It’s been a spectacular 2024 on Houston’s college and professional sports stage. All indications are 2025 could bring about plenty more intrigue. You have the surging Rockets and the Texans who appear on the brink of high achievement in the AFC, and we never know how dominant Kelvin Sampson and the powerhouse University of Houston Cougars might be this season. Houston certainly has plenty to look forward to. Here are several things to watch for as we enter 2025.
C.J. Stroud, Quarterback of the Texans
After a spectacular start as a rookie in 2023, Stroud and the Texans found out during his sophomore campaign that his ascension might not be as smooth as first thought. But all eyes will be on Stroud and the Texans to make a significant step in 2025. It wasn’t like 2024 was a complete disaster. The Texans are still running the show in the weak AFC South and will make the playoffs for a second-straight season with Stroud in control. But 2025 will need to be more. Stroud has to fix his touchdowns to interceptions ratio and he must stop the trend of taking so many sacks. The pressure to improve will definitely be on in 2025. It also doesn’t help that Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who was picked No.1 just ahead of Stroud in 2023, started to turn a corner late in 2024 after being benched earlier in the season.
The Rockets breakthrough
The Rockets had been stuck in a proverbial NBA Lottery rut the last four years without a playoff appearance since James Harden left town. But in 2025 that officially will be a thing of the past. The Rockets will break through to the Western Conference playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. They owe it to the lottery picks like Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson, who have clearly panned out. The veteran additions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and the coaching and leadership of Ime Udoka have also helped in the Rockets’ return among the best in the Western Conference. The Rockets have started the 2024-2025 season strong and have the second-best record in the Western Conference. The momentum will continue and take them into the postseason. But with veteran teams like Oklahoma City, Denver, Dallas, Memphis, Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers in the mix, it’s hard to say how deep the Rockets’ initial playoff run with this group will be.
Texas Southern’s continued growth under Cris Dishman
In 2024, Cris Dishman did exactly what he had promised Texas Southern and its fragile fan base. Things certainly improved around the program, with the Tigers moving out of last place in the SWAC West division to a respectable 4-4 conference and 5-6 overall record in Dishman’s first season. We now look forward to what the former Houston Oilers defensive back can do for an encore. Can the first-time head coach push the Tigers to the division title and an appearance in the SWAC Championship Game in 2025? That is certainly the hope around campus. But it’s all contingent on Dishman finding his quarterback and minimizing the damage he could face with players exiting via the transfer portal.
The re-birth of Brittney Griner continues
While the dominance of WNBA star and former Baylor and Nimitz standout Brittney Griner may have been taken for granted for years, since she returned from the harrowing 10-month Russian detainment in 2022, Griner has been living in the recognition and appreciation she deserves. She made a triumphant return to the Phoenix Mercury, made the Olympic team for a third time in 2024 and won another gold medal, plus was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2023. In 2024 she and wife Cherelle welcomed their first child. What’s next for Griner? All indications are that the perennial WNBA All-Star will return for her 12th season with the Mercury. Griner, a 6-foot-9 center, may not be the dominant player she once was but look for her to remain a force in the paint in 2025.
Simone Biles continues dominance
Simone Biles cemented her legacy as the greatest gymnast to ever do it during this summer’s Paris Olympics with four medals to bring her total Olympic medal count to 11 to go along with 30 World Championship medals. But reading between the lines, it may not be over for the 27-year-old Houstonian. Biles hasn’t ruled out making a run for the 2028 Olympic Games. That would likely mean Biles will remain in the spotlight in 2025 with dazzling and breath-taking performances.
