Editor’s note: This is one of a series of college football previews by The Dallas Express.
TCU HORNED FROGS
2022 SEASON: 13-2 (9-0 in Big 12), beat Michigan in college football playoff semifinal, lost to Georgia in national championship.
TCU took the entire country by surprise with a trip to the national championship game in Sonny Dykes’s first year at the helm.
Although they lost in the Big 12 championship, the Horned Frogs emerged as one of the country’s most dynamic offenses and ferocious defenses, which came in handy against a vaunted Michigan team.
The season began with a huge question mark, as Chandler Morris won the starting quarterback job out of training camp but left with an injury in the season-opener and was replaced by senior Max Duggan. Duggan took control of the offense and never looked back, putting up a historic season and finishing as a finalist for many national awards.
With Duggan as its leader, TCU went on to win its first 12 games of the season, mounting several comebacks, until falling to Kansas State in overtime in the Big 12 championship. The Horned Frogs then upset Michigan in the national semifinal before being blown out in the national championship against Georgia.
The season also included wins over five ranked teams at the time the games were played.
***
2023: Preseason Rank: Coaches –16, AP- 17.
WHAT’S NEW
Much of the offensive firepower has moved onto the next level, including quarterback Max Duggan, running back Kendre Miller, wide receivers Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis, and center Steve Avila. Morris will take over at quarterback, while many expect the Horned Frogs to turn to their transfer class to fill the other holes.
TCU welcomes 13 transfers to this year’s squad, including former Alabama players Tommy Brockmeyer, Trey Sanders, and JoJo Earle, former Oklahoma State wide receiver John Paul Richardson, former Minnesota wide receiver Dylan Wright, and former Ole Miss wide receiver Jaylon Robinson. The group seems poised to impact the 2023 season significantly but will have to earn their spots.
Ex-Florida cornerback Avery Helm and ex-Texas linebacker Terrence Cooks join the defense, which should be a strength for TCU with all its experience.
“I’ve been very pleased with our defense,” head coach Sonny Dykes told the media last week. “I think we have much more depth than we did last year. It’s pretty crazy. We made it through the season playing almost exclusively two corners, [and] we made it through the season pretty much exclusively playing four linebackers. To play 15 games, have that little depth at those key positions, and to be able to win 13 of them is a testament to those players.”
***
2023 SCHEDULE
Sep 2 (Sat) 11 a.m. vs Colorado
Sep 9 (Sat) 7 p.m. vs Nicholls
Sep 16 (Sat) 7 p.m. at Houston
Sep 23 (Sat) TBA vs SMU
Sep 30 (Sat) TBA vs West Virginia
Oct 7 (Sat) TBA at Iowa State
Oct 14 (Sat) TBA vs BYU
Oct 21 (Sat) TBA at Kansas State
Nov 2 (Thu) 6 p.m. at Texas Tech
Nov 11 (Sat) TBA vs Texas
Nov 18 (Sat) TBA vs Baylor
Nov 24 (Fri) 11 a.m. at Oklahoma
***
PLAYER TO WATCH
QB Chandler Morris
All eyes will be on Morris as the season begins, and he returns to the starting role following Duggan’s spectacular season. The former Highland Park standout and Oklahoma transfer had a breakout performance as a redshirt player against Baylor in 2021 but only made 20 throws last season before suffering an injury. Now healthy and the unquestioned starter, people will be watching to see what he can do for a follow-up.
***
FRESHMAN TO WATCH
WR Cordale Russell
The local product out of North Mesquite High School joins a veteran receiving room but possesses the skills to find a way to have an impact in his first season. The former SMU commit enters college as the No.13 receiver recruit in the country, a consensus top-300 player, and already has tremendous size and control for the position. While the transfers are expected to fill much of the void left by the departures from last season, it would not be a surprise to see Russell get a chance to crack the lineup and contribute.
***
BREAKOUT CANDIDATE
WR Savion Williams
Williams is the team’s leading returning receiver and was overshadowed by the rest of the receiving corps last season. The 6-foot-5 senior only had 29 catches but averaged 13.5 yards per catch and scored four touchdowns. If he can continue that production as he enters the starting lineup, many more people will know his name by the season’s end.
***
WHY CAN THEY CONTEND?
TCU returns an experienced defense, a highly talented group of players on offense, and one of the most undervalued coaches in the country. While recreating last season’s magical run may be unreasonable, the Horned Frogs are still one of the top teams in the conference. If Morris becomes a star and the transfers live up to the billing, TCU could finish above expectations for a second consecutive year.
“We have a little bit of inexperience and some guys that are new faces to us but some guys who have also played some football, whether it’s at the junior-college level or at another school,” Dykes said. “I like the group. I think they’re competitive. I like the way they’re coming together.”
***
OBSTACLES
There is a lot to replace from a record-setting offense a year ago. While the talent is certainly there, sometimes it takes more experience for the players to become comfortable and gel with one another. It is also unfair to expect a new quarterback to become a star player immediately, and it will not be easy to follow what Duggan did last season. Plus, TCU plays a challenging conference schedule that includes three of the projected top-five teams in the Big 12 on the road.
***
2023 PREDICTION
Record: 9-3
Bowl: Valero Alamo Bowl
With so much turnover in personnel, TCU is expected to take a step back this season. The Horned Frogs were picked to finish fifth in the conference at its annual media days last month and face a brutal schedule in conference play, filled with challenging road games and a final stretch that includes the other five of the projected top six teams in the Big 12 this season.
