Viewed early in his high school career as a multi-positional two-way athlete, Keisean Henderson now represents an established, bona fide elite QB prospect at this stage. Five-star prospect in the class of 2026, Henderson is rewriting expectations. Legit a 6-foot-3, 185-pound dual-threat QB from Spring (Texas) Legacy. His recent showing at the Elite 11 Finals didn’t earn him MVP honors (Texas commit Dia Bell took that home), but that didn’t stop the buzz surrounding Henderson, especially among Houston fans banking on him to be the face of the Houston Cougars’ rebuild.

Locked On Coogs host Parker Ainsworth can’t get enough of Henderson’s development and his loyalty to coach Willie Fritz. “One of my favorite things about Keisean Henderson’s game is that he proves me wrong,” Ainsworth said. “When he was a 2026 kid as a sophomore listed as an athlete, I was like, ‘Hey, he’ll come in, he’ll play receiver at first, then move him to quarterback over the course of time. It’ll be what A&M did with Ryan Tannehill.’” But then came the leap. “The leap the kid made from sophomore to junior—like, way more than one year worth of leap between those two things. Guy looks like a finished college quarterback product.”

Ainsworth noted Henderson’s MVP performance at the Army All-American Game, where he was bombarded with over 20 offers in one night. Despite the frenzy, “Willie Fritz saw it first.” Keisean Henderson remains committed to Houston because of that early belief. And it wasn’t just Fritz. “In a different interview, I thought it was interesting he pointed out that Slade Nagle actually also saw some of the same kind of things and offered him at quarterback at Tulane,” Ainsworth added. Henderson’s loyalty is rooted in trust—trust in a staff that believed in him as a passer before anyone else did. It’s rare in an age where flips happen weekly, and NIL chatter dominates.

The larger question looms: Can Houston support a five-star QB’s trajectory within the current Big 12 chaos? One anonymous Big 12 coach speaking to Athlon Sports offered a measured take: “Fritz isn’t a guy who rushes anything. I think this year is a step in the right direction, but they’re still a year off.” That’s hard to argue. Dana Holgorsen’s final year was a mess, and Willie Fritz’s debut saw just four wins. Houston is still learning how to swim in deeper waters.

There are cracks in the foundation, especially up front. “This was the worst O-line in our league. Easy to hassle the QB, not very tough up front,” said another Big 12 coach. That’s a red flag when your best recruit is a quarterback. But Willie Fritz seems aware of the urgency. He brought back his longtime offensive lieutenant, Slade Nagle, pulled in nearly 30 transfers, and landed Texas A&M’s Conner Weigman to steer the offense toward his Tulane-style blueprint. “It’s all about how well they can start on offense,” the coach added.

The defense offers hope. One coach pointed out, “Defensively, they did a lot of stuff really well in the first year,” and the staff has built on that in recruiting. Willie Fritz himself sounded optimistic after spring. “I liked how we installed our offense and defense and kicking game throughout the spring,” he said during an interview with 365 Sports. That progress will be tested fast, with Deion Sanders and the CU Buffs coming to town on September 12 for Houston’s Big 12 opener.

Willie Fritz hits the reset button, fixes the front

Year 1 in the Big 12 was a tough pill to swallow for Houston fans, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The Cougars were flat-out bad moving the ball, ranking 132nd in scoring offense (14.0 points per game) and 128th in total offense (288.1 yards per game). They were shut out twice and failed to score more than 10 points in five separate games. Coach Willie Fritz didn’t sugarcoat it. “Obviously, in year one in the Big 12, we were not very good on offense and we weren’t very good on the offensive line in particular,” Fritz said.

But on the flip side, the defense held its own. Houston quietly ranked 25th in the country in yards allowed (324.8) and 40th in points allowed (22.9). Fritz knows if he can pair even a serviceable offense with that defense, things could flip fast. “That was an area we had to address, and we addressed that in December and picked up five guys (on the line) who had started Division I football and had done a good job at the different places they were at.”

A big part of the reset? Bringing back Slade Nagle. “Slade was with me at Tulane and did a fantastic job there,” Fritz said. “I was fortunate enough to get him back over here. I liked how he called games for us at Tulane.” What could a 3rd-year Cougars coach with a 212-124 Fritz hope for is, “In the Big 12, everybody is pretty good… a distinct difference from Group of Five football, without question.” The hope now is that lessons from last year turn into results this season.