Former Michigan State Tight End Maliq Carr announced that he will join the Houston Cougars next season. The former Spartan starter posted on Twitter his decision.
From Houston with Love 🖤❤️#gocougs pic.twitter.com/PemEGW6r2D
— maliq (@maliq_thefreak) January 8, 2024
Carr entered the transfer portal after two productive seasons at Michigan State, where he had 55 catches for 711 yards and five touchdowns over the two years. Maliq Carr is most well known for his acrobatic one-handed catches that he consistently made for the Spartans.
Carr started his career at Purdue, where he played for a year; however, he didn’t make an impact. After one season, he played on the 2021 Michigan State team that went 11-2 overall and ended with a win in the Peach Bowl against No. 12 Pittsburgh, however, he was barely able to see time on the field. Since then, Carr has been on teams that have gone 5-7 and 4-8 overall. Last season, Houston also finished 4-8 overall suggesting that perhaps Carr was looking more for a fit than just winning. When looking deeper into the offense that Houston may be running next year, it starts to all make sense.
Looking For the Right Fit
In a world where the tight end is being used less and less, Houston Head Coach Willie Fritz’s offense likes to utilize the position. Last year, his tight ends went for 453 receiving yards. Additionally, Zeon Chriss, played in an offense last season who targeted the tight ends for 788 yards. The combination of a quarterback and a coach who both like to utilize the tight end may be the perfect combination for Maliq Carr, who will be looking to boost his NFL Draft stock in his fifth season.
Another reason Carr may have found Houston such a great option is the opportunity. The Cougars do not return a single tight end who had more than ten yards receiving last year. They did bring in West Virginia transfer Mike O’Laughlin, but based on his stats, he seems like more of a blocking tight end. Ultimately, Carr decided that Houston was his best option, despite bigger teams and brands reaching out for sixth overall best TE option in the transfer portal.
Willie Fritz is Building His Houston Team Rather Quickly
Last season, Houston’s football team struggled with a lack of playmakers and depth, which made it difficult for them to compete with other teams. In Big 12 conference games, the Cougars were only able to score 30 points on two occasions, while conceding at least 30 points in five league games.
Ever since Willie Fritz took over Houston, he hasn’t wasted any time putting together a roster. Just in the transfer portal, he has already signed three offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, two receivers, two tight ends, and a running back. The Cougars also signed two 4-star receivers and eight other offensive weapons ranked at 3-stars on National Signing Day. To say that the offense has been the focus of this team’s offseason would be an understatement.
Houston will kick off their season against UNLV on August 30th. It is expected that more than half of their starters will be new to the team.
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