One of the fastest quarterbacks in the country is headed to ULM, looking to inject a much-needed offensive spark into the program.
On Monday, January 12, ULM received a commitment from former Houston quarterback Austin Carlisle. Carlisle recently completed his true freshman season where he retained his redshirt by appearing in four games, in addition to the Cougars’ Texas Bowl victory over LSU.
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In his limited action, Carlisle was primarily used as a running back and wide receiver, occasionally performing jet sweeps and handoffs in the Cougars’ offense. He finished his true freshman campaign recording six carries for 44 yards rushing, with a high of 13 yards on a jet sweep against West Virginia. Carlisle played his only snaps at quarterback on the final drive of Houston’s 39-17 victory at Oklahoma State on October 11. However, he did not attempt a single pass in the road victory.
In addition to taking reps at quarterback, running back and receiver, the 5’10”, 190-pound Swiss army knife was also used as a punt returner in practice. Houston aimed to maximize the quarterback’s speed, who registered 23.7 miles per hour on the GPS tracking system. As a result, the EA Sports College Football 26 video game ranked him as the fastest quarterback in the country with overall speed of 92.
Carlisle backed Conner Weigman and Zeon Chriss-Gremillion to Houston. Weigman is back, while Chriss-Gremillion recently transferred to Tulane. However, the Cougars signed the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the class of 2026, by 247Sportsat Keisean Henderson – creating additional bulk at the top of the depth chart.
Carlisle heads to ULM, which remains in search of its first bowl appearance since 2012 (the longest drought in the FBS, excluding UMass). ULM returns its main 2025 starter in Aiden Armenta, as well as his replacement Landon Graves. The Warhawks ranked 130th in scoring, 118th in passing yards and 124th in passing yards last season, hoping to see an overall improvement in 2026. Carlisle certainly adds competition to the quarterback room, and his versatility could allow him to see increased playing time as a redshirt freshman next fall.
