BIG 12 FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 12 OF 16
2026 Season Snapshot • Fort Worth, Texas
9-4 (5-4 Big 12)
BIG 12
Live schedule, lines and results for TCU.
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HEAD COACH
Sonny Dykes — 5th season at TCU
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
36–17 at TCU
Arrived from rival SMU in 2022 and immediately led TCU to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in his first season. Has posted back-to-back 9-4 finishes since, winning bowl games both years (including an Alamo Bowl OT win over USC in 2025) — the most wins by any Big 12 program since his arrival, rewarded with a new extension in April 2026.
TCU ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 9-4 (5-4 Big 12), capped by an Alamo Bowl overtime win over USC and a No. 25 final AP ranking. TCU has been good-not-great in back-to- back seasons under Dykes — competitive but not a serious Big 12 title threat either year.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$7.0M+
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per CBS Sports/multiple reports: Dykes made just over $7M in 2025 (3rd-highest in the Big 12) under his prior deal through 2028; a new multi-year extension was agreed in April 2026 with terms not yet fully disclosed, with outside estimates projecting $8.5-9M annually. TCU has not disclosed a team NIL figure or a named primary collective.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Gordon Sammis — 1st season • Air raid
New hire after Kendal Briles left for South Carolina. Inherits Jaden Craig, a Harvard transfer who threw for 2,869 yards and 25 TD against just 7 INT in 2025 — specifically brought in for the turnover efficiency Dykes said the offense lacked under Hoover.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Andy Avalos — 3rd season • Base 4-2-5
Enters year three giving cornerbacks real freedom to play aggressively per spring reports, with breakout buzz already building around DB Gil Jackson. The clearest coordinator continuity on the roster amid the offensive overhaul.
2025 RECORD
9–4 (5–4 Big 12)
Valero Alamo Bowl: W 30-27 (OT) vs. USC. TCU's second straight 9-4 finish and bowl win, though Texas Tech's emergence as the Big 12's clear top team in 2025 pushed the Horned Frogs into the league's second tier.
HOME FIELD
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Natural grass, Fort Worth. TCU opens 2026 at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin against North Carolina — a high-profile international opener for a program looking to reassert itself after Texas Tech's 2025 breakthrough.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Jaden Craig | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Harvard transfer (FCS); 2,869 pass yds, 25 TD, just 7 INT and 3 rush TD in 2025, specifically brought in for the ball-security profile Dykes said the offense needed after Josh Hoover's departure to Indiana (42 turnovers in 31 starts). |
| RB1 | Jeremy Payne | — | ★★★★★ | Four-star signee (Hightower HS, Missouri City, Texas; No. 16 RB, school's all-time leading rusher). Generating real spring buzz per beat coverage; positioned as the lead back in Gordon Sammis' new offensive system. |
Harvard transfer (FCS); 2,869 pass yds, 25 TD, just 7 INT and 3 rush TD in 2025, specifically brought in for the ball-security profile Dykes said the offense needed after Josh Hoover's departure to Indiana (42 turnovers in 31 starts).
Four-star signee (Hightower HS, Missouri City, Texas; No. 16 RB, school's all-time leading rusher). Generating real spring buzz per beat coverage; positioned as the lead back in Gordon Sammis' new offensive system.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line under new OL coach | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Randy Clements left for South Carolina alongside Briles; a new position coach installs fresh technique behind a new starting QB. |
Randy Clements left for South Carolina alongside Briles; a new position coach installs fresh technique behind a new starting QB.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven under Avalos | DL | Benefits from Andy Avalos' third-year continuity, the clearest coordinator stability on the roster amid the offensive overhaul. |
Benefits from Andy Avalos' third-year continuity, the clearest coordinator stability on the roster amid the offensive overhaul.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gil Jackson | CB | ★★★★★ | Generating real spring buzz as Avalos' aggressive new coverage scheme gives cornerbacks more freedom — one of the names to watch as the defense looks to be the team's anchor in 2026. |
Generating real spring buzz as Avalos' aggressive new coverage scheme gives cornerbacks more freedom — one of the names to watch as the defense looks to be the team's anchor in 2026.
2025 ATS
7-6
53.8% cover rate — 32nd of 82
2025 Straight up
9-4
Point differential +70
Scoring environment
56
Combined points per game — 21st highest of 82
Home / road ATS
4-2 · 2-4
Totals 7-6 O/U (3-3 home, 3-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
30.7 per game scored (28th) · 25.3 allowed (49th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +5.4 (37th) · Strength of schedule +3.3
SRS power rating
+8.4
22nd of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+5.4
26th of 82
Defensive SRS
+3.3
36th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+5.4 · 37th of 82
Against the spread
7-6 (53.8%) · 32nd of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
56 · 21st of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for TCU.
Dykes publicly noted Josh Hoover's 42 turnovers in 31 starts as he left for Indiana — a rare, specific on-record critique of a departing QB rather than the usual diplomatic goodbye.
OC Kendal Briles and OL coach Randy Clements both left for South Carolina, while Hoover departed simultaneously — real, compounding offensive turnover heading into 2026.
Harvard transfer Jaden Craig threw just 7 INT on 25 TD in 2025 — the exact stat Dykes highlighted as Hoover's weakness, suggesting a deliberate program-wide emphasis shift.
Losing both the OC and OL coach in the same offseason as the starting QB is real, compounding offensive installation risk heading into 2026.
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