King was thrilling to watch last season before the former Manvel standout suffered a torn meniscus against Tulane on Nov. 15. At that point, he had accounted for 50 touchdowns, which was a single-season American Athletic Conference record. King completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also rushed for 674 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Holgorsen has been quick to compliment the senior quarterback, and King is keen on his new coach.
King is quick, athletic and smart. He and Holgorsen have the potential to be quite the match, which makes this season a highly anticipated one for the Cougars.
While they have been in the national conversation before, Holgorsen and King could make UH a major topic this season.
King is coming off the knee injury — he says he feels 100 percent — and Holgorsen is coaching a new team. They will be thrown into the deep end of the pool quickly as the Cougars open the season at Oklahoma on Sept. 1. The Sooners, who are No. 4 in the coaches preseason poll, have former Alabama star Jalen Hurts as their new quarterback. That QB battle alone will be worth the price of admission since each player has something to prove. King was on track to becoming a star when he was injured. Hurts won a national title with the Crimson Tide but lost his starting job. After graduating and transferring to Oklahoma, Hurts has another chance to prove his value, and there is little doubt that the former Channelview star will fit in perfectly with coach Lincoln Riley.
The Oklahoma game will be quite the measuring stick for the Cougars as they start a season that also includes a tough nonconference game against Washington State as well as games against formidable American Athletic Conference opponents Cincinnati, Memphis and Central Florida.
Holgorsen has his hands full, but he made winning a habit at West Virginia and has plans to do the same in Houston.
All eyes will be on Holgorsen and the Cougars as the season gets underway. While UH already was relevant on the college football landscape, the Cougars are definitely a mustwatch team for 2019.