It’s been an interesting tenure at TCU for head coach Sonny Dykes. In his first season with the program, he took them to the national championship game. In his second, he missed a bowl. By year three, he found a result somewhere in the middle at 9-4. Now, he’s looking to once again take a […]
It’s been an interesting tenure at TCU for head coach Sonny Dykes. In his first season with the program, he took them to the national championship game. In his second, he missed a bowl. By year three, he found a result somewhere in the middle at 9-4. Now, he’s looking to once again take a leap to the top of the Big 12 in 2025.
The Big 12 promises to be a highly competitive conference. Winning it is going to get a team to the College Football Playoff. There’s no reason why TCU shouldn’t be a part of that conversation this season.
Ahead of the year, Phil Steele released his annual preview magazine. In it, he forecast the TCU season, including diving into both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. With that in mind, here’s a look at what Steele expects from TCU.
Offense
As a coach, Sonny Dykes is known as an Air Raid coach. Now, he has a quarterback at TCU who is going to be capable of running that at a high level. Josh Hoover looks ready to thrive this season, and much of the Horned Frogs’ success is going to rest on his shoulders.
“This year QB Hoover is back,” Steele wrote. “The RB’s will be more productive and they have a veteran Oline. This year my computer is calling for 418 ypg and 32.6 ppg.
Defense
2024 saw TCU make a change at defensive coordinator, bringing in Andy Avalos. That did seem to spark the Horned Frogs. In year two, with plenty of player retention, this should be a unit that has an excellent grasp on what they’re doing. That, in turn, should make TCU a formidable defense in the Big 12.
“Last year new DC Avalos was using more 4 man fronts and coach Dykes called it his best defense he has had here,” Steele wrote. “And my computer called for them to allow 24.6 ppg and they gave up 24.6! This year they have 8 starters back including my #17 rated secondary and look even stronger.”
Forecast
The TCU Horned Frogs want to now find some consistent success under Sonny Dykes. That’s eluded them at times. However, with 14 returning starters, there’s good reason to think TCU takes a leap forward in 2025. That is, if they can manage a difficult schedule.
“This year they have 14 ret starters including QB Hoover,” Steele wrote. “But they draw the Big12’s toughest schedule facing 6 of the top teams they have five B12 road games. Coach Dykes said they only took 10 guys in the portal showing how comfortable he is about his roster and calls it his deepest team. Talent-wise TCU is nearly the top of the Big 12 with the biggest challenge a schedule that has them facing N. Car, Ariz St, Kan St and BYU all on the road.”
Category: General Sports
