The Dallas Cowboys pass rusher James Houston was recognized with one of the highest honors for HBCU alumni. He earned the Black College Pro Football Player of the Year award, following his breakout 2025 campaign and his standout collegiate career at Jackson State University. 

The prestigious award is presented annually to the most outstanding football player from a Historically Black College & University (HBCU), by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCHOF). 

"Thank you all for supporting me,” Houston said, per X post of HBCUGoTV. “Thank you all for nurturing me. Jackson State, you guys have literally been a second home to me, and I'm just so happy that I got to seize the opportunity of being there and take everything away from it that I got." 

The last two winners of the Black College Pro Football Player of the Year award are current members of the Cowboys' defense. Marquese Bell, a previous alum of Florida A&M, was presented the award in 2024, and cornerback Cobie Durant, an alum of South Carolina State, won the honors in 2025.

Houston recorded 70 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, and one interception, and earned first-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference honors with the Jackson State Tigers Football team in 2021. 

The ‘Watch list’ candidates are selected based on their past performances and future potential, and the finalists and the winner will be chosen by a selection committee. 

Doug Williams, the BCHOF co-founder and 2011 inductee, said that the award honors the dedication and spirit of the players, who are an inspiration to future generations. 

“The Black College Football Player of the Year Award honors the talent, dedication, and spirit of today's HBCU football players," Williams said, per Black College Football Hall of Fame website. "These young men uphold a proud legacy and inspire future generations to dream bigger and to always aspire for greatness." 

Houston was a sixth-round pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2022 NFL Draft, where he posted a career-high eight sacks as a rookie. He had a career-best campaign last year, where he recorded 5.5 sacks, 35 tackles (18 solo), 6 tackles for loss, and 13 QB hits for all 17 games played with the Cowboys.

Although Houston emerged as one of the key pass-rushing options for the Cowboys in 2025, an analyst agrees otherwise, suggesting the Cowboys move on from him before the 2026 season begins. 

Analyst Names Houston as Potential Cut Candidate

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report, in his recent article, suggested James Houston as a potential candidate from the Cowboys team to trade for draft capital, by seeking an early Day 3 pick (future).

"The Cowboys' roster additions could bury Houston on the depth chart," Moton wrote. "Rather than play the fifth-year pro sparingly, Dallas can trade him to an edge-rusher-needy team for an early Day 3 pick."

Moton believes that the roster additions like Rashan Gary and Malachi Lawrence, during the offseason, along with Donovan Ezeiruaku and Sam Williams, will impact the cap structure of the team.

Despite his breakout campaign, Houston may have to fight for his place in a crowded Cowboys pass-rushing unit.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi