Willie Fritz says he's confident UH football can keep its best players

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Power 4 athletic director recently called a spring football game a "Home Shopping Network" that showcases players for other schools to scout.

Current rules allow schools with millions in NIL money to lure the young talent to play for them, leaving their old school behind.

UH coach Willie Fritz told me he's not worried.

The Cougars will host a spring football game in April, and Fritz will trust the culture he's built to keep his best players at UH.

"I had a bunch of guys at my old school that were being "recruited," and they stayed for a heck of a lot less," he said.

Fritz built a 12-win team at Tulane in one of the great coaching jobs in history by creating a culture that relied on great people who were also great players.

He believes the players he recruited wanted to see the payoff for years of hard work.

"They enjoyed their coaches. They enjoyed their teammates, and they enjoyed their school," Fritz said.

The Green Wave capped a remarkable season with a win over USC in the Cotton Bowl in January 2023.

Fritz has a background in Texas, with coaching stops at Blinn College and Sam Houston.

He's traveled the state recruiting players to join the UH program, and he's convinced Texas high school football is a perfect fit for the culture and program he's building.

"I've been so impressed with Texas high school kids. Looking you right in the face, right in the eye, and they're asking great questions," he said. "It's a byproduct of their parents and their high school coaches."

Fritz and his UH coaching staff added 39 players in the signing period, equally divided between high school recruits and transfers.

The Cougars will open the 2025 season at home against Stephen F. Austin on Aug. 28.

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