TCU HORNED FROGS 

2023 finish: 5-7 
Off. PPG: 31.3 (41st in FBS)
Def. PPG: 27.8 (79th in FBS) 
Key losses: OL Andrew Coker, OL Brandon Coleman, CB Josh Newton, DB Mark Perry, RB Emani Bailey, TE Jared Wiley 
New faces: 21 signees, 20 transfers 
Top additions: WR Braylon James (Notre Dame), EDGE Devean Deal (Tulane), OT Bless Harris (Florida State), LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr (Cal), JaTravis Broughton (Utah) 

OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW 

Continuity might be the buzz word for TCU on offense in the offseason. The Frogs lost offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, Heisman runner-up quarterback Max Duggan, and a host of NFL draft picks offensively following the magical run of 2022 and struggled to score in the red zone in 2023 with Kendal Briles and the combination of Chandler Morris and Josh Hoover taking snaps at quarterback. TCU averaged over seven points fewer a game in 2023.

Experience breeds consistency and Briles returns some familiar faces. That starts with Hoover, who looks like the entrenched starting quarterback after showing flashes of potential in 2023. Trey Sanders and Trent Battle return at running back, as does the team’s top receivers in Savion Williams and JP Richardson. Baylor transfer Drake Dabney can help ease the loss of Jared Wiley.

The offensive line is the toughest to project after the deparutres of Andrew Coker, Brandon Coleman and Patrick Willis. Bless Harris transferred in from Florida State and likely takes one of the tackle spots. The other four are up for grabs.

Breakout candidates

WR Braylon James – The Notre Dame transfer returns to his native Texas as a redshirt freshman with four-star potential. The 6-foot-2 Round Rock product played in four games in 2023 for the Fighting Irish, registering one catch for 12 yards against Pitt. He was the 23rd-ranked player on the 2023 DCTF Top 100. Snaps won’t be easy to find in a crowded wide receiver room, however. 

RB Cam Cook – The sophomore from Round Rock Stony Point should receive more chances to impress at running back in 2024 with Emani Bailey off to the NFL. He was a four-star recruit in high school who averaged 9.4 yards a carry as a senior. TCU needs a big-play option at running back and Cook will get plenty of opportunities to earn a role. 

OL Ben Taylor-Whitfield – The depth chart is unsettled at every position on the offensive line and that could benefit the sophomore from Duncanville. He’s a big dude at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds who can push transfers like Cade Bennett and Carson Bruno for a starting spot at guard. 

Key unit 

Wide receiver – Offensive line might be the right answer out of necessity, but we’ll select the wide receiver room because of the potential. The Frogs could field the deepest and most dynamic wide receiver room in the Big 12, especially if we add tight end to the mix. The starting trio of Wright, Richardson, and Williams are proven commodities. Add in the upside of James, Eric McAlister, JoJo Earle and others. The position group didn’t live up to the hype last season and it cost the offense.

Biggest question mark 

Quarterback – How good is Josh Hoover? The world is about to find out. TCU didn’t go land an instant starter through the portal. Even with Ken Seals from Vanderbilt joining the roster, that means they trust Hoover enough to bring the program back to contention. And there were games in 2023 that served to boost that trust. The flip side is that he threw nine interceptions to 15 touchdowns and completed 62 percent of his passes.

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW 

Allowing 1.2 fewer points in 2023 than in the 12-win 2022 season wasn’t enough to keep Joe Gillespie employed as TCU defensive coordinator. The Horned Frogs allowed 27.8 points per game last year, good for 79th in the FBS. Enter Andy Avalos, the former head coach at Boise State and defensive coordinator at Oregon. He also runs a 3-3-5 nickel base like Gillespie, but Avalos’ uses one of those linebackers like an edge rusher. He’s also more experienced at the college level and the hope is that he’s better at in-game adjustments.

Avalos inherits experience at all three levels. Domanic Williams and Caleb Fox help anchor the defensive line. Johnny Hodges and Namdi Obiazor return in the second level. And names such as Bud Clark, Abe Camara and Avery Helm are back in the secondary. TCU also added potential instant impact players in the portal on the edge, at linebacker, and in the secondary.

Breakout candidates

LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr – A second-team All-Pac-12 member in 2023 at Cal who led the Bears with 92 tackles. He’ll immediately vie for playing time at the linebacker spot for TCU. His athleticism and experience give him the inside track to beat out at least one incumbent. He was a four-star recruit out of high school. 

EDGE Devean Deal – The Frogs defense needed a boost in the pass rush department and the former Tulane star might be the solution. He led the Green Wave with 12 tackles for loss in an honorable mention All-AAC 2023 season. The El Paso native also recorded four sacks.

DL Nana Osafo-Mensah – A Fort Worth native who was a four-star recruit at Nolan Catholic returns home to TCU after playing 39 games at Notre Dame. Now a senior, Osafo-Mensah provides depth, versatility, and much-needed athleticism along the defensive line. He recorded five sacks and nine tackles for loss for the Fighting Irish.

Key unit 

Linebacker – We can understand an argument for each of the three levels, but we’ll pick linebacker because of the regression at the position from 2022 to 2023. The second level of the Frogs defense was excellent in the 12-win season with Dee Winters and the emergence of Johnny Hodges headlining the unit. Flash-forward to 2023 and the position group was a shell of itself. The unit wasn’t good enough against the run or athletic enough in pass coverage. A lot of the same faces are back, but additions like Elarms-Orr and Deal should push Hodge and Hodges for starting snaps in the spring and into the fall.

Biggest question mark 

Big plays – TCU ranked 70th in the FBS in sacks per game last year with 2.17. The team’s leading sacker was Obiazor with 4. Three others – Hodge, Damonic Williams, and Oyewale – recorded three each. Shad Banks Jr. led the team with 8.5 tackles for loss. No one else had more than 6.5. The Frogs ranked 100th nationally with 0.67 interceptions per game. Sacks can be a misleading stat, but big plays on defense – sacks, tackles for loss, turnovers – are how to win in the modern game. That is what Avalos was hired to scheme up, and that’s how the TCU defense helps propel the program to the top of the Big 12.