2026 Player Spotlight

Kevin dives deep into Houston TE Tanner Koziol

The rhythm of the college football season is starting to settle in, and each week, we see potential 2026 draft prospects separating themselves from the pack. In the 2026 Draft Spotlight, I’ll highlight one emerging player whose performance and profile are elevating their stock, breaking down what it means for their draft projection, devy value, and long-term dynasty outlook.

This week, that spotlight shifts to Houston tight end Tanner Koziol, one of the most underrated players in the country at a position that’s notoriously difficult to scout. Tight end evaluation always requires context, scheme usage, route variety, blocking responsibilities but Koziol has made it easy this season with his consistency and impact.

The former Ball State transfer has quietly become one of the most productive tight ends in college football, leading Houston in receptions while ranking among the Big 12’s best in catches, yards, and touchdowns. Through nine games, he’s recorded 56 receptions for 570 yards and five touchdowns, earning invites to the East-West Shrine Bowl and spots on the Mackey and Biletnikoff Award watch lists. Let’s take a deep look at his profile.

Player Introduction & Context

Tight ends are notoriously tough to scout, usage, scheme fit, and development curves make the position one of the trickiest to evaluate. But every so often, a player forces his way into the conversation through consistent production, versatility, and reliability. That’s exactly what Houston’s Tanner Koziol has done.

After transferring from Ball State, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior has quickly become one of the most dependable tight ends in college football. Koziol leads Houston in receptions with 56 catches for 570 yards and five touchdowns, ranking among the top three tight ends in the nation in both receptions and yards. He’s also one of only a handful of players in the country to record back-to-back seasons as a John Mackey Award Semifinalist, and he recently earned an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl, a testament to how NFL scouts view his game. I have no doubt that he will also get a Senior Bowl invite.

Koziol’s story is one of steady dominance. At Ball State, he was simply unstoppable, rewriting the program’s record books for a tight end with 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, leading all FBS tight ends in catches. His strong hands and ability to win through contact made him a contested-catch machine, finishing with 22 such grabs that season, the most in the country at any position.

Now at Houston, he’s proving that production wasn’t just a product of the MAC. He’s become a safety blanket and red-zone weapon in Slade Nagle’s offense, thriving on timing routes, seam shots, and quick outs. His combination of physicality, awareness, and ball skills gives the Cougars a reliable chain-mover who doubles as a mismatch problem for linebackers and safeties.

Tight end evaluation is often about projection, can they block, separate, and hold up physically at the next level? Koziol has already answered many of those questions with his play. And as he continues to put up top-tier numbers in the Big 12, he’s starting to build a legitimate case as one of the top tight ends in the 2026 draft class.

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