The Houston Cougars moved up to No. 14 in the College Football Playoff rankings, a spot few fans could've dreamed of just a few years ago.

Why? Well, because of a remarkable rebuild that has helped this Cougars team win many games with an elite offense. One of the many weapons for quarterback Conner Weigman has been tight end Patrick Overmyer, who was recently named a semifinalist for a prestigious award.

Overmyer Named John Mackey Award Semifinalist Wednesday

Overmyer was recently named to the Biletnikoff Award watchlist for the nation's best receiver. This showed how remarkable he had been so far in 2026.

Well, he has been nationally recognized again, this time being named a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's best tight end.

This is the second straight season Houston has had a tight end on the list of semifinalists for the award. Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguar Tanner Koziol was also a semifinalist for the award. The three finalists were Michael Trigg (Baylor Bears), Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon Ducks), and Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt Commodores).

In the end, former quarterback Stowers won the award with 769 receiving yards and four touchdowns. This season, life won't be easy for Overmyer, but he still has a chance.

Head coach Willie Fritz did a splendid job of identifying talent in the transfer portal, with one of those big additions being Overmyer. 247Sports ranked him the 92nd-best TE in the 2026 transfer portal. He has been anything but that so far in 2026.

Does Overmyer Have a Chance at the 2026 John Mackey Award?

So far in 2026, Overmyer is second on the team with 498 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Overmyer even had a four-touchdown game a few weeks ago against the Kansas State Wildcats, a record-breaking performance that was just amazing.

This year, the semifinalists for the award are the following:

Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech (56 receptions, 560 yards, six touchdowns)
Jelani Thurman, North Carolina (45 receptions, 525 yards, eight touchdowns)
Kari Ashley, TCU (52 receptions, 655 yards, four touchdowns)
Rocky Beers, Oklahoma (38 receptions, 518 yards, four touchdowns)
Patrick Overmyer, Houston (43 receptions, 498 yards, seven touchdowns)
Eli Finley, Louisiana Tech (46 receptions, 521 yards, six touchdowns)
Jamari Johnson, Oregon (29 receptions, 370 yards, three touchdowns)
Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky (45 receptions, 405 yards, three touchdowns)
DJ Vonnahme, Iowa (32 receptions, 314 yards, three touchdowns)

It clearly will be no easy task to take down some of those guys, especially Ashley, Thurman, and even Reynolds. But Overmyer missed a game this season and just continues to be a good, consistent weapon.

Overmyer needs to keep playing as he has. Let no outside noise bother or distract him; keep working. If he finishes with over 700 yards, then he has a very solid chance. Right now, it is absolutely important for these guys, including a Maxwell Award semifinalist in Weigman, to focus on the rest of the 2026 season.

The Cougars need to finish the season well against opponents that they should beat. A 10-2 Houston team will probably reach the CFP. It's awesome to see Overmyer get more national recognition for his amazing season thus far. Let's see if he can stay this good through 12 games.