Appearing at the Big 12 Conference Media Days in Las Vegas, TCU Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes expressed optimism about his team's quarterback play in 2024.
TCU is coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign, finishing with a 5-7 record. The season began badly with a surprising nonconference loss to coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. This season, due to realignment, the Horned Frogs and Colorado will be conference foes, although they are not scheduled to meet head-to-head.
Although TCU's longtime rival SMU is off to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Mustangs and Horned Frogs are retaining their rivalry—the Battle of the Iron Skillet. TCU will travel across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to battle the Ponies on the Hilltop on Sept. 21.
TCU's Versatile QB Room
As the Horned Frogs endeavor to get back to their winning ways, Dykes looks to his trio of gunslingers to lead the way. Dykes told reporters at Media Days that the 3 comprise "a very unique QB room." The audio of Dykes' remarks can be accessed here.
The projected starter is redshirt sophomore Josh Hoover, who started the last 6 games in 2023 and was named Honorable Mention Big XII Offensive Freshman of the Year. As Dykes noted, he threw for "close to 500 yards his first time as a starter." His likely backup is redshirt junior Ken Seals, who transferred to TCU from Vanderbilt. Seals is 6-foot-3 and started 22 games for the Commodores. Dykes said he and his staff felt the need "to bring in somebody that had experience, and he's got a lot of it." Rounding out the QB room is freshman Hauss Hejny, a talented four-star dual-threat signal-caller who led his Texas high school team to a state championship in 2022.
Noting that TCU had "ups and downs" last season, Dykes said he thinks this trio of QBs will help get the team back on track. He explained that "they all have different strengths."
Prospects for Sonny Dykes' Frogs in 2024
The Horned Frogs open up their season with a 10:30 p.m. EST kickoff on Aug. 31 in Palo Alto, Calif., against the Stanford Cardinal. The College Football Network rates TCU's 2024 strength of schedule No. 24 in the nation. The schedule features matchups against opponents ranked in ESPN's preseason Top 25, including No. 9 Utah, No. 19 Oklahoma State, and No. 20 Arizona.
Play in the newly-configured Big 12 will be dramatic and exciting in 2024. TCU and coach Dykes hope to be in the mix for a conference championship at the end of the season. Whether they are will likely depend significantly on their quarterback play.
Stay tuned to College Football Dawgs for further reporting on TCU and the Big 12.
Editor's note: This article was updated to include a link to the audio of Dykes' remarks at Big 12 Media Days.
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