University of Houston Athletics
Cougars Claim 11 Big 12 Honors
12/4/2025 12:00:00 PM | Football
Two First-Team Offense selections headline Houston's 11 honorees
HOUSTON – Eleven (11) Houston Cougar football student-athletes earned All-Big 12 Conference honors on Thursday after leading the Houston program to its third largest single-season turnaround in school history winning nine games and finishing in the league's top five.
Tight end Tanner Koziol and wide receiver Amare Thomas earned All-Big 12 First Team honors. The pair are Houston's first offensive skill players to earn First-Team honors since joining the league.
Koziol paced tight ends in the conference and nation with 65 receptions and finished second in the league with 651 receiving yards, both the most by a Cougar tight end since 2008. Thomas finished second in the Big 12 with 10 receiving touchdowns and 906 receiving yards, both the most by a Cougar since 2022.
Five Cougars earned Second Team All-Big 12 recognition with defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr., and Eddie Walls III, defensive backs Will James and Latrell McCutchin Sr., and long snapper Jacob Garza earning their first career All-Conference recognitions awarded by a league office.
Allen Jr., finished the regular season with the second most tackles nationally by a defensive lineman and the most by an interior defensive lineman with 75 tackles, the most by a Cougar interior lineman since at least 2005. Walls III recorded 9.0 tackles for loss, the most by a Cougar defensive lineman in the last two years, while his 56 tackles on the season were the eighth most by a Cougar d-lineman since at least 2005.
James earned Second-Team honors after becoming the first Cougar since 2015 with 4.0 TFLs and three interceptions on the season. Mirrored on the field, McCutchin Sr., posted the second-most pass breakups in the league with nine pass breakups while adding two TFLs.
Garza rounded out the Second-Team selections, recorded his first-career tackle and was a perfect 63-63 on field goal and extra point snaps.
Rounding out the awards, four Houston athletes earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 following strong years with running back Dean Connors, linebacker Jalen Garner, defensive back Wrook Brown and kicker Ethan Sanchez garnering praise from across the conference.
Connors finished seventh among running backs in the Big 12 with a career-high 851 rushing yards, tallying a pair of 100-yard games. Garner tied for the team lead with 75 tackles in his first season as a starter. Brown led Big 12 defensive backs with three sacks and finished fourth among Big 12 defensive backs with nine pressures. Sanchez nailed three game-winning field goals and posted two 4+ field goal games while becoming the first Cougar to kick 20 field goals in a season since 2019.
In addition to the all-conference honors, Koziol (Offensive) and Walls (Defensive) were named Honorable Mention Newcomers of the Year on their side of the ball. Sanchez was named an Honorable Mention Special Teams Player of the Year.
Houston's 11 All-Conference honors were the most since 11 Cougars earned 12 honors in 2021.
UP NEXT
Houston awaits a bowl invitation for the first time since 2022. The invitation is expected on Dec. 7. Ticket information, game time and network designation will be released at that time.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Football by providing NIL opportunities and by joining 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.
Tight end Tanner Koziol and wide receiver Amare Thomas earned All-Big 12 First Team honors. The pair are Houston's first offensive skill players to earn First-Team honors since joining the league.
Koziol paced tight ends in the conference and nation with 65 receptions and finished second in the league with 651 receiving yards, both the most by a Cougar tight end since 2008. Thomas finished second in the Big 12 with 10 receiving touchdowns and 906 receiving yards, both the most by a Cougar since 2022.
Five Cougars earned Second Team All-Big 12 recognition with defensive lineman Carlos Allen Jr., and Eddie Walls III, defensive backs Will James and Latrell McCutchin Sr., and long snapper Jacob Garza earning their first career All-Conference recognitions awarded by a league office.
Allen Jr., finished the regular season with the second most tackles nationally by a defensive lineman and the most by an interior defensive lineman with 75 tackles, the most by a Cougar interior lineman since at least 2005. Walls III recorded 9.0 tackles for loss, the most by a Cougar defensive lineman in the last two years, while his 56 tackles on the season were the eighth most by a Cougar d-lineman since at least 2005.
James earned Second-Team honors after becoming the first Cougar since 2015 with 4.0 TFLs and three interceptions on the season. Mirrored on the field, McCutchin Sr., posted the second-most pass breakups in the league with nine pass breakups while adding two TFLs.
Garza rounded out the Second-Team selections, recorded his first-career tackle and was a perfect 63-63 on field goal and extra point snaps.
Rounding out the awards, four Houston athletes earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 following strong years with running back Dean Connors, linebacker Jalen Garner, defensive back Wrook Brown and kicker Ethan Sanchez garnering praise from across the conference.
Connors finished seventh among running backs in the Big 12 with a career-high 851 rushing yards, tallying a pair of 100-yard games. Garner tied for the team lead with 75 tackles in his first season as a starter. Brown led Big 12 defensive backs with three sacks and finished fourth among Big 12 defensive backs with nine pressures. Sanchez nailed three game-winning field goals and posted two 4+ field goal games while becoming the first Cougar to kick 20 field goals in a season since 2019.
In addition to the all-conference honors, Koziol (Offensive) and Walls (Defensive) were named Honorable Mention Newcomers of the Year on their side of the ball. Sanchez was named an Honorable Mention Special Teams Player of the Year.
Houston's 11 All-Conference honors were the most since 11 Cougars earned 12 honors in 2021.
UP NEXT
Houston awaits a bowl invitation for the first time since 2022. The invitation is expected on Dec. 7. Ticket information, game time and network designation will be released at that time.
SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Football by providing NIL opportunities and by joining 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.
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