HOUSTON – At 6-foot-2 and 292 pounds, hard-hitting Shadre Hurst isn’t the typical image of a painter, but the Houston Cougars offensive lineman enjoys putting paint to canvas to de-stress and escape from the intensity of college football.
His latest work is a self-portrait where the background of the painting is a shadow that depicts his ego, which is larger than his actual body. He uses moments in life to let out his emotions through paint and wants other athletes to feel free to express themselves the same way.
His message to other athletes: “Just be yourself, freely be yourself, don’t let anybody tell you this isn’t you or something like that.”
Shadre and the Cougars open the 2026 season at home against Oregon State on September 5th.
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Nick Mantas is an award-winning sports reporter who joined the KPRC 2 Sports Team in September of 2025, coming from channel 2's sister station, KSAT in San Antonio. Before reporting on the San Antonio Spurs for two years, he spent three years in Lansing, Michigan, and one year in Abilene, Texas. He's Greek & a native of Brookline, Massachusetts.