Western Michigan adds another Houston DE in Zavian Tibbs

It worked out incredibly well the first time, so why not try it again?

For the second offseason in a row, the Western Michigan Broncos tap into an underutilized defensive end at Houston, looking to make him a star in Kalamazoo. Western Michigan landed Houston defensive end Zavian Tibbs in the transfer portal, luring a Killeen, TX native 1,200 miles northeast.

This is déjà vu from last year’s portal cycle when Western Michigan acquired Houston defensive end Nadame Tucker from the transfer portal. Tucker only recorded 10 tackles and one tackle for loss across three seasons at Houston, but during his one-year stint in the MAC, he evolved into a likely NFL Draft selection. Tucker won the Vern Smith Leadership Award (essentially the MAC’s MVP) and MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2025, producing an FBS-best 14.5 sacks and FBS-best 21.0 tackles for loss in a monster breakout campaign. He added 55 tackles and four forced fumbles to a loaded stat-line.

Tibbs and Tucker shared a defensive end room at Houston in 2024. Tibbs, who played JUCO ball at Kilgore College in 2023, spent two years with the Cougars, tallying 11 combined tackles. For his final year of eligibility, he aims for a breakout season similar to the one his former teammate saw after transferring. Western Michigan fielded one of the nation’s top defenses under first-year coordinator Chris O’Leary, ranking 10th in points per game and 17th in yards allowed per game during a MAC championship run.

By retaining their starting quarterback and starting running back, the Broncos enter their title defense season with a heap of momentum. Tucker will be their most difficult replacement, but Tibbs eyes the challenge of becoming the lead pass rusher at a school over a thousand miles away from his hometown.