H-Town to Bear Down: Houston has produced several notable Arizona Wildcats over the years

Seen and heard from Arizona’s Big 12 matchup against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium.

HOUSTON — Over the years, the Arizona Wildcats have acquired a plethora of talent from the state of Texas, especially the hotspots in major cities such as Houston and Dallas.

The Wildcats currently have a couple of H-Town standouts on their team in safety Dalton Johnson — who claims Katy, Texas — and running back Kedrick Reescano; both were captains for the coin toss leading up to Arizona’s battle with the Houston Cougars Saturday morning at TDECU Stadium.

As a three-year starter, Johnson has been one of the most impactful Houston-bred Wildcats in recent years. Here’s a look at the others, in alphabetical order:

Jason Bondzio, kicker: The Humble, Texas native signed with the Wildcats in 2004 and became the successor to current New York Jets kicker Nick Folk, who is the last Mike Stoops-era Wildcat playing in the NFL. Bondzio was 35-for-42 (83.3%) on field goals and 92-for-93 (98.9%) on extra points at Arizona.

Lionel Dotson, defensive tackle: Dotson was a second-team All-Pac-10 defensive tackle in 2007 and had 121 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four pass deflections in his 32-game career.

Earl Mitchell, defensive tackle: Mitchell went from starting in Arizona’s backfield as a fullback to leading the interior defensive line with 88 tackles, 19 stops for loss and eight sacks in two seasons in 2008 and ‘09. Mitchell was named a second-team All-Pac-10 defensive tackle in 2009. Mitchell started his 10-year NFL career with the hometown Houston Texans from 2010-13.

Ronnie Palmer, linebacker: Palmer was a standout linebacker for the Wildcats under Stoops from 2005-08. In four years at Arizona, the Spring, Texas native had 275 tackles, four sacks and three interceptions. As a team captain in 2008, Palmer led the Wildcats to a Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU, the program’s first postseason victory in a decade.

Yusuf Scott, offensive line: A native of La Porte, Texas, Scott played for the Wildcats under head coach Dick Tomey from 1996-98 and was an All-Pac-10 selection in his final season at the UA. Scott was also a starting guard on the 1998 Arizona team that finished the season 12-1 and beat Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.

Syndric Steptoe, wide receiver: As a player at Arizona, Steptoe was a star receiver under head coach Mike Stoops and had 1,584 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns between 2003-06. Steptoe was also a punt return specialist and combined for 482 yards and two touchdowns in his final two seasons at Arizona.

Michael Wiley, running back: A member of Arizona’s 2019 recruiting class — headlined by Houston stars in quarterback Grant Gunnell, wide receiver Boobie Curry and cornerback Bobby Wolfe — and a three-year starter for the Wildcats, Wiley is the UA’s all-time receiving leader (1,150 yards and 12 touchdowns) for a running back. Wiley also finished his UA career with 1,712 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. Wiley scored eight touchdowns against rival Arizona State in his five-year career and was the 2022 Territorial Cup MVP.

Christian Young, defensive back: Young played safety and “viper” linebacker over five years and recorded 182 tackles and 11 pass breakups as a Wildcat. Young was recruited by the Rich Rodriguez regime, but played his career under Kevin Sumlin and Jedd Fisch. Johnson and Young had similar coaching situations. Johnson was recruited by Sumlin, but played his UA career under Fisch and Brent Brennan. Young had four defensive coordinators — five including interim defensive play-caller Chuck Cecil. Johnson has played for four different defensive coordinators.

H-Town’s ‘Trill Burgers’ is bun-believable

This college football season, we’re trying out popular restaurants in towns the Wildcats are playing in. Up next in our food series “This Ain’t Tucson:” Trill Burgers.

About a 15-minute drive from TDECU Stadium, where the Arizona Wildcats fell to the Houston Cougars 31-28 on Saturday, sits one of Houston’s most popular restaurants, “Trill Burgers,” which is co-founded by Bernard Freeman.

In H-Town, Freeman is more known as legendary rapper “Bun B,” who is also one-half of the renowned Houston rap tandem UGK (Underground Kingz). For Bun B — who was nicknamed “bunny” by his family growing up in Houston — owning a burger joint, it’s like it was meant to be.

Restaurant: Trill Burgers

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Food: Burgers

The rundown: Trill Burgers opened its first location on Shepherd Drive near downtown Houston in 2023. Trill Burgers opened its second location in Spring, Texas.

Since Trill Burgers opened, former Houston Texans star wide receiver Andre Johnson and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal have made appearances. Houston-made rappers such as Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Willie D of the Geto Boys have also eaten at Trill Burgers to support Bun B.

In June 2023, hip-hop artist Drake stopped by the original location.

“One of my favorite people in the world,” Drake said of Bun B in a video on his Instagram story. “The best burger I’ve ever had, for real.”

The menu is simple: The “OG Burgers” are smash burgers with two beef patties, caramelized onions, pickles and patented “Trill Sauce” on a potato roll bun — served with a side of fries, because (in Bun B’s voice) what’s a burger with no fries and what are fries with no burger? The “Triple OG” has three patties, and there’s also vegan options for plant-powered folks.

The order: The OG Burger combo

The final verdict: The atmosphere itself won me over. The seating area has several large yellow picnic tables and UGK murals around the restaurant. Songs like “Pimping All Over the World” by Ludacris and “Many Tears” by Tupac played upon arrival.

As expected, a Houston-area restaurant founded by Bun B attracts business. The place was packed, but it wasn’t overcrowded. It was chaotic, but it wasn’t overwhelming. As a rap-loving sportswriter, it was a pleasant way to end a long day of covering the Wildcats.

Now on to the food.

If you like buttery buns, then you’ll love Trill Burgers. The soft bun, gooey cheese and caramelized onions made it super easy to chew — and the best part? Only one napkin was needed. The structure of the burger was strong and it didn’t create a mess. The only mess that had to be cleaned was the crumbs from the crispy fries that spilled on the table.

Not sure if I agree with the hyperbolic Drake, but the sample UGK used from Willie Hutch’s “I Choose You” for “International Players Anthem” kept playing in my head after each bite. The burger crown — in my opinion — belongs to Hodad’s in San Diego. In Tucson? Lindy’s on 4th. But Trill Burgers is a must-visit food place for anyone in the Houston area. In honor of Houston’s area code, Trill Burgers gets a 7.13/10 score.

For breakfast, the TDECU Stadium press box served breakfast burritos from Rudy’s Barbecue. One of the burrito options: brisket and egg. For a sweet treat to end Saturday, a chocolate-glazed donut from Shipley Do-Nuts, which was founded in Houston in 1936. Houston is pound-for-pound one of the best food cities in the Big 12.

Numbers game

4: Houston has now beaten Arizona four times in the all-time head-to-head series. The Wildcats are 2-4 against Houston and have lost both matchups in Houston.

28,535: Paid attendance for Arizona-Houston at TDECU Stadium.

7.8 million: Population of the greater Houston area, which is the fifth-most populated city in the U.S.

He said it

“Houston is a hotbed for recruiting. There’s players everywhere. You can step in one school that’s five minutes down the road and there’s two or three Division I kids, then go to the next school and there’s two or three Division I kids, so football is important and there’s a ton of it. If you have a coach that can get the program running, you don’t have to leave the Houston area to find really good talent.” — Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege, on the football talent in Houston