Even Sonny Dykes won’t blame people for doing a doubletake when he roams the sideline for the first time as the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs. Gary Patterson filled that position for the entirety of the current century. The long-tenured head coach exited the program during the 2021 campaign when it was made clear that the program was going in a new direction after the season. TCU brass didn’t need to look far for its top candidate.  

“His legacy should be celebrated and appreciated because this program isn’t where it is today without the impact of Gary Patterson,” Dykes said. “The expectations are high here because he made them that way. Gary and I have a lot of the same beliefs on what is important to playing winning football.”

Patterson’s shadow still looms large at TCU. Literally. A statue of him already sits outside Amon G. Carter Stadium. But Dykes isn’t afraid of the expectations or pressure. He’s used to shadows. His father, Spike, was a legendary coach at Texas Tech. The younger Dykes is appreciative of his predecessor. This is the fourth time Dykes takes over a new program as a head coach. He admits that the roster he inherited at TCU is the best of the bunch. 

“There are a lot of things that were done right around here for a very long time,” Dykes said. “The roster is the best I’ve inherited. There’s not a glaring area of weakness.” 

Dykes first became a head coach at Louisiana Tech in 2010. He led the Bulldogs to one conference title in three years before leaving for Cal, where he’d record a 19-30 record. As fate would have it, Dykes wound up at TCU in 2017 as an offensive analyst. The Horned Frogs went 11-3 that season and reached the Big 12 Championship game. That short stint in Fort Worth gave Dykes a glimpse at TCU’s potential.

That 2017 season turned out to be the last great season in Patterson’s 20-plus year tenure; TCU went 7-6 in 2018, reaching the Cheez-It Bowl and avoiding a losing season with a 10-7 win over Cal in overtime. The Horned Frogs went 5-7 in 2019 and 2021. The program was 6-4 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but missed out on a bowl game when the Texas Bowl was canceled. Reaching bowl games was a given for much of Patterson’ reign. The new reality forced hard decisions behind the scenes. 

The rise of SMU under the direction of Dykes was one of the thorns in Patterson’s side; the Mustangs weren’t overly competitive with TCU for much of Patterson’s career. Dykes changed that, beating TCU in Fort Worth in 2019 and 2021. In the win last season, SMU raced for over 350 yards on the ground. Dykes helped SMU widen its DFW footprint, which was a net-loss for a TCU program that was now losing recruits, and transfers, to its crosstown rival. While TCU was missing bowl games, SMU was earning invites. The Mustangs won 25 games over the last three seasons. In that same span, TCU won 16. The Horned Frogs required evolution. 

“A reset isn’t always bad,” TCU linebacker Dee Winters said. “The change allowed us to start fresh as players and as a program. It was the perfect time for a restart.” 

TCU’s spring practices were a perfect illustration of a new regime shifting culture. The Horned Frogs opened each practice to the public. Dykes could be seen and heard at basketball games, podcasts, and television segments. Assistant coaches were available for comment. Players could talk to the media. For better or worse, that wasn’t happening on Patterson’s watch. But with NIL here to stay, Dykes knows that there are recruiting advantages to allowing your current players to build their brands. 

“It creates an energy for the players,” Dykes said. “The fanbase gets an opportunity to be around our program, as do high school coaches and players. It is always important to have transparency in your program.” 

The new era begins on a Friday night in Boulder against Colorado. A trip to SMU takes place on Sept. 24.

The Ceiling
A new-look offense and an improving defense allow the Horned Frogs to pull a few upsets and crash the Big 12 party.  

The Floor 
Injuries continue to hamstring the offense while the defense struggles to improve against the run in another bowl-less season. 

Game of the Year
TCU at Baylor — November 19
One of the bright spots in a program-altering 2021 season for TCU was knocking off rival, and future Big 12 champion, Baylor thanks to an incredible offensive performance by reserve quarterback Chandler Morris. The Horned Frogs close the season with four tough November matchups, including trips to Texas and Baylor in two of the final three weeks of the season.