The No. 22 Houston Cougars are already five games into the 2026 season, and there are some players who have impressive resumes.

From being a reliable target to a dominant runner, these Cougars have impacted Houston's chances of making the Big 12 Championship for the better.

Here are the three most surprising Cougars through five games.

Koby Young, Wide Receiver

Wide receiver Koby Young has entered this season as a reliable deep threat for quarterback Conner Weigman. Last year, he had 191 yards, with the majority of the targets going to wide receiver Amare Thomas and tight end Tanner Koziol.

In 2026, Young has 176 yards and four touchdowns. Throughout the five games, he has a touchdown in three of them.

The most defining moment in Young's season so far is his 46-yard touchdown catch against Texas Tech that gave Houston a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Although he is not as consistent as Thomas, Young is still proving to be a receiver who Weigman can huck a deep ball to and trust and he can come down with it.

Re'Shaun Sanford II, Running Back

Houston's run game has been one of the most dominant in the Big 12, and running back Re'Shaun Sanford II has been a big reason why.

Sanford leads the team in rushing so far with 314 yards and two touchdowns on 55 carries, which averages 5.7 yards per carry. He also has 105 receiving yards on eight catches.

Sanford is coming off a knee injury and has become one of Houston's most productive players this season. He had 120 yards against Georgia Southern and 62 yards in the win against UCF.

His production has led Houston to have a legitimate two-back rotation and the Cougars average 229.4 rushing yards per game, which is 21st in the nation.

Patrick Overmyer, Tight End

Replacing Koziol was a big question for Houston in the offseason. In 2025, he had 727 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 74 catches.

Houston turned to tight end Patrick Overmyer from UTSA, who had 344 yards last season. Throughout these five games, Overmyer has been Weigman's reliable target.

Against UCF, he had 76 yards on six catches and in the Oregon State game, he had 84 yards. At the rate he is on right now, he could end the season with around 60 catches.

His biggest game was in Week 3 against Texas Tech, having 73 yards and a touchdown with a minute left that would have tied the game if the two-point conversion had been good.

Overall, if Young keeps his explosive plays, Sanford continues his dominant campaign and Overmyer keeps being reliable, the Cougars' offense could be one of the best in the conference.