Houston makes a phenomenal hire with Willie Fritz

Houston gets off the coaching carousel and Tulane jumps on after latest hire.

One move that was lost in the shuffle of the College Football Playoff selection Sunday was the hiring of Willie Fritz for the Houston Cougars.

It was announced on social media less than 12 hours after the Tulane Green Wave lost to the SMU Mustangs in the AAC championship game. The 63-year-old head coach had just finished his eighth season with Tulane. He amassed a record of 54-47, but more importantly, he finished 23-4 over the last two seasons.

It felt like a matter of when and not if that Fritz would make the jump to the Power Five. A long-time head coach with plenty of experience at the JUCO, FCS, and FBS levels. Before taking the job at Tulane, Fritz helped the Georgia Southern Eagles make the jump to the FBS. His two-year run finished with a 17-7 record and 14-2 in Sun Belt play.

The 2022 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year has a combined record of 247-121 with a 4-1 record in bowl games. He is familiar with coaching in the state of Texas, although things have changed since he was at Sam Houston State in 2010 to 2013.

Fritz is a proven winner and plenty of players will want to play for him as the Cougars look to climb out of the doldrums of the new-look Big 12. It was important for Houston to get a good hire with the additions of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah coming in 2024.

Willie Fritz’s first goal is arranging his staff and hitting the recruiting trail as Houston has a lot of ground to make up.