Note: This story is featured in the 2026 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Summer Magazine, which you can order here.

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DCTF’S TAKE  

TCU is 36-17 overall with a trip to the national title game in four years under head coach Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs have won at least nine games in three of his four seasons in charge, including the last two. But it doesn’t feel like they’ve been in the Big 12 hunt since that magical run in 2022 and are 14-13 in conference play over the last three seasons.  

There is a boom-or-bust feeling in Fort Worth surrounding the TCU football program in 2026 after the Frogs signed QB Jaden Craig from Harvard to replace Josh Hoover, who transferred to Indiana in the offseason. Gordon Sammis was hired from UConn as the new offensive coordinator while defensive coordinator Andy Avalos enters Year 3 in Fort Worth.  

 

THE OFFENSE  

Sonny Dykes was sitting in a hotel room on a Friday night watching UConn play and was impressed with the Huskies offense. They didn’t turn the ball over, were good in the red zone, and were efficient on first and second down. Two years later, Dykes hired the architect of that unit when he named Gordon Sammis as TCU’s third offensive coordinator in five seasons, replacing Kendal Briles, who is now at South Carolina.  

“The thing that has plagued us in too many games the last few years is that we just turn the ball over too many times,” Dykes explained. “It hasn’t given us a chance to win. We felt like we had to get that fixed and (Sammis) has a track record of offenses that take care of the football and execute at a high level.” 

The Horned Frogs are pairing Sammis with Harvard transfer Jaden Craig at quarterback after losing Josh Hoover to Indiana in the offseason. Craig was All-Ivy League First Team in 2025 and All-Ivy League Second Team in 2024. He left Harvard as its all-time leader in passing yards (6,074) and passing touchdowns (52).  

Most importantly, Craig has only thrown 12 career interceptions on 714 passing attempts over three seasons. Hoover threw 33 interceptions over three seasons at TCU. Dykes believes that Craig’s football IQ and Sammis’ offensive system, which emphasizes the run game and is efficient on first and second down, will help the Horned Frogs protect the football and put the team in position to win close games against Big 12 foes.  

“We’ve got to make the game easy on the quarterback. The best way to do that is run the ball and stay ahead of the chains,” Dykes said. “We scored points and were good on offense last year, but we were in third-and-long all the time. We were not efficient running the ball and had a lot of negative plays.” 

UConn averaged 5.15 yards per carry last season compared to 3.92 yards per rush for TCU. The Horned Frogs were 14th in the Big 12 in rushing offense last year and 13th the year before. Jeremy Payne closed the season with two 100-yard games and a game-winning touchdown in the Alamo Bowl win over USC and should be RB1 in 2026. Jon Denman and Colorado School of Mines transfer Landon Walker provide much needed depth.  

They’ll run behind a deep offensive line that could rotate as many as 10 players. Tackle Ben Taylor-Whitfield and guard Cade Bennett provide experience on the left side of the offensive line and Cooper Powers is the expected starter at center. Players such as Noah McKinney, Witten Van Hoy, Ryan Hughes, and Kilian Registe are in the mix at the other guard and tackle positions.  

Craig won’t have a shortage of targets at wide receiver or tight end. Jordan Dwyer is back out wide after finishing second on the team with 54 catches, 730 yards, and seven touchdowns in his first season in Fort Worth. Major Everhart and Ed Small, who emerged as a future star as a true freshman, are also back.  

TCU hopes young, talented receivers such as Dozie Ezukanma and Terry Shelton turn potential into production. South Alabama transfer Jeremy Scott is 6-foot-3 and caught four touchdown passes in the Sun Belt last season.  

BY THE NUMBERS  

35.2 – Average points scored by TCU during its nine wins. The Frogs averaged 20.5 points per game in the four losses.  

15 – Interceptions thrown by TCU last year, which was 126th-most in the country and tops in the Big 12. The Frogs have a new OC and QB in 2026. 

131.38 – Average rushing yards per game, which was only ahead of Colorado and Oklahoma State in the Big 12. The Frogs averaged 3.92 yards per rush. 

 

KEEP AN EYE ON  

TCU must replace DJ Rogers’ production at tight end after he registered 34 catches for 319 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a senior in 2025. Expect the Horned Frogs to use up to four tight ends this year, including Navarro Junior College transfer Kari Ashley. The Marietta, Georgia, native is 6-foot-4 and was ranked as the second-best JUCO tight end prospect in the nation, per 247Sports. The tight end room also returns KaMorreun Pimpton, Lafayette Kaiuway, and Mason Peterson. Kaiuway is an excellent blocker while Peterson is more of a pass catching option.  

 

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

WR Jeremy Scott – The South Alabama transfer caught 24 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns while starting eight times as a redshirt freshman. He topped 100 yards against Georgia State and Louisiana and his 6-foot-3 frame should help him find a role in a crowded wide receiver room at TCU. 

RB Jon Denman – The Palestine Westwood alum played in every game and carried the ball 50 times for 178 yards and three scores as a true freshman last year for the Horned Frogs. He missed spring ball while recovering from labrum surgery but he should be fine by the fall.  

 

PROJECTED STARTERS  

QB 1 Jaden Craig 6-3, 230, Sr. Montclair, N.J.  

RB 26 Jeremy Payne 5-10, 180, Jr. Fort Bend Hightower 

WR 7 Jordan Dwyer 6-0, 190, Sr. Puyallup, Wash.  

WR 18 Ed Small 6-0, 210, Soph. Austin Anderson 

WR  3 Major Everhart 5-11, 180, Sr. Tascosa  

TE 12 Lafayette Kaiuway 6-6, 250, Jr. Sam Houston (Arlington) 

LT 56 Ben Taylor-Whitfield 6-6, 300, Sr. Duncanville 

LG 60 Cade Bennett 6-4, 300, Sr. Scottsdale, Ariz.  

C 77 Cooper Powers 6-5, 310, Jr. Danville, Calif.  

RG 58 Noah McKinney 6-4, 330, Sr. Frisco Coronado 

RT 50 Witten Van Hoy 6-6, 320, Soph. Benton, La.  

K 34 Kyle Lemmermann 6-2, 190, Soph. Southlake Carroll 

THE DEFENSE  

Defensive coordinator Andy Avalos is searching for new leaders on a unit that lost multiple-year starters in safety Bud Clark and linebackers Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Namdi Obiazor. That trio combined for 274 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and six interceptions last year and started a combined 99 games while at TCU.  

“This year, we’ve lost some leaders,” Avalos conceded. “We have very good players who are returning and some very good players who arrived this offseason. But ultimately, each and every year is a new unit. We need to be tough and scrappy and I think we have guys with a chip on their shoulder who are ready to prove that it’s their turn to step up.”  

Safety Jamel Johnson is the leading returning tackler on defense after finishing second on the team last year with 96 and first in interceptions with five. He’ll start at boundary safety and should be a preseason All-Big 12 selection. Kaden McFadden should serve as his primary backup. The field safety position, which is where Clark started for years, was a battle in the spring between Jordan Lester and Jacob Fields.  

Cornerback is a spot where Avalos thinks the team has improved over the three years he’s been in Fort Worth. Gil Jackson has a chance to be special and is poised for a breakout campaign at the boundary cornerback spot. He’s a 6-foot-3 true sophomore who showed flashes in 12 appearances last year, including an expanded role in the Alamo Bowl win over USC. Vernon Glover Jr., who started 11 games last season, is the expected starter opposite Jackson.  

Experienced depth isn’t a concern along the defensive line with Ansel Din-Mbuh and Markis Deal returning on the interior and familiar faces such as Zach Chapman, who is expected to recover from injury by June, and Paul Oyewale on the outside.  

Tristan Johnson, Perry Cole Jr., and Kelten Mickell provide depth along the interior of the defensive line. Competition behind Chapman and Oyewale at edge included players such as Koron Hayward and John Schobel at the boundary end and Chad Woodfork and Cheta Ofili at the field end.  

Creating more pressure was an emphasis for Avalos & Co. this offseason after ranking 11th in the Big 12 in sacks per game with 1.77. TCU’s 23 total sacks on the season ranked 85th nationally. Deal’s 3.5 sacks in 2025 are the most of any returning player on the roster after no one at the edge position last year finished with more than two sacks.  

“We 100 percent expect the defensive front to be better because we built this over three years to get to this point,” Avalos said about position groups that could be improved compared to 2025. “We should also be better at nickel, and I like the cornerback room.”  

That leaves linebacker as the major concern. Max Carroll waited his turn and is slotted to take over for Elarms-Orr at the Mike with guys like Hudson Hooper, Sam Haley, and Noriel Dominguez in the mix. Michael Short and Michael Teason were battling in the spring to replace Obiazor at the Will. Redshirt freshman Anthony Williams and Dillon Arkansas are on their heels.  

“Max is going to be a really good linebacker for us,” Avalos said. “Finding that Will linebacker and figuring out who emerges at the spot will be crucial.”  

 

BY THE NUMBERS  

21.9 – Average number of points allowed by TCU during its nine wins, compared to 33 per game in four losses.  

21 – Number of turnovers forced by TCU last season. That was fifth-best in the Big 12. TCU recorded 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.  

23 – Number of sacks recorded by the TCU defense, which was 85th in the FBS. The Frogs averaged 1.77 sacks per game.   

 

KEEP AN EYE ON  

The nickel position in Andy Avalos’ defense is critical to its success and he believes the position could improve in 2026. Julius Simms and Kylin Jackson were in a battle after spring ball and the player who shows the most consistency will win the job. Simms, a former three-star recruit from Whitehouse, flashed as a true freshman last season in 12 appearances. Jackson, a junior, is a former LSU transfer entering his second season with TCU. He’s played in 29 games as a collegiate and registered 26 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, last season for the Horned Frogs.  

 

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES  

CB Gil Jackson – The 6-foot-3 sophomore from Ridge Point High School in Missouri City is a future lockdown corner who could become the future of the Horned Frogs secondary in 2026. He played in 12 games as a true freshman last year, enjoying extended snaps against USC in the Alamo Bowl win. Avalos is high on him.  

 

LB Max Carroll – A redshirt junior from Tennessee who waited his turn behind star linebackers Namdi Obiazor and Kaleb Elarms-Orr in an era where few players exhibit that type of patience and loyalty at a program. Carroll played in every game as a reserve last year and is expected to start at Mike linebacker.   

PROJECTED STARTERS  

DE 97 Paul Oyewale 6-4, 270, Jr. Langham Creek 

DT 92 Ansel Din-Mbuh 6-3, 305, Sr. Aledo 

DT 95 Markis Deal 6-5, 325, Jr. Naaman Forest  

DE 0 Zach Chapman 6-5, 260, Jr. Fort Bend Marshall 

LB 33 Max Carroll 6-3, 230, Jr. Memphis, Tenn.  

LB 11 Michael Short 6-3, 235, Sr. Charlotte, N.C.  

CB 1 Vernon Glover 6-1, 190, Jr. Dickinson 

CB 4 Gil Jackson 6-3, 20, Soph. Fort Bend Ridge Point   

SS 2 Jamel Johnson 6-1, 200, Sr. Arlington Seguin 

FS 22 Jordan Lester 6-2, 190, Jr. Mesquite Horn   

NB 6 Kylin Jackson 6-3, 200, Jr. Clinton, La 

P 48 John Hoyet Chance 6-1, 205, Soph. Shreveport, La.