Let’s give it up for 2025. What a year it was for shaping the sports landscape in Houston.
Now comes 2026 and the realization of it all. This could be the sports year Houston has been waiting for.
And it all starts with the Texans and the best defense this city has seen since the Oilers days. Head coach DeMeco Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio have collaborated to assemble the NFL’s defense through the draft, strategic free agent acquisitions, and trades. Draft picks like defensive end Will Anderson Jr., cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, and veteran pickups such as linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and defensive end Danielle Hunter are the reasons the Texans are being mentioned in the same sentence as the Super Bowl this season.
The Texans, however, are far from alone in making moves that could result in major returns this season. The Rockets pulled off the blockbuster trade of the summer when they swapped veteran star Kevin Durant for young star Jalen Green in hopes of speeding up their maturation this season. We can see what General Manager Rafael Stone and Head Coach Ime Udoka had in mind when they essentially mortgaged the franchise’s future for immediate results. Durant has added scoring and leadership. Now, the question is, what will it mean in June?
We should also look forward to another March and April as Kelvin Sampson takes the Cougars on another NCAA Tournament run. Will this be the year the Cougars cut down the nets in the Final Four? We will see.
