On Saturday, the West Virginia Mountaineers will visit the 22nd-ranked Houston Cougars, who have been one of the surprise teams in all of college football. Their 7-1 (4-1) record has them in position to be in legitimate contention for a conference title game appearance as the calendar turns to November. Houston’s offense has notably benefited from four impact transfers this season. Let’s take a look at the four biggest names on the offensive side of the ball.
Connor Weigman - QB
Texas A&M transfer quarterback Connor Weigman has helped turn around a Houston football program that finished 2024 with a 4-8 record. Weigman, an experienced quarterback, has taken his game to another level with the Cougars. Through eight games, the junior quarterback has 1,581 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has impressed in the ground game as well with 354 yards and eight touchdowns. When the Mountaineers see Weigman on Saturday, he will be coming off his best rushing performance of the season. He had 21 carries, 111 yards, and two touchdowns in a win over a ranked Arizona State team on the road.
Dean Connors - RB
Among the Big 12’s rushing leaders is Dean Connors, a transfer from Rice. This season, Connors ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 586 yards. In each of the previous two seasons at Rice, Connors eclipsed the 750-yard mark, and he is well on his way to doing it again in Houston.
Amare Thomas - WR
UAB transfer wideout Amare Thomas has helped engineer this quick turnaround in Houston as well. He has 30 receptions, 535 yards (7th in Big 12), and four touchdowns. His best game this season came in a blowout win over Oklahoma State when he had seven receptions for 157 yards.
Tanner Kozoil - TE
Senior tight end Tanner Kozoil has also been a big target for Weigman this season. At Ball State in 2024, Kozoil caught 94 passes. He was ranked sixth in the nation in that department and just two catches behind 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter. At Houston, the 6-foot-7 tight end has caught 43 passes for 450 yards and four touchdowns.
Tanner Koziol. Sheesh. Studying his film some today. May be the single toughest individual match-up we've faced this season. Monster at the tight end spot for Houston.
— Mountaineer Paul (@PaulMountaineer) October 28, 2025
Combined, Thomas and Kozoil have combined for 985 yards through the air, which is nearly 60% of the team's total of 1,680 yards. They have eight of the team’s 13 receiving touchdowns and 73 of the 132 receptions. Against WVU, Weigman will surely look to find his top two targets early and often as they seek to continue their success in an impressive 2025 campaign for the Cougars.