HSFT Stop #30: Houston
After finishing 3-9 a season ago, the Houston Hilltoppers still managed to make a statement by earning a playoff victory, proving they were capable of more than their record suggested. Now entering his second season as head coach, Chris Walters believes the next step for the program won’t come from new schemes or playbooks; it will come from mastering the little things. For Walters, discipline has become the cornerstone of Houston’s offseason.
“Something I thought we really, really lacked last year was discipline,” Walters said. “Being there, being where you’re supposed to be, wearing the right stuff; it’s something we’ve really, really honed in on since the end of the season last year.”
That emphasis on discipline has been paired with a simple offseason motto: All in. Walters said the coaching staff spent the offseason evaluating itself just as much as it evaluated the team.
“A lot of what us coaches have done was really look at ourselves,” Walters said. “We looked at our season and instead of making excuses, we went to work. We sat down and figured out what our slogan was going to be, and it’s been ‘All In.’ It goes back to that discipline. You just go at it. One workout at a time, one practice at a time, one play at a time, and the rest can take care of itself.”
Buying into that message has been easier thanks to a brand-new weight room, giving the Hilltoppers a modern facility to build both strength and team culture. Linebacker Jace Westmoreland said the difference has already been noticeable.
“Some of our guys have been working a lot harder than last year,” Westmoreland said. “I feel like the team is really pulling together this year. We’re becoming a family. I feel like we might have a good year because we’re coming together really well.”
Junior safety Caleb Knox has embraced a leadership role, believing accountability starts with the team’s veterans regardless of age.
“I want to lead this team by taking accountability, whether we’re doing good or bad,” Knox said. “If somebody’s down, pick them up and keep playing as a team. If they see me striving, I want them to strive harder because if one of us is going hard, we’re all going to go hard together.”
Knox also believes the team’s mindset has changed dramatically since last season.
“At one point, everybody just had no discipline,” he said. “Now we’ve all got discipline together. We know when to do the right thing, even when nobody’s telling us to. Just be there when it’s time to be there.”
Walters said developing mental toughness has been just as important as the physical work.
“The mental side of it is really what we’ve hit this offseason,” Walters said. “We’ve come together even more than we were before. We’ve been bringing players in, sitting down and going over aspects of the game because I think that’s a lot of what hurt us last year.”
Senior defensive end Kesharrion Marvel said last season’s outside criticism has become fuel for this year’s team.
“We’ve got a lot more discipline because we weren’t like this last year,” Marvel said. “Everybody doubted us, but we still got a playoff win. We were a top seed, and we’re using that as motivation.”
With a stronger culture, improved accountability, and a renewed commitment to discipline, the Hilltoppers believe they’re entering the 2026 season on a much stronger foundation than they had a year ago. Houston will open the 2026 season on Sept. 4 with a road matchup against Pontotoc.
