2023 Football Roster
Roster
O’Laughlin, Mike

Jersey Number 17
Mike O’Laughlin
- Position:
- TE
- Height:
- 6-5
- Weight:
- 250
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Chicago, Ill.
- High School:
- Fenwick HS
- Prev School:
- West Virginia
Bio
As a Senior (2023)
Prior to Houston
High School
Personal
- Appeared in all 12 games (466 snaps)
- Started final seven games of season at tight end
- 410 offensive snaps; 56 special teams snaps
- 12 receptions for 94 yards
- Receptions in nine different games
- Season high three catches for 19 yards vs. #8/8 Texas (Oct. 21)
- Two catches for a season high 21 yards at Baylor (Nov. 4)
- 76.2 pass block grade (PFF) ranked second among Big 12 tight ends
Prior to Houston
- Played in 31 career games at West Virginia
- 37 receptions for 292 yards and one touchdown
- Played five games during 2022
- Five catches for 66 yards including long of 32
- 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Conference Second Team
- Played in five games at tight end in 2021
- Started three games in 2021
- Missed first two games of season with lower leg injury
- Suffered season-ending knee injury at TCU
- Saw action on 203 offensive snaps
- Season-high 48 snaps at TCU
- Used on 35+ plays in five games
- 11 catches for 65 yards with long reception of 11 yards
- Four catches for 23 yards at TCU
- Career-best five catches for 35 yards vs. Texas Tech
- Season debut against Virginia Tech
- 2020 Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team
- Started all nine games in which he played at tight end
- Also used on special teams
- WVU Blue Collar Award (Kansas, Kansas State)
- 15 catches for 137 yards, one TD and a long of 34 yards
- Found end zone for first time in career vs. Army in Liberty Bowl
- Three catches for 11 yards vs. Army
- Multiple catches in four straight games
- Two receptions for 44 yards at Texas Tech, including career-long 34-yarder
- Career-high four catches for 26 yards vs. Baylor
- 2019 Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team
- Played in 12 games at tight end and started four
- Also used on special teams
- Saw action on 367 plays, including 255 on offense
- Season-high 40 offensive plays at Oklahoma
- Season-high 18 special teams plays against NC State
- Six catches for 24 yards with long of eight yards for season
- Caught three passes for 16 yards in first career start vs. Iowa State
- First career reception came at Missouri
- Redshirted during 2018
- Joined Houston in January as mid-year enrollee
High School
- Played for coach Gene Nudo at Fenwick High School
- Two-time all-state
- Two-time all-conference
- Two-time Pioneer Press All-Area First Team
- Team’s most valuable player
- Tony Lawless Award (conference MVP)
- Helped lead Fenwick to a 6-6 record
- Led squad to first round of state playoffs
- As a senior, finished with 54 catches for 956 yards and 11 TDs
- Averaged 18 yards per catch
- Helped Fenwick to Class 7A state semifinals as a junior
- 54 catches for 939 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior
- Three-star rating by ESPN, rivals and 247Sports
- No. 13 player in Illinois (ESPN)
- No. 17 tight end nationally (ESPN)
- No. 6 player in Illinois (rivals)
- No. 22 tight end nationally (rivals)
- No. 9 prospect in Illinois (247Sports)
- No. 30 tight end nationally (247Sports)
Personal
- Earned Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Entrepreneurship & Innovation from West Virginia
- Nickname: MO or Mike O
- Hobbies: Golf and video games
- Played with Matt Barnes in high school
- Dream Job outside of football: Becoming a Golf pro
- Has completed 29 months of ACL rehab since 2018
- Hidden talent: cooking
- His father JJ played wuarterback and his mother Kathleen played setter at Illinois
- Chose UH for a chance to play for Dana Holgorsen
- One word to describe himself on the field: relentless
- If he could eat one food for the rest of his life: cheeseburgers
- His motivation for working hard: his family
- Best advice: dollar in the bank every day, at 100 days you got 100 dollars.
- Highlight of his life: getting a scholarship to play at the collegiate level
- Sports hero: Kobe Bryant
- Most memorable athletic accomplishment: returning from 3 ACL tears
- Unique fact: everyone in his immediate family has had the chance to play at the D1 level.
Postgame Press Conference: Football at Rice
Saturday, September 06
Postgame Press Conference: Football vs. Stephen F. Austin
Friday, August 29
Press Conference: Head Coach Willie Fritz Previews SFA
Monday, August 25
Camp Availability: Head Coach Willie Fritz
Monday, August 04