Sonny Dykes, head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs, provided updates on Monday relating to players’ injuries as the team continues to prepare for the upcoming season.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Frogs started training camp last week, with new talent and Josh Hoover returning.
The team focused primarily on the teaching and installation of technique for the first five days. They will now shift to more situational work as they prepare for their August 30 season opener against Stanford, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Practice on August 5 included some of the situational work the Frogs will primarily be working on, such as goal-line offense and practicing the offense needed to get a first down.
While the shift in focus played a big part, the main headline was an update from Head Coach Sonny Dykes on player injuries.
“Avery [Helm] got a little banged up,” Dykes said in a press conference. “Vernon [Glover] is also a little banged up as well, so both of those guys we aren’t sure yet… it’s two corners, so our hope is that we get good news on those guys, and it’s not as serious as it could be. That will play out here over probably the next 48 to 72 hours with them.”
Helm and Glover, both cornerbacks for the Frogs, appeared at practice on August 5, both with knee braces and crutches, as they suffered lower body injuries last weekend, per FWST.
Last season, Helm started 11 games and completed 22 tackles, 15 of which were solo stops. Glover played 10 games last season, had two solo tackles, and recorded his first career interception as a freshman.
In place of Helm and Glover, TCU brought JaTravis Broughton and Channing Canada to play as starting cornerbacks.
Broughton and Canada both made some good plays on Monday. One of those plays was a pass breakup by Broughton on Jack Bech on a pass from Josh Hoover on the sideline, per FWST.
In addition to the cornerback injuries, Dykes also provided an update for Cade Bennett, the offensive lineman who transferred from San Diego State.
“Cade had a disc issue that is going to be surgical,” Dykes explained. “He got here, started working out a little bit, and it flared up on him over the summer. We thought he was going to be good, so it just got to the point where we got an MRI, and it was one of those things where he could try to work through it, but it was going to be bad for him long-term.”
Dykes further went on to explain the decision they came to concerning Bennett’s eligibility for the season.
“So our decision was, look, let’s address this, get this thing fixed, and get you back. And our hope is that he’ll come back with two years of eligibility. He won’t be able to help us this year, but he’ll be a key contributor next season,” said Dykes.
During his time with San Diego State, Bennett was named Second-Team All-Mountain West in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He was also named San Diego State’s Best Offensive Lineman in 2023.
Despite the loss of some of these players, Dykes seems to be keeping his head up and has been pleased with the outcome he’s seen in the team thus far.
“I’m very pleased so far with what I’ve seen,” Dykes told the press. “Just the effort, the physical mentality, the attention to detail has been better than it’s been at any time since we’ve been here, so I’m very encouraged by that.”
The Horned Frogs will begin their season in Palo Alto, California, against Stanford University on August 30.
