2024 WR Heath McRee decommits from Houston Cougars

Austin (Texas) Westlake three-star wide receiver Heath McRee has decommitted from Houston, he announced Wednesday morning.

The 6-foot, 170-pounder was pledged to the Cougars since June 20. He also held offers from Boston College, Air Force, Colorado State and others.

McRee is the No. 1076 overall prospect in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 156 wide receiver and No. 167 player in the Lone Star State.

“First of all I would like to thank the entire Houston staff, especially Coach Shorts and Coach Holgerson for believing in me. After a coaching change and talking it over with my family, I will be decommitting from the University of Houston and reopening my recruitment,” McRee wrote.

@Westlake_Nation @CoachTSalazar @ChuxSpeed @coach_borja @Perroni247 @247Hudson @samspiegs pic.twitter.com/c89XSDQk6n

— Heath McRee (@HeathMcRee0) December 6, 2023

McRee does not currently have an On3 NIL Valuation. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Cougars sit last in Big 12 in On3 Recruiting Rankings

Following the decommitment of McRee, Houston’s 2024 recruiting class now has just seven commits and ranks 103rd in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. New head coach Willie Fritz will have plenty of work to do on the recruiting trail as he takes of the Cougars’ program.

“Not only is Houston’s new head coach well-versed in recruiting the state of Texas, Fritz and his staff have been a step ahead when it comes to roster building,” On3’s Sam Spiegeleman wrote following the hiring of Fritz.

Currently headlining Houston’s class is Bellaire (Texas) Shadow Creek three-star safety Maurice Williams, the No. 406 overall prospect and No. 38 safety in the cycle. He committed to the Cougars on June 23, flipping from LSU.

“I heard in the recruiting process there’s a lot of faking in it, so I just want something real,” Williams told Billy Embody of The Bengal Tiger on April 28. “Somewhere that I can actually go and feel comfortable and feel at home. I don’t want to go somewhere and then once I get there, it’s different, everything’s changed. I want to feel comfortable wherever I go.”

Other top commits in Houston’s 2024 class include: Houston Westfield three-star interior offensive lineman Ray’Quan Bell, Angleton (Texas) three-star safety Jaden Pettway and Houston North Shore three-star tight end Kaleb Thomas.