Before Houston coach Tom Herman was luring elite recruits to play for the Cougars, Chad Morris was taking commitments from him.
SMU signed three former Houston commitments in its 2015 recruiting class, Morris’ first as the SMU’s head coach. Running back Braeden West, quarterback Ben Hicks and offensive tackle Bryce Wilds each flipped from Houston to SMU. All are expected to play when the Mustangs host the No. 11 Cougars on Saturday.
There’s extra meaning in Saturday’s game for West, but not because of the rivalry between the two schools. He was the only one of the three to play in SMU’s 49-28 loss at Houston in 2015.