Of the 16 new football players Houston announced Monday as having enrolled in classes at the university, one of them comes to the Cougars with a helluva lot more collegiate experience than the other 15 combined.
As expected, UH confirmed that safety Lee Hightower is enrolled and is now a member of the football program. The defensive back will be forced to sit out the 2013 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, but he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining beginning in 2014.
The move comes less than two weeks after Hightower announced via social media that he would be transferring from Boise State to Houston.
Hightower was indefinitely suspended in early February for violating unspecified team rules and subsequently released by Broncos head coach Chris Petersen. It was Hightower’s second suspension in less than four months.
The initial suspension came after Hightower had started the first seven games of the 2012 season at strong safety. He did not play again last season.
All told, Hightower started 11 games during his two season with the Broncos -- four at cornerback, seven at free safety.