Nine Cougars on Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List

HOUSTON – The Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List highlights 1,000 of the top all-star game eligible college football players for the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr., wide receiver Harvey Broussard III, running back Dean Connors, tight end Tanner Koziol, defensive back Latrell McCutchin Sr., offensive lineman Dalton Merryman, defensive back Marc Stampley II, wide receiver Amare Thomas and quarterback Conner Weigman represented Houston on the list.

Houston has a long history of sending student-athletes to the East-West Shrine Bowl dating back to 1952. Overall, the Cougars have had 31 players participate in the bowl, including nine in the last decade.

Allen joined the Cougars for the 2024 season and quickly established himself as a key part of the team's defensive effort. He posted two fumble recoveries last season, ranking second in the Big 12 and 17^th nationally, while also adding 43 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an 84.4 run-defense grade from Pro Football Focus, a mark that led Big 12 interior defenders.

Broussard III arrived in Houston in January after spending two seasons at Louisiana. With the Ragin' Cajun, he played in 29 games with 19 starts, catching 55 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns. Last season, he amassed 31 receptions, 486 yards and 37.38 receiving yards per game, all three ranking third on the team.

Connors, another January enrollee, spent three seasons at Rice and a year at Riverside Community College to start his career. With the Owls, Connors tallied 307 rushes for 1,679 yards and 16 touchdowns. A two-time All-American Conference selection, he is the only FBS player with 700-plus rushing yards and 400-plus receiving yards in each of the last two seasons.

Koziol, also a member of the 27^th ranked transfer recruiting class, joins the Cougars after three years at Ball State. A 2024 College Football Network Third-Team All-American, he ranked fourth nationally last season with 7.8 receptions per game while breaking Ball State's single-season and career receptions by a tight end records. In total, he's caught 163 career passes for 1,507 yards and 18 touchdowns.

McCutchin started all 12 games at cornerback for the Cougars in 2024, posting single-season bests in tackles (34), pass break-ups (3) and blocked kicks (1). Overall, he's tallied 68 tackles, including two for a loss, and four passes defended in his 35 career games.

Another January enrollee, Merryman joined Houston after two seasons at Big 12-rival Texas Tech. Last year, he appeared in nine games while making six starts, playing 543 snaps. He allowed just two sacks in 267 chances after opening the year with no sacks allowed through the first five games.

Stampley II arrives in the Bayou City after three seasons at Georgia Southern where he posted 125 tackles, 19 passes defended and five interceptions in 1,393 snaps across 38 games. An All-Sun Belt Second Team honoree in 2024, he finished fifth in the Sun Belt with three interceptions and 10 passes defended.

Joining Houston after a pair of seasons at UAB, Thomas has played in 24 games and caught 115 passes for 1,107 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was voted to The American's All-Conference Honorable Mention team in 2024 and set UAB's freshman receptions record with 53 in 2023.

The ninth-best transfer quarterback in the 2025 class according to 247Sports, Weigman spent the last three seasons at Texas A&M where he played in 15 games, going 219-for-365 (60 percent) for 2,694 yards and 19 touchdowns. In his first six games, he posted a 13-0 TD-INT ratio and was one of five quarterbacks last season with an 80-plus percent completion percentage against a Top-10 team in 2024.

ABOUT THE EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL
The East-West Shrine Bowl is an all-star event held annually since 1925. Sponsored by Shriners International, it is the longest-running college football all-star game in the nation and gives the top college players an opportunity to showcase their talents to NFL scouts in front of a national television audience.

Every year, approximately 1000 all-star game eligible players are drafted, signed after the draft or attend a rookie mini-camp. The aim of the Shrine Bowl 1000 to serve as a look into the scouting process, as well as begin to preview college players who are currently all-star game eligible for the 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl and 2026 NFL Draft class.

SEASON TICKETS
University of Houston Football season tickets are on sale for the 2025 season. For as low as $150, fans can get in on the excitement of Year 2 of the Head Coach Willie Fritz era with pivotal matchups against Stephen F. Austin, Colorado, Texas Tech, Arizona, West Virginia and TCU. To purchase season tickets, click here.

TWO-GAME MINI PLAN
Want some flexibility? Buy a two-game mini-plan which includes the Colorado game and one game of your choice between Stephen F. Austin, Arizona, West Virginia or TCU. Mini plans start at just $85. To purchase a mini-plan, click here.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Football by purchasing season tickets, and by joining 46ers and The Huddle which provides financial support directly to Houston Football for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarFB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Cougar Football. Fans can also follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarfb.

–– UHCougars.com ––

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Players Mentioned

Carlos Allen Jr.

Harvey Broussard III

Dean Connors

Tanner Koziol

Latrell McCutchin Sr.

Dalton Merryman

Marc Stampley II

Amare Thomas

Conner Weigman

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