SAN ANTONIO — Temple (Texas) four-star wide receiver Mikal Harrison-Pilot has capped his winding recruitment with a commitment to rising in-state power Houston as the Cougars land a big splash to cap their 2023 recruiting efforts.
For Harrison-Pilot whose dad played at Houston, playing for the Cougars means fulfilling a family bloodline in H-Town as the program gets ready to take its biggest competitive step in history.
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"It's like my second home," Harrison-Pilot said. "I got a lot of family out there, my dad played there. I want to continue the legacy and finish what was started."
Houston began its relationship with Harrison-Pilot in his eighth grade year and continued to maintain top positioning as he became a highly regarded recruit in the state of Texas.
"It was always gonna be the place," he said. "My dad played there, they recruited me since eighth grade and I had been at the place since I was little. They were always gonna be a top two school, no matter what it was."
The impending move to the Big 12 excites Harrison-Pilot about the potential to be developed as well as in recruiting, where he hopes he is not the last major recruit to commit to the Cougars.
"I'm excited for them to move to the Big 12 and be different," he said. "There's gonna be a lot more competition and there will be more players coming to Houston because it's the Big 12. Why not?"
From a developmental standpoint, Harrison-Pilot has been encouraged by what the Cougars have done with receivers under Dana Holgersen.
"Look at what they did with Tank Dell," he said. "That's something I can see myself doing. With my skillset, being quick and fast, it'll make everything better. I feel like I can come in and make a huge impact."
Part of committing to Houston is the fact that he will be returning to a place he considers home. The city has always meant more to Harrison-Pilot, and now he will be able to play with the city on his chest.
"The city of Houston in itself is one of the best cities in America and they make me feel at home every time I go down there," he said. "That's what I need, to feel comfortable where I'm at."
Houston adds its third four-star in the 2023 cycle, a feat that the Cougars have not accomplished since 2016 in a class that featured five-star Ed Oliver. It is the first time in Rivals history that Houston has landed two four-stars at the wide receiver position in the same cycle, as Harrison-Pilot joins Spring (Texas) Dekaney pass catcher Jonah Wilson.
At 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, Harrison-Pilot is the No. 186 ranked recruit in the country for the class of 2023, according to Rivals. He is the No. 31 ranked wide receiver prospect in the country and the No. 31 recruit from the state of Texas.
