The TCU feel like a team that’s on the brink of another deep run, but Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs just haven’t managed to clear that jump over the last two seasons.
Not long ago, old friend Max Duggan and TCU were the No. 2 team in the land despite missing out on a Big 12 Championship in a 31-28 overtime loss to then-No. 13 Kansas State. Nevertheless, they’d end up in the National Championship Game that season, only to falter 65-7 before mighty Georgia in the biggest football game in school history.
Had things gone a little differently, Dykes could be the cream of the Big 12 right now, or very well off at another head coaching job in the SEC or Big Ten. But in 2026, his TCU team may shake things up enough to derail a BYU or Texas Tech en route to another conference title game.
It’s a new day in Fort Worth, as Gordon Sammis of UConn replaces Kendal Briles, who left for the same OC job at South Carolina. Similarly, the primary signal caller, Josh Hoover, transferred to a national contender in Indiana for his remaining season of eligibility.
Ringing Out More From the Offense
Harvard transfer Jaden Craig, throwing for just shy of 3,000 yards and 25 touchdowns as a First Team All-Ivy League member, is the favorite at quarterback and a seasoned choice to replace Hoover. He’s shielded by a strong line, including returning left guard Cade Bennett and left tackle Ben Taylor-Whittfield; Oklahoma State transfer Noah McKinney started five games at right guard last year.
Sammis has a reputation for building up the offensive line and is a nationally recognized assistant coach for his work putting the Huskies back together with former NFL coach Jim Mora, now the head coach at Colorado State in the new-look Pac-12. Together, they guided UConn to 445.2 yards per game, including 160.8 rushing yards, last season as the 35th-best offense in the nation.
TCU averaged 421.5 yards per game last season, including nearly 300 out of the pocket but just 131.4 on the ground each week. Jeremy Payne is the leading running back in a room weak on depth, so he’ll be shouldering a lot this season ahead of second-year rusher Jon Denman. Matching last year’s output through the air is more attainable, with Jordan Dwyer (730 yards) back and sophomore Ed Small (186 yards) lining up on the opposite side of the senior.
Can the Pass Rush Lend a Hand?
TCU is especially deep in the secondary, with Second Team All-Big 12 safety Jamel Johnson back for his senior season, and First Team All-Conference USA safety Jacob Fields joining the room from Louisiana Tech. Vernon Glover started all 13 games last year at corner, and fellow CB Gil Jackson returns after 12 appearances last year for the Horned Frogs; Kalen Carrol also comes in with 13 starts last year at Central Michigan to give Andy Avalos some options.
Ansel Din-Mbuh is a 305-pound force at tackle, and 325-pound nose tackle Markis Deal has provided 7.5 tackles for loss over the last two years, but the question of whether TCU can put more pressure on the quarterback remains to be answered. There are some favorites, with linebacker Max Carrol (34 tackles) and Virginia Tech transfer Michael Short leading the conversation.
Last year, TCU got to the quarterback just 23 times, the fewest since 2021, with just 15.
Tough Sledding in November
TCU has a fairly reasonable front half of the schedule save for an Oct. 3 home test against BYU. It’s the November slate that gives me pause about picking the Horned Frogs as a true lock for a Big 12 title game, though.
Dykes and the Frogs travel to Arizona, return home to host Kansas State, Utah, and finally end the regular season at Texas Tech in one of the tougher closers of the Big 12 football calendar. Who knows what either roster looks like by Week 12, but it’s hard to imagine an in-state finale like that getting overlooked, especially if the Frogs are sitting at
