2023 College Football Catalog: Previewing the TCU Horned Frogs
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is right around the corner, college campuses are preparing to welcome back their football squads for the fall season.
As the summer progresses we will be taking a look into how many of the FBS college football programs fared in 2022, what they did during the offseason, and how they can find success during the 2023 season. Last week, we put a bow on our Big Ten conference previews, and now, we are moving south to the Big 12, beginning with the national runner-ups, the TCU Horned Frogs.
Overview
2022 Results
- W @ Colorado, 38-13
- W vs. Tarleton State, 59-17
- W @ SMU, 42-34
- W vs. (18) Oklahoma, 55-24
- W @ (19) Kansas, 38-31
- W vs. (8) Oklahoma State, 43-40
- W vs. (17) Kansas State, 38-28
- W @ West Virginia, 41-31
- W vs. Texas Tech, 34-24
- W @ (18) Texas, 17-10
- W @ Baylor, 29-28
- W vs. Iowa State, 62-14
- L vs. Kansas State, 28-31 (Big 12 Championship)
- W vs. (2) Michigan, 51-45 (Fiesta Bowl)
- L vs. (1) Georgia, 7-65 (National Championship)
Overall Record: 13-2 (9-0)
All-Big 12 Members
- QB Max Duggan (First-Team)
- RB Kendre Miller (First-Team)
- WR Quentin Johnston (First-Team)
- OL Alan Ali (First-Team)
- OL Steve Avila (First-Team)
- LB Dee Winters (First-Team)
- LB Johnny Hodges (Second-Team)
- CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (First-Team)
- CB Josh Newton (First-Team)
- K Griffin Kell (First-Team)
- KR/PR Derius Davis (First-Team)
Recent Vikings Draft Picks
- CB Jeff Gladney (2020 Draft; R1, P31)
Every Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Draft Pick
2023 Draft Selections
- R1, P21: WR Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers)
- R2, P36: IOL Steve Avila (Los Angeles Rams)
- R3, P71: RB Kendre Miller (New Orleans Saints)
- R4, P109: DL Dylan Horton (Houston Texans)
- R4, P125: WR Derius Davis (Los Angeles Chargers)
- R6, P182: CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (Los Angeles Rams)
- R6, P216: LB Dee Winters (San Francisco 49ers)
- R7, P239: QB Max Duggan (Los Angeles Chargers)
2023 Schedule
- 9/2 vs. Colorado
- 9/9 vs. Nicholls
- 9/16 @ Houston
- 9/23 vs. SMU
- 9/30 vs. West Virginia
- 10/7 @ Iowa State
- 10/14 vs. BYU
- 10/21 @ Kansas State
- 11/2 @ Texas Tech
- 11/11 vs. Texas
- 11/18 vs. Baylor
- 11/24 @ Oklahoma
Notable Additions
- QB Chance Nolan, (transfer portal, Oregon State)
- RB Cameron Cook (four-star recruit)
- RB Trey Sanders (transfer portal, Alabama)
- WR JoJo Earle (transfer portal, Alabama)
- WR John Paul Richardson (transfer portal, Oregon State)
- WR Cordale Russell (four-star recruit)
- TE Jack Bech (transfer portal, LSU)
- OT Tommy Brockermeyer (transfer portal, Alabama)
- IOL Markis Deal (four-star recruit)
- IOL Willis Patrick (transfer portal, Jackson State)
- DL Tico Brown (transfer portal, Missouri State)
- DL Rick D’Abreu (transfer portal, East Carolina)
- DL Avion Carter (four-star recruit)
- CB Avery Helm (transfer portal, Florida)
- S Randon Fontenette (four-star recruit)
- S Jamel Johnson (four-star recruit)
Recruit/transfer information can be found at 24/7 Sports
Notable Losses
- QB Max Duggan (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers)
- QB Alexander Honig (transfer portal, UConn)
- RB Kendre Miller (NFL Draft, New Orleans Saints)
- WR Jordan Hudson (transfer portal, SMU)
- WR Blair Conwright (transfer portal, North Texas)
- WR Quentin Johnston (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers)
- WR Derius Davis (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers)
- TE Geor’quarius Spivey (transfer portal, Mississippi State)
- OT Noah Bolticoff (transfer portal, Indiana)
- IOL Alan Ali (UDFA, Minnesota Vikings)
- IOL Steve Avila (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams)
- DL Dylan Horton (NFL Draft, Houston Texans)
- EDGE Landyn Watson (transfer portal, Marshall)
- LB Dee Winters (NFL Draft, San Francisco 49ers)
- CB Kyron Chambers (transfer portal, SMU)
- CB Marvin Covington (transfer portal, New Mexico)
- CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (NFL Draft, Los Angeles Rams)
- CB Keeyon Stewart (transfer portal, transfer portal, Arkansas)
- S D’Arco Perkins-McAllister (transfer portal, New Mexico)
- OC Garrett Riley (OC, Clemson)
Keys to 2023
Rebuilding the Offense
The 2022 season was a magical one for TCU, but it came at the cost of 11 starters leaving the program. Particularly on offense, there are big names leaving the team, including QB Max Duggan, RB Kendre Miller, and WRs Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis.
There is no easy way to replace this type of production, but it appears that QB Chandler Morris will be back in the lineup, just as he was early in 2022 before getting hurt and handing the reins off to Duggan. They also added Alabama transfers, RB Trey Sanders and WR JoJo Earle, who have been awaiting their chances to burst onto the college football scene. It cannot be overlooked that offensive coordinator Garrett Riley opted to join Clemson this offseason as well.
New Pieces on the Defensive Front
TCU loses pass-rushing talent in Dylan Horton and Dee Winters, who each head to the NFL level for the 2023 season. The duo combined for 29.5 tackles for loss along with 18 sacks last season, so if they are going to put pressure on quarterbacks this year, the Horned Frogs need to find new players to take over. Damonic Williams is a likely candidate to lead the program this year heading into his sophomore season.
Continued Success in the Secondary
Despite making the National Championship Game in 2022, TCU did not perform very well overall on the defensive side of the ball. The ranked 91st in points per game allowed last year, and while giving up 110 combined points over their final two games didn’t help, they still allowed 30+ points in seven of their 15 games.
The secondary of TCU was one of the true positives of the defense, though, with the program earning the second-highest pass coverage grade by PFF. That being said, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is now a Los Angeles Ram, opening up a starting spot at cornerback. Josh Newton and fifth-year senior Mark Perry will need to carry the way for this team to continue to find success.
Prediction
- W vs. Colorado
- W vs. Nicholls
- W @ Houston
- W vs. SMU
- W vs. West Virginia
- W @ Iowa State
- W vs. BYU
- L @ Kansas State
- W@ Texas Tech
- L vs. Texas
- W vs. Baylor
- L @ Oklahoma
Overall Record: 9-3 (6-3)
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.