Houston football head coach Willie Fritz speaks to the team after practice on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Houston, Texas | Joshua Braggs/The Cougar

When Houston football’s head coach Willie Fritz spoke to reporters Wednesday morning as part of Big 12 media days, he arrived as a second-year man, more familiar and comfortable with the program he took over in December of 2023.

Despite going 4-8 in his first Big 12 season, the 12 games showed his vision for the program, but the year also reminded him of how challenging succeeding can be in the conference.

“The Big 12 is a fantastic conference, and everybody is pretty good,” Fritz said.

Fritz is well-travelled in his now 32 years of head coaching experience, having been a part of five conferences before joining Houston, but his sixth allows for even fewer days off, and punishes off-days like no league before it.

“There were some games where maybe you brought your C-game, and you still were able to win. That’s not the case in our league,” Fritz said. “Everybody’s good, top-to-bottom.”

Houston’s next step toward competing for a conference title started with this offseason’s internal competition among key position groups, a luxury the program lacked last year.

“One guy was kind of going to start for us no matter what. Now we’re going to have to use our first two or three games to figure out exactly who is going to be playing and how much they’re going to be playing.”

Despite his familiarity with the city of Houston dating back decades, Fritz spent his first offseason getting acclimated to the school while working with what he already had on his roster, leaving little time for recruiting.

One year later, Fritz is confident with the talent and depth he has assembled, headlined by former Texas A&M quarterback and five-star recruit Conner Weigman.

“He’s been everything I hoped he’d be. He’s a great young man, great leadership abilities,” Fritz said. “We’re just very fortunate to have him in our football program. Just a real, old-fashioned type of quarterback.”

Weigman, now back fully healthy after injury setbacks in seasons past, will have a retooled offensive line to protect him, another group Fritz looked to bolster ahead of the 2025 campaign.

After the spring football game in April, Fritz caught a glimpse of his new offensive line’s potential, calling the unit a “night and day” difference from last year.

A revamped offensive line should allow for better pass protection, but one of the benefits Weigman presents is the dual-threat archetype that’s prevalent in Houston’s quarterback room, and aligns with Fritz and new offensive coordinator Slade Nagle’s visions.

“We like to be a 50-50 team. If you want to win championships, you’ve got to be able to run the football effectively, and Slade certainly understands that,” Fritz said.

Nagle served as his tight end’s coach at Tulane from 2016-21, before becoming assistant head coach in 2022 until Fritz’s departure in 2023.

He then spent 2024 as LSU’s special teams and tight ends coach, which has allowed him to introduce new concepts during the spring that differ from what Fritz had seen at Tulane, while still maintaining a balance between passing and running.

That balance wasn’t present last season, when Houston averaged 152.7 passing yards per game, nearly fifty yards less than second-worst Utah’s 199.4 among the Big 12 and 11th worst nationally.

The starting quarterback seesaw where starts and snaps were traded between Donovan Smith and Zeon Chriss only accentuated the imbalance even more.

But it’s a balance Fritz and his staff know they need to restore heading into year two, where Weigman, Chriss and freshman quarterback Austin Carlisle will get reps throughout a preseason in which Houston will hone its new offensive identity.

“Our slogan this year is Houston. When we break (huddle) it’s 2025 Houston,” Fritz said. “Not 2026, 2027, every team now is going to be its own team.”

The first preseason practice is July 28, with the Cougars kicking off their season in a home matchup against Stephen F. Austin on Thursday, Aug. 28 at TDECU Stadium.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“How Willie Fritz is looking to elevate Houston in year two” was originally posted on The Cougar

talks to media, Friday, June 06, 2025 in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

Two more Houston Cougars are set to take the floor in the NBA Summer League, with forwards J’Wan Roberts joining the Utah Jazz and Ja’Vier Francis teaming up with L.J. Cryer on the Golden State Warriors.

After going undrafted, both Roberts and Francis signed Summer League deals in the days following the NBA draft.

Roberts spent six decorated years with Houston from 2019-25, becoming the winningest player in both the program’s history and Fertitta Center history.

This past season, Roberts also became one of only four Cougars in history to achieve both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.

Having redshirted his first year, Roberts’ role steadily grew in the following seasons, eventually becoming a mainstay in Houston’s starting lineup in 2022-23, and he finished his career starting 109 of his last 110 games.

Roberts averaged a career-high 10.6 points alongside 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his graduate campaign.

Francis reunites with familiar face

Francis joins former Houston guard L.J. Cryer who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Warriors on Thursday night.

Much like Roberts, Francis saw an increased role in his third year playing, starting all 37 games on Houston’s 2023-24 team which went 15-3 in Big 12 play to win the conference title.

Despite starting only seven games this past season and battling an injured groin early on, Francis was just as impactful, averaging 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest, and shot a career-best 72.1 percent from the free throw line.

If Roberts and Francis make their teams’ final rosters, they would join Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, Jarace Walker and Jamal Shead and UH alumnus in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz’s Summer League schedule is set to start on Friday, July 11, against the Charlotte Hornets while the Golden State Warriors kick off Summer League play that same day against the Portland Trailblazers.

Both will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion in Las Vegas.

—
“J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis sign Summer League deals with Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors” was originally posted on The Cougar

talks to media, Friday, June 06, 2025 in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar

Two more Houston Cougars are set to take the floor in the NBA Summer League, with forwards J’Wan Roberts joining the Utah Jazz and Ja’Vier Francis teaming up with L.J. Cryer on the Golden State Warriors.

After going undrafted, both Roberts and Francis signed Summer League deals in the days following the NBA draft.

Roberts spent six decorated years with Houston from 2019-25, becoming the winningest player in both the program’s history and Fertitta Center history.

This past season, Roberts also became one of only four Cougars in history to achieve both 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.

Having redshirted his first year, Roberts’ role steadily grew in the following seasons, eventually becoming a mainstay in Houston’s starting lineup in 2022-23, and he finished his career starting 109 of his last 110 games.

Roberts averaged a career-high 10.6 points alongside 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in his graduate campaign.

Francis reunites with familiar face

Francis joins former Houston guard L.J. Cryer who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Warriors on Thursday night.

Much like Roberts, Francis saw an increased role in his third year playing, starting all 37 games on Houston’s 2023-24 team which went 15-3 in Big 12 play to win the conference title.

Despite starting only seven games this past season and battling an injured groin early on, Francis was just as impactful, averaging 5.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per contest, and shot a career-best 72.1 percent from the free throw line.

If Roberts and Francis make their teams’ final rosters, they would join Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser, Jarace Walker and Jamal Shead and UH alumnus in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz’s Summer League schedule is set to start on Friday, July 11, against the Charlotte Hornets while the Golden State Warriors kick off Summer League play that same day against the Portland Trailblazers.

Both will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion in Las Vegas.

—
“J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis sign Summer League deals with Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors” was originally posted on The Cougar

Michigan Panthers linebacker Donavan Mutin (45) hops back onto the field during the second half of a UFL game, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Donavan Mutin has taken the field at TDECU Stadium many times before.

In a college career spanning five seasons and 50 appearances, he debuted as a freshman on Sept. 8, 2018, in a win over Arizona and continued until his 40th and final career start in Houston’s Independence Bowl victory against Louisiana in 2022.

He had never been on the visiting team until he returned on  May 17 as a member of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who are heading to the UFL championship game against the DC Defenders on June 14.

It was Mutin’s first time on the opposing sideline, in the visitors’ locker room, putting on shoulder pads and a helmet that didn’t display “UH” on both sides.

And while the uniforms have changed, what’s remained the same for Mutin is his leadership.

Mutin spent all five of his collegiate years with Houston, being named a team captain unanimously by his teammates for his final three seasons. 

In 2018, he was elected leader of the team’s freshman leadership council. 

“Coach (Dana) Holgorsen said he never had a player that was voted by every person on the team for three years in a row,” Mutin said. 

Though there are no officially designated captains in the UFL, Mutin prides himself on being exemplary and honing those same leadership skills at the professional level alongside his peers.

“It’s not anything to hold or take for granted, and it’s not something to look past,” Mutin said. “The fact that another human can see you as somebody worthy of them taking a note from, or listening to… the fact that somebody sees you like that, you hold it to the highest regard.” 

Being vocal to inspire those around him was not something that always came second-nature to the once “super shy” Mutin, however.

Growing up in New Orleans, Mutin wasn’t a big ‘people person’, and rarely spoke around others. He’d do just about everything by himself, from eating to going to movie theatres. 

The game of football sparked that change.

When Mutin first began playing football in middle school, he recalled a coach challenging the team to communicate more effectively with one another, which inspired him to speak up.

“I notice things when they’re going well and they’re not going well, and it would eat at me to watch them and don’t say anything,” Mutin said.

Getting past the mental hurdles that come with assuming that kind of role, such as what others would think and say, wasn’t easy, but he was well on his way to being a leader of men. 

As he entered high school, Mutin continued to be a more vocal and well-rounded extension of the person he had always been, offering criticism when necessary and praise when it was due, while earning the respect of his teammates and coaches along the way.

Both his play and continued guidance earned him team captain honors in high school. 

“I started to see that the kid that was shy, that I had to go to speech classes because I couldn’t pronounce my words when I was young. The kid that went through all of those things, now God has given me a voice,” Mutin said. “And he’s given me the ability to put action behind the things that I tell people so that my words mean more when I do talk.” 

Mutin always keeps God at the forefront of his life, crediting him for taking him down the right path, and all the blessings he’s dealt him in his journey.

“If Christ was not who he was from the beginning of the world, when he spoke the Earth into formation, if he wasn’t these things, I would not have any ground to stand on. I wouldn’t have any hope for my future,” Mutin said. 

As a child, he wasn’t much of a believer despite praying at the dinner table every night with his parents.

Mutin and his family didn’t regularly attend church or read together, either.

“Then the lord kind of just snatched me from the life that I was living in the opposite direction when I was in high school, and it’s so beautiful,” Mutin said. 

Church has allowed Mutin to meet numerous mentors and coaches along the journey, dating back to his middle school days. 

Those people from church who first met Mutin as a teenager still growing into his own, finding his calling, his voice, were the same ones in attendance at TDECU when he suited up as a 24-year-old professional. 

A professional career that has been anything but easy.

Mutin went through pre-draft workouts and auditioned for scouts at Houston Pro Football Day, but went undrafted. However, he found an opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2023 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. He was later released and subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons until he was cut at the end of last year’s preseason.

Plenty of lessons can be learned from the NFL experience, but one of the biggest that Mutin took with him was the importance of maintaining a routine and sticking to it, regardless of the circumstances.

During the 2024 offseason, Mutin worked out every day, trying to find a way to secure a spot on the roster alongside former Falcon and current Michigan Panthers teammate, safety Arnold Tarpley.

Every day, they’d do all the drills, go the extra mile in practice, finish meetings and continue to work out indoors. 

The routine, with no guarantee of a spot on the active roster, began to weigh on Mutin to the point that he started losing his drive, and he questioned the purpose of doing it every day.

That was when Tarpley, or “Trey” as Mutin calls him, said, “The kind of men that we want to be, we have to be men that do what we know we need to, rather than what we want to do.”

Through the advice of Tarpley, Mutin continued to build confidence as he worked towards a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, recording 18 tackles in his final preseason game with Atlanta.

Mutin led the NFL in preseason tackles with 28 and had the kind of preseason he believed would be enough to survive the multiple rounds of roster cuts.

Yet, on August 25 of last year, he, alongside 12 other Falcons, was officially released from the team.

The seven months that ensued for Mutin were filled with uncertainty, struggle and doubt over the future of his football career.

“I’m driving packages for Amazon every now and then. I’m trying to make money the best I can,” Mutin said. “I’m seeing everything around me go to nothing. Financially, I have nothing. I don’t know if I’m ever going to play football again.”

Several UFL teams that Mutin reached out to expressed interest, but ultimately would pull their contract offers, leading him to believe his playing days may be nearing an end. 

That was until linebacker Frank Ginda, a teammate of his on the Panthers and previously the Falcons, informed the Panthers’ coaching staff about him, prompting the organization to sign Mutin to a deal.

“It brings you to tears when you think that these people see something in me that sometimes I don’t see in myself,” Mutin said. “That the lord is still seeing purpose in me.”

Mutin has made the most of this opportunity to continue playing football, and in his return to Houston, he did what he was accustomed to as a Cougar: win. 

He recorded six total tackles in the Panthers’ 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks to help seal Michigan’s third consecutive victory. 

Mutin appeared in all 10 of the Panthers’ regular-season games this season, accumulating 32 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Even though the UFL experience differs from that of the NFL, with players not being paid as much and the facilities not being as grand, Mutin appreciates the beauty in the differences and believes he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Mutin says he doesn’t take for granted the fact that he plays a children’s game for a king’s wage, as opposed to having a desk job and sitting in an office with a suit and tie.

“I get to go play a game, and I get to still live my dream no matter what capacity it looks like. You can’t get to do something like that and not walk around without gratitude.”

Though the chapter in which Mutin carried Houston across his chest has closed, his return was proof that the faith he carries with him now is just as meaningful for what’s left to be written.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Donavan Mutin’s faith-driven journey back to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

Michigan Panthers linebacker Donavan Mutin (45) hops back onto the field during the second half of a UFL game, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Donavan Mutin has taken the field at TDECU Stadium many times before.

In a college career spanning five seasons and 50 appearances, he debuted as a freshman on Sept. 8, 2018, in a win over Arizona and continued until his 40th and final career start in Houston’s Independence Bowl victory against Louisiana in 2022.

He had never been on the visiting team until he returned on  May 17 as a member of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who are heading to the UFL championship game against the DC Defenders on June 14.

It was Mutin’s first time on the opposing sideline, in the visitors’ locker room, putting on shoulder pads and a helmet that didn’t display “UH” on both sides.

And while the uniforms have changed, what’s remained the same for Mutin is his leadership.

Mutin spent all five of his collegiate years with Houston, being named a team captain unanimously by his teammates for his final three seasons. 

In 2018, he was elected leader of the team’s freshman leadership council. 

“Coach (Dana) Holgorsen said he never had a player that was voted by every person on the team for three years in a row,” Mutin said. 

Though there are no officially designated captains in the UFL, Mutin prides himself on being exemplary and honing those same leadership skills at the professional level alongside his peers.

“It’s not anything to hold or take for granted, and it’s not something to look past,” Mutin said. “The fact that another human can see you as somebody worthy of them taking a note from, or listening to… the fact that somebody sees you like that, you hold it to the highest regard.” 

Being vocal to inspire those around him was not something that always came second-nature to the once “super shy” Mutin, however.

Growing up in New Orleans, Mutin wasn’t a big ‘people person’, and rarely spoke around others. He’d do just about everything by himself, from eating to going to movie theatres. 

The game of football sparked that change.

When Mutin first began playing football in middle school, he recalled a coach challenging the team to communicate more effectively with one another, which inspired him to speak up.

“I notice things when they’re going well and they’re not going well, and it would eat at me to watch them and don’t say anything,” Mutin said.

Getting past the mental hurdles that come with assuming that kind of role, such as what others would think and say, wasn’t easy, but he was well on his way to being a leader of men. 

As he entered high school, Mutin continued to be a more vocal and well-rounded extension of the person he had always been, offering criticism when necessary and praise when it was due, while earning the respect of his teammates and coaches along the way.

Both his play and continued guidance earned him team captain honors in high school. 

“I started to see that the kid that was shy, that I had to go to speech classes because I couldn’t pronounce my words when I was young. The kid that went through all of those things, now God has given me a voice,” Mutin said. “And he’s given me the ability to put action behind the things that I tell people so that my words mean more when I do talk.” 

Mutin always keeps God at the forefront of his life, crediting him for taking him down the right path, and all the blessings he’s dealt him in his journey.

“If Christ was not who he was from the beginning of the world, when he spoke the Earth into formation, if he wasn’t these things, I would not have any ground to stand on. I wouldn’t have any hope for my future,” Mutin said. 

As a child, he wasn’t much of a believer despite praying at the dinner table every night with his parents.

Mutin and his family didn’t regularly attend church or read together, either.

“Then the lord kind of just snatched me from the life that I was living in the opposite direction when I was in high school, and it’s so beautiful,” Mutin said. 

Church has allowed Mutin to meet numerous mentors and coaches along the journey, dating back to his middle school days. 

Those people from church who first met Mutin as a teenager still growing into his own, finding his calling, his voice, were the same ones in attendance at TDECU when he suited up as a 24-year-old professional. 

A professional career that has been anything but easy.

Mutin went through pre-draft workouts and auditioned for scouts at Houston Pro Football Day, but went undrafted. However, he found an opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2023 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. He was later released and subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons until he was cut at the end of last year’s preseason.

Plenty of lessons can be learned from the NFL experience, but one of the biggest that Mutin took with him was the importance of maintaining a routine and sticking to it, regardless of the circumstances.

During the 2024 offseason, Mutin worked out every day, trying to find a way to secure a spot on the roster alongside former Falcon and current Michigan Panthers teammate, safety Arnold Tarpley.

Every day, they’d do all the drills, go the extra mile in practice, finish meetings and continue to work out indoors. 

The routine, with no guarantee of a spot on the active roster, began to weigh on Mutin to the point that he started losing his drive, and he questioned the purpose of doing it every day.

That was when Tarpley, or “Trey” as Mutin calls him, said, “The kind of men that we want to be, we have to be men that do what we know we need to, rather than what we want to do.”

Through the advice of Tarpley, Mutin continued to build confidence as he worked towards a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, recording 18 tackles in his final preseason game with Atlanta.

Mutin led the NFL in preseason tackles with 28 and had the kind of preseason he believed would be enough to survive the multiple rounds of roster cuts.

Yet, on August 25 of last year, he, alongside 12 other Falcons, was officially released from the team.

The seven months that ensued for Mutin were filled with uncertainty, struggle and doubt over the future of his football career.

“I’m driving packages for Amazon every now and then. I’m trying to make money the best I can,” Mutin said. “I’m seeing everything around me go to nothing. Financially, I have nothing. I don’t know if I’m ever going to play football again.”

Several UFL teams that Mutin reached out to expressed interest, but ultimately would pull their contract offers, leading him to believe his playing days may be nearing an end. 

That was until linebacker Frank Ginda, a teammate of his on the Panthers and previously the Falcons, informed the Panthers’ coaching staff about him, prompting the organization to sign Mutin to a deal.

“It brings you to tears when you think that these people see something in me that sometimes I don’t see in myself,” Mutin said. “That the lord is still seeing purpose in me.”

Mutin has made the most of this opportunity to continue playing football, and in his return to Houston, he did what he was accustomed to as a Cougar: win. 

He recorded six total tackles in the Panthers’ 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks to help seal Michigan’s third consecutive victory. 

Mutin appeared in all 10 of the Panthers’ regular-season games this season, accumulating 32 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Even though the UFL experience differs from that of the NFL, with players not being paid as much and the facilities not being as grand, Mutin appreciates the beauty in the differences and believes he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Mutin says he doesn’t take for granted the fact that he plays a children’s game for a king’s wage, as opposed to having a desk job and sitting in an office with a suit and tie.

“I get to go play a game, and I get to still live my dream no matter what capacity it looks like. You can’t get to do something like that and not walk around without gratitude.”

Though the chapter in which Mutin carried Houston across his chest has closed, his return was proof that the faith he carries with him now is just as meaningful for what’s left to be written.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Donavan Mutin’s faith-driven journey back to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

Michigan Panthers linebacker Donavan Mutin (45) hops back onto the field during the second half of a UFL game, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Donavan Mutin has taken the field at TDECU Stadium many times before.

In a college career spanning five seasons and 50 appearances, he debuted as a freshman on Sept. 8, 2018, in a win over Arizona and continued until his 40th and final career start in Houston’s Independence Bowl victory against Louisiana in 2022.

He had never been on the visiting team until he returned on  May 17 as a member of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who are heading to the UFL championship game against the DC Defenders on June 14.

It was Mutin’s first time on the opposing sideline, in the visitors’ locker room, putting on shoulder pads and a helmet that didn’t display “UH” on both sides.

And while the uniforms have changed, what’s remained the same for Mutin is his leadership.

Mutin spent all five of his collegiate years with Houston, being named a team captain unanimously by his teammates for his final three seasons. 

In 2018, he was elected leader of the team’s freshman leadership council. 

“Coach (Dana) Holgorsen said he never had a player that was voted by every person on the team for three years in a row,” Mutin said. 

Though there are no officially designated captains in the UFL, Mutin prides himself on being exemplary and honing those same leadership skills at the professional level alongside his peers.

“It’s not anything to hold or take for granted, and it’s not something to look past,” Mutin said. “The fact that another human can see you as somebody worthy of them taking a note from, or listening to… the fact that somebody sees you like that, you hold it to the highest regard.” 

Being vocal to inspire those around him was not something that always came second-nature to the once “super shy” Mutin, however.

Growing up in New Orleans, Mutin wasn’t a big ‘people person’, and rarely spoke around others. He’d do just about everything by himself, from eating to going to movie theatres. 

The game of football sparked that change.

When Mutin first began playing football in middle school, he recalled a coach challenging the team to communicate more effectively with one another, which inspired him to speak up.

“I notice things when they’re going well and they’re not going well, and it would eat at me to watch them and don’t say anything,” Mutin said.

Getting past the mental hurdles that come with assuming that kind of role, such as what others would think and say, wasn’t easy, but he was well on his way to being a leader of men. 

As he entered high school, Mutin continued to be a more vocal and well-rounded extension of the person he had always been, offering criticism when necessary and praise when it was due, while earning the respect of his teammates and coaches along the way.

Both his play and continued guidance earned him team captain honors in high school. 

“I started to see that the kid that was shy, that I had to go to speech classes because I couldn’t pronounce my words when I was young. The kid that went through all of those things, now God has given me a voice,” Mutin said. “And he’s given me the ability to put action behind the things that I tell people so that my words mean more when I do talk.” 

Mutin always keeps God at the forefront of his life, crediting him for taking him down the right path, and all the blessings he’s dealt him in his journey.

“If Christ was not who he was from the beginning of the world, when he spoke the Earth into formation, if he wasn’t these things, I would not have any ground to stand on. I wouldn’t have any hope for my future,” Mutin said. 

As a child, he wasn’t much of a believer despite praying at the dinner table every night with his parents.

Mutin and his family didn’t regularly attend church or read together, either.

“Then the lord kind of just snatched me from the life that I was living in the opposite direction when I was in high school, and it’s so beautiful,” Mutin said. 

Church has allowed Mutin to meet numerous mentors and coaches along the journey, dating back to his middle school days. 

Those people from church who first met Mutin as a teenager still growing into his own, finding his calling, his voice, were the same ones in attendance at TDECU when he suited up as a 24-year-old professional. 

A professional career that has been anything but easy.

Mutin went through pre-draft workouts and auditioned for scouts at Houston Pro Football Day, but went undrafted. However, he found an opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2023 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. He was later released and subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons until he was cut at the end of last year’s preseason.

Plenty of lessons can be learned from the NFL experience, but one of the biggest that Mutin took with him was the importance of maintaining a routine and sticking to it, regardless of the circumstances.

During the 2024 offseason, Mutin worked out every day, trying to find a way to secure a spot on the roster alongside former Falcon and current Michigan Panthers teammate, safety Arnold Tarpley.

Every day, they’d do all the drills, go the extra mile in practice, finish meetings and continue to work out indoors. 

The routine, with no guarantee of a spot on the active roster, began to weigh on Mutin to the point that he started losing his drive, and he questioned the purpose of doing it every day.

That was when Tarpley, or “Trey” as Mutin calls him, said, “The kind of men that we want to be, we have to be men that do what we know we need to, rather than what we want to do.”

Through the advice of Tarpley, Mutin continued to build confidence as he worked towards a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, recording 18 tackles in his final preseason game with Atlanta.

Mutin led the NFL in preseason tackles with 28 and had the kind of preseason he believed would be enough to survive the multiple rounds of roster cuts.

Yet, on August 25 of last year, he, alongside 12 other Falcons, was officially released from the team.

The seven months that ensued for Mutin were filled with uncertainty, struggle and doubt over the future of his football career.

“I’m driving packages for Amazon every now and then. I’m trying to make money the best I can,” Mutin said. “I’m seeing everything around me go to nothing. Financially, I have nothing. I don’t know if I’m ever going to play football again.”

Several UFL teams that Mutin reached out to expressed interest, but ultimately would pull their contract offers, leading him to believe his playing days may be nearing an end. 

That was until linebacker Frank Ginda, a teammate of his on the Panthers and previously the Falcons, informed the Panthers’ coaching staff about him, prompting the organization to sign Mutin to a deal.

“It brings you to tears when you think that these people see something in me that sometimes I don’t see in myself,” Mutin said. “That the lord is still seeing purpose in me.”

Mutin has made the most of this opportunity to continue playing football, and in his return to Houston, he did what he was accustomed to as a Cougar: win. 

He recorded six total tackles in the Panthers’ 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks to help seal Michigan’s third consecutive victory. 

Mutin appeared in all 10 of the Panthers’ regular-season games this season, accumulating 32 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Even though the UFL experience differs from that of the NFL, with players not being paid as much and the facilities not being as grand, Mutin appreciates the beauty in the differences and believes he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Mutin says he doesn’t take for granted the fact that he plays a children’s game for a king’s wage, as opposed to having a desk job and sitting in an office with a suit and tie.

“I get to go play a game, and I get to still live my dream no matter what capacity it looks like. You can’t get to do something like that and not walk around without gratitude.”

Though the chapter in which Mutin carried Houston across his chest has closed, his return was proof that the faith he carries with him now is just as meaningful for what’s left to be written.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Donavan Mutin’s faith-driven journey back to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

Michigan Panthers linebacker Donavan Mutin (45) hops back onto the field during the second half of a UFL game, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Donavan Mutin has taken the field at TDECU Stadium many times before.

In a college career spanning five seasons and 50 appearances, he debuted as a freshman on Sept. 8, 2018, in a win over Arizona and continued until his 40th and final career start in Houston’s Independence Bowl victory against Louisiana in 2022.

He had never been on the visiting team until he returned on  May 17 as a member of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who are heading to the UFL championship game against the DC Defenders on June 14.

It was Mutin’s first time on the opposing sideline, in the visitors’ locker room, putting on shoulder pads and a helmet that didn’t display “UH” on both sides.

And while the uniforms have changed, what’s remained the same for Mutin is his leadership.

Mutin spent all five of his collegiate years with Houston, being named a team captain unanimously by his teammates for his final three seasons. 

In 2018, he was elected leader of the team’s freshman leadership council. 

“Coach (Dana) Holgorsen said he never had a player that was voted by every person on the team for three years in a row,” Mutin said. 

Though there are no officially designated captains in the UFL, Mutin prides himself on being exemplary and honing those same leadership skills at the professional level alongside his peers.

“It’s not anything to hold or take for granted, and it’s not something to look past,” Mutin said. “The fact that another human can see you as somebody worthy of them taking a note from, or listening to… the fact that somebody sees you like that, you hold it to the highest regard.” 

Being vocal to inspire those around him was not something that always came second-nature to the once “super shy” Mutin, however.

Growing up in New Orleans, Mutin wasn’t a big ‘people person’, and rarely spoke around others. He’d do just about everything by himself, from eating to going to movie theatres. 

The game of football sparked that change.

When Mutin first began playing football in middle school, he recalled a coach challenging the team to communicate more effectively with one another, which inspired him to speak up.

“I notice things when they’re going well and they’re not going well, and it would eat at me to watch them and don’t say anything,” Mutin said.

Getting past the mental hurdles that come with assuming that kind of role, such as what others would think and say, wasn’t easy, but he was well on his way to being a leader of men. 

As he entered high school, Mutin continued to be a more vocal and well-rounded extension of the person he had always been, offering criticism when necessary and praise when it was due, while earning the respect of his teammates and coaches along the way.

Both his play and continued guidance earned him team captain honors in high school. 

“I started to see that the kid that was shy, that I had to go to speech classes because I couldn’t pronounce my words when I was young. The kid that went through all of those things, now God has given me a voice,” Mutin said. “And he’s given me the ability to put action behind the things that I tell people so that my words mean more when I do talk.” 

Mutin always keeps God at the forefront of his life, crediting him for taking him down the right path, and all the blessings he’s dealt him in his journey.

“If Christ was not who he was from the beginning of the world, when he spoke the Earth into formation, if he wasn’t these things, I would not have any ground to stand on. I wouldn’t have any hope for my future,” Mutin said. 

As a child, he wasn’t much of a believer despite praying at the dinner table every night with his parents.

Mutin and his family didn’t regularly attend church or read together, either.

“Then the lord kind of just snatched me from the life that I was living in the opposite direction when I was in high school, and it’s so beautiful,” Mutin said. 

Church has allowed Mutin to meet numerous mentors and coaches along the journey, dating back to his middle school days. 

Those people from church who first met Mutin as a teenager still growing into his own, finding his calling, his voice, were the same ones in attendance at TDECU when he suited up as a 24-year-old professional. 

A professional career that has been anything but easy.

Mutin went through pre-draft workouts and auditioned for scouts at Houston Pro Football Day, but went undrafted. However, he found an opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2023 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. He was later released and subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons until he was cut at the end of last year’s preseason.

Plenty of lessons can be learned from the NFL experience, but one of the biggest that Mutin took with him was the importance of maintaining a routine and sticking to it, regardless of the circumstances.

During the 2024 offseason, Mutin worked out every day, trying to find a way to secure a spot on the roster alongside former Falcon and current Michigan Panthers teammate, safety Arnold Tarpley.

Every day, they’d do all the drills, go the extra mile in practice, finish meetings and continue to work out indoors. 

The routine, with no guarantee of a spot on the active roster, began to weigh on Mutin to the point that he started losing his drive, and he questioned the purpose of doing it every day.

That was when Tarpley, or “Trey” as Mutin calls him, said, “The kind of men that we want to be, we have to be men that do what we know we need to, rather than what we want to do.”

Through the advice of Tarpley, Mutin continued to build confidence as he worked towards a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, recording 18 tackles in his final preseason game with Atlanta.

Mutin led the NFL in preseason tackles with 28 and had the kind of preseason he believed would be enough to survive the multiple rounds of roster cuts.

Yet, on August 25 of last year, he, alongside 12 other Falcons, was officially released from the team.

The seven months that ensued for Mutin were filled with uncertainty, struggle and doubt over the future of his football career.

“I’m driving packages for Amazon every now and then. I’m trying to make money the best I can,” Mutin said. “I’m seeing everything around me go to nothing. Financially, I have nothing. I don’t know if I’m ever going to play football again.”

Several UFL teams that Mutin reached out to expressed interest, but ultimately would pull their contract offers, leading him to believe his playing days may be nearing an end. 

That was until linebacker Frank Ginda, a teammate of his on the Panthers and previously the Falcons, informed the Panthers’ coaching staff about him, prompting the organization to sign Mutin to a deal.

“It brings you to tears when you think that these people see something in me that sometimes I don’t see in myself,” Mutin said. “That the lord is still seeing purpose in me.”

Mutin has made the most of this opportunity to continue playing football, and in his return to Houston, he did what he was accustomed to as a Cougar: win. 

He recorded six total tackles in the Panthers’ 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks to help seal Michigan’s third consecutive victory. 

Mutin appeared in all 10 of the Panthers’ regular-season games this season, accumulating 32 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Even though the UFL experience differs from that of the NFL, with players not being paid as much and the facilities not being as grand, Mutin appreciates the beauty in the differences and believes he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Mutin says he doesn’t take for granted the fact that he plays a children’s game for a king’s wage, as opposed to having a desk job and sitting in an office with a suit and tie.

“I get to go play a game, and I get to still live my dream no matter what capacity it looks like. You can’t get to do something like that and not walk around without gratitude.”

Though the chapter in which Mutin carried Houston across his chest has closed, his return was proof that the faith he carries with him now is just as meaningful for what’s left to be written.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Donavan Mutin’s faith-driven journey back to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

Michigan Panthers linebacker Donavan Mutin (45) hops back onto the field during the second half of a UFL game, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas. | Raphael Fernandez/The Cougar

Donavan Mutin has taken the field at TDECU Stadium many times before.

In a college career spanning five seasons and 50 appearances, he debuted as a freshman on Sept. 8, 2018, in a win over Arizona and continued until his 40th and final career start in Houston’s Independence Bowl victory against Louisiana in 2022.

He had never been on the visiting team until he returned on  May 17 as a member of the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, who are heading to the UFL championship game against the DC Defenders on June 14.

It was Mutin’s first time on the opposing sideline, in the visitors’ locker room, putting on shoulder pads and a helmet that didn’t display “UH” on both sides.

And while the uniforms have changed, what’s remained the same for Mutin is his leadership.

Mutin spent all five of his collegiate years with Houston, being named a team captain unanimously by his teammates for his final three seasons. 

In 2018, he was elected leader of the team’s freshman leadership council. 

“Coach (Dana) Holgorsen said he never had a player that was voted by every person on the team for three years in a row,” Mutin said. 

Though there are no officially designated captains in the UFL, Mutin prides himself on being exemplary and honing those same leadership skills at the professional level alongside his peers.

“It’s not anything to hold or take for granted, and it’s not something to look past,” Mutin said. “The fact that another human can see you as somebody worthy of them taking a note from, or listening to… the fact that somebody sees you like that, you hold it to the highest regard.” 

Being vocal to inspire those around him was not something that always came second-nature to the once “super shy” Mutin, however.

Growing up in New Orleans, Mutin wasn’t a big ‘people person’, and rarely spoke around others. He’d do just about everything by himself, from eating to going to movie theatres. 

The game of football sparked that change.

When Mutin first began playing football in middle school, he recalled a coach challenging the team to communicate more effectively with one another, which inspired him to speak up.

“I notice things when they’re going well and they’re not going well, and it would eat at me to watch them and don’t say anything,” Mutin said.

Getting past the mental hurdles that come with assuming that kind of role, such as what others would think and say, wasn’t easy, but he was well on his way to being a leader of men. 

As he entered high school, Mutin continued to be a more vocal and well-rounded extension of the person he had always been, offering criticism when necessary and praise when it was due, while earning the respect of his teammates and coaches along the way.

Both his play and continued guidance earned him team captain honors in high school. 

“I started to see that the kid that was shy, that I had to go to speech classes because I couldn’t pronounce my words when I was young. The kid that went through all of those things, now God has given me a voice,” Mutin said. “And he’s given me the ability to put action behind the things that I tell people so that my words mean more when I do talk.” 

Mutin always keeps God at the forefront of his life, crediting him for taking him down the right path, and all the blessings he’s dealt him in his journey.

“If Christ was not who he was from the beginning of the world, when he spoke the Earth into formation, if he wasn’t these things, I would not have any ground to stand on. I wouldn’t have any hope for my future,” Mutin said. 

As a child, he wasn’t much of a believer despite praying at the dinner table every night with his parents.

Mutin and his family didn’t regularly attend church or read together, either.

“Then the lord kind of just snatched me from the life that I was living in the opposite direction when I was in high school, and it’s so beautiful,” Mutin said. 

Church has allowed Mutin to meet numerous mentors and coaches along the journey, dating back to his middle school days. 

Those people from church who first met Mutin as a teenager still growing into his own, finding his calling, his voice, were the same ones in attendance at TDECU when he suited up as a 24-year-old professional. 

A professional career that has been anything but easy.

Mutin went through pre-draft workouts and auditioned for scouts at Houston Pro Football Day, but went undrafted. However, he found an opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts after the 2023 NFL draft as an undrafted free agent. He was later released and subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons until he was cut at the end of last year’s preseason.

Plenty of lessons can be learned from the NFL experience, but one of the biggest that Mutin took with him was the importance of maintaining a routine and sticking to it, regardless of the circumstances.

During the 2024 offseason, Mutin worked out every day, trying to find a way to secure a spot on the roster alongside former Falcon and current Michigan Panthers teammate, safety Arnold Tarpley.

Every day, they’d do all the drills, go the extra mile in practice, finish meetings and continue to work out indoors. 

The routine, with no guarantee of a spot on the active roster, began to weigh on Mutin to the point that he started losing his drive, and he questioned the purpose of doing it every day.

That was when Tarpley, or “Trey” as Mutin calls him, said, “The kind of men that we want to be, we have to be men that do what we know we need to, rather than what we want to do.”

Through the advice of Tarpley, Mutin continued to build confidence as he worked towards a spot on the Falcons’ 53-man roster, recording 18 tackles in his final preseason game with Atlanta.

Mutin led the NFL in preseason tackles with 28 and had the kind of preseason he believed would be enough to survive the multiple rounds of roster cuts.

Yet, on August 25 of last year, he, alongside 12 other Falcons, was officially released from the team.

The seven months that ensued for Mutin were filled with uncertainty, struggle and doubt over the future of his football career.

“I’m driving packages for Amazon every now and then. I’m trying to make money the best I can,” Mutin said. “I’m seeing everything around me go to nothing. Financially, I have nothing. I don’t know if I’m ever going to play football again.”

Several UFL teams that Mutin reached out to expressed interest, but ultimately would pull their contract offers, leading him to believe his playing days may be nearing an end. 

That was until linebacker Frank Ginda, a teammate of his on the Panthers and previously the Falcons, informed the Panthers’ coaching staff about him, prompting the organization to sign Mutin to a deal.

“It brings you to tears when you think that these people see something in me that sometimes I don’t see in myself,” Mutin said. “That the lord is still seeing purpose in me.”

Mutin has made the most of this opportunity to continue playing football, and in his return to Houston, he did what he was accustomed to as a Cougar: win. 

He recorded six total tackles in the Panthers’ 30-18 victory over the Houston Roughnecks to help seal Michigan’s third consecutive victory. 

Mutin appeared in all 10 of the Panthers’ regular-season games this season, accumulating 32 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Even though the UFL experience differs from that of the NFL, with players not being paid as much and the facilities not being as grand, Mutin appreciates the beauty in the differences and believes he is exactly where he’s supposed to be.

Mutin says he doesn’t take for granted the fact that he plays a children’s game for a king’s wage, as opposed to having a desk job and sitting in an office with a suit and tie.

“I get to go play a game, and I get to still live my dream no matter what capacity it looks like. You can’t get to do something like that and not walk around without gratitude.”

Though the chapter in which Mutin carried Houston across his chest has closed, his return was proof that the faith he carries with him now is just as meaningful for what’s left to be written.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Donavan Mutin’s faith-driven journey back to Houston” was originally posted on The Cougar

Kaycee McCoy competing in the women’s 100-meter hurdles | UH Athletics

Last season, UH had representatives in four NCAA Outdoor Championships events: freshman Michaela Mouton in the women’s 400 meters behind a school record of 50.96; graduate Kelly-Ann Beckford in the women’s 800 meters; graduate Sydni Townsend in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and senior Iman Babineaux, who competed alongside Mouton, Beckford and Townsend in the women’s 4×400-meter relay.

Saturday also marked the end of a six-year run, dating back to 2018, in which Houston had at least one woman compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Despite their season-best time of 44.21 in the women’s 4×100-meter relay this year, Houston fell short by four spots.

Junior Kaycee McCoy competed in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, recording a personal-best time of 13.20 seconds. Finishing in 15th place, McCoy was just .06 seconds away from securing a top-12 position and qualifying for the national championships.

Houston’s third and final event on Saturday showcased freshman Invida Maurina, who placed 17th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:05.87.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston women miss NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for first time since 2017” was originally posted on The Cougar

Kaycee McCoy competing in the women’s 100-meter hurdles | UH Athletics

Last season, UH had representatives in four NCAA Outdoor Championships events: freshman Michaela Mouton in the women’s 400 meters behind a school record of 50.96; graduate Kelly-Ann Beckford in the women’s 800 meters; graduate Sydni Townsend in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and senior Iman Babineaux, who competed alongside Mouton, Beckford and Townsend in the women’s 4×400-meter relay.

Saturday also marked the end of a six-year run, dating back to 2018, in which Houston had at least one woman compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Despite their season-best time of 44.21 in the women’s 4×100-meter relay this year, Houston fell short by four spots.

Junior Kaycee McCoy competed in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, recording a personal-best time of 13.20 seconds. Finishing in 15th place, McCoy was just .06 seconds away from securing a top-12 position and qualifying for the national championships.

Houston’s third and final event on Saturday showcased freshman Invida Maurina, who placed 17th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:05.87.

sports@thedailycougar.com

—
“Houston women miss NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships for first time since 2017” was originally posted on The Cougar