‘It’s gonna be lit.’: Players react to Houston football’s new facility – The Cougar

When the University of Houston and its football program joined the Big 12 in July 2024, they understood that competing in the conference would require not only top-tier talent and recruiting, but also a state-of-the-art facility.

Most Houston programs have shared the Athletics/Alumni Center with football, confining them to the second floor of the building for decades while conference counterparts had a place of their own.

That changed in September 2023, when the Memorial Herman Football Operations Center project launched.

Construction began shortly after Houston finished its first Big 12 season in November 2023 and will be completed this summer, with coaches and staff moving in on Friday, and players moving in on Monday.

When Fritz spoke at Big 12 media days just weeks before, he was quick to mention the importance of the football operations center, believing the 160,000 square foot building gives Houston “as good a facility as anybody in the country.”

But the anticipation goes far beyond Fritz. 

The consensus among players, from those who toured the facility before its completion to those who have only gotten glimpses of it from the outside, was one of pure excitement.

“It’s gonna be lit. I took a few recruits through there, I felt like a recruit myself,” junior safety Kentrell Webb said.

Some reflected on finally having space all to themselves and spoke about the issues that would come from sharing a building with other sports.

“Sometimes it could get crowded, and we can’t do what we need to do sometimes,” sophomore running back J’marion Burnette said. “Moving into the new facility, it’ll be a benefit for all our guys.”

The Memorial Herman Football Operations Center features cutting-edge locker rooms, an academic support services suite, office spaces and sports performance centers, including a second-floor gym for the athletes.

Houston’s top transfer, junior quarterback Conner Weigman from Texas A&M, hasn’t been in the facility since a visit last fall, increasing his eagerness to see the finished product. 

“It was still cardboard, wood all over the place, construction hats,” Weigman said. “I haven’t seen it in a while, so I’m excited to get that first experience at the new facility.”

Beyond personal convenience, players view the new building as a sign of the program’s commitment to its future.

“We’re a Big 12 football team now, so I feel like the new facility and everything should go up with us, coming into a new conference,” junior outside linebacker Latreveon McCutchin said. 

Fritz’s emphasis on recruiting high school talent is beginning to take shape, with numerous marquee commitments already in place, and players believe the Memorial Herman Football Operations Center could play a role in attracting top-flight recruits as well.

“I feel like it’s going to bring a lot of attention to the program moving forward with high school guys, having the new facility and how it looks,” redshirt senior linebacker Brandon Mack said. 

Over the past year and a half, Fritz and his staff have worked diligently to assemble a team that can compete in what could be a wide-open Big 12 conference.

Now, they finally have the facility to compete as well.

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