The Houston Cougars did not have the season they hoped for after finishing as the runner-up in the National Championship the previous year, this time falling in the Sweet 16 to Illinois.
Head Coach Kelvin Sampson announced that he would return to the program for another year at the helm, but he would be tasked with retooling many key areas for the Cougars. Fortunately for them, they had extra time to do some scouting, giving them a leg up to go along with his coaching pedigree.
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Now, the Cougars continue to stay hot in the transfer portal, landing their third commit of the cycle. Corey Hadnot II, a Houston native and three-year contributor to the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastadons, announced his commitment according to the Transfer Portal on X.
Staying Home
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson stands near the bench in the first half during a first round men’s basketball game of the NCAA Tournament between Houston and Idaho, at Paycom in Oklahoma City on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Hadnot is one of the elite guards out of the portal, ranked 122nd overall and 22nd among shooting guards available in the portal. The Cougars were able to land the Cypress, Texas native, making a big splash by adding one of the most elite offensive playmakers available in the transfer portal.
He has played in 32 or more games all three years of his career, and started every game last season, becoming one of the best players on the team. In an average of 33 minutes per game, he would score 20.4 points per game, shooting 52 percent from the floor and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. He would also contribute four rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as well.
The newest Cougar would be named to the Horizon League All-First team at the end of the year, and would also be named player of the week three times over the course of the season due to his efforts. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound shooting guard finished with 1,166 points and 216 assists, with 243 rebounds over his 100-game career stretch with the Mastadons.
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Hadnot marks the third commitment of the offseason for Sampson and his staff, and the class currently ranks number one in the Big 12 and number six overall around the country. He is one of two four-stars to commit to the Cougars, joining Dedan Thomas Jr., with three-star portal entry Delrecco Gillespie rounding out the current class.
There is still plenty of work left for the Cougars to do as they continue to retool after their early exit this past season, but Sampson is proving he still has what it takes to land elite players and potentially field another top team in his program once again.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/houston as Houston Cougars Make Big Splash in the Transfer Portal and Land Elite Guard.
