TCU’s board of trustees is set to meet this week with plenty on the agenda, and Sonny Dykes sits near the center of it.
The school’s highest-paid employee is under the microscope as the university sorts through a new financial reality, one where athletic departments are being asked to absorb costs that used to belong almost entirely to coaching salaries and buyouts. At TCU, that conversation is happening while the board also deals with the resignation of chancellor Daniel Pullin and the return of Victor Boschini.
The money piece matters. TCU extended Dykes’ contract in the spring, a move that added years and lowered a buyout figure that has become a constant talking point. The school has the resources to do plenty of things, but not with money that is simply sitting around waiting to be spent.
TCU’s endowment is $2.9 billion, up 80 percent over the last five years, according to the Business Journal. But university leadership has preferred to leave that money alone beyond the normal payout that helps cover annual expenses. That endowment is not meant to function like a checking account for a buyout or a transfer-portal splash.
And the broader financial picture is not exactly light. Over the last decade, TCU has taken on major costs tied to campus growth, including building projects, a medical school and the push for Carnegie R1 classification, the designation for schools that award doctoral degrees and have “very high research activity.”
The medical school is still years from paying off, and the R1 chase is expensive, slow and not guaranteed. TCU and Wake Forest are the only two schools in the Power Four that are not R1.
All of that is unfolding at the same time college sports has shifted into a pay-for-play model with few restrictions, and the money involved is private. Coaching salaries, meanwhile, have climbed from absurd to offensive.
That is why a coaching change is no longer a simple decision. Firing a coach means paying the buyout, then paying the next coach, then covering the transition costs that come with a staff overhaul. For TCU, Kansas, Colorado, Clemson and other schools in similar spots, that is a heavy lift.
There is also the larger concern: whether the football program, the university’s most visible marketing arm, is helping the school move forward or dragging it down.
Florida State already made that kind of call by firing Mike Norvell and absorbing his $50 million buyout.
For Dykes, though, there are still two things working in his favor. One is the money. The other is the football landscape itself.
TCU’s game against Kansas State on Saturday in Fort Worth is hardly a marquee event. The Horned Frogs and Wildcats are both trying to avoid last place in the Big 12, and the forecast for the matchup is “Depressing with a 90 percent chance of booing.” TCU is a 10-point favorite and can move to 4-5, leaving it one win short of bowl eligibility with two games left.
The game itself is not the draw. The conversation around Dykes is.
He can point to the new college football reality and argue that good teams now lose two or three games in a successful season. He can also lean on the fact that his team has been close, at least by the record: five losses by one score. That said, the offense has been a problem.
And now there is one more layer to the argument. Starting next season, the playoff field will expand from 12 to 24 teams, a move announced Monday.
So as TCU’s board meets this week, the question is not just about football. It is about whether moving on from Dykes is worth the price in a new era where almost everything costs more.
In Other News...
Kansas State Faces A Costly QB Decision With TCU Up Next
Kansas State is still sorting through one of the most important decisions on its schedule, with Collin Klein not ready to name a starting quarterback for the upcoming meeting with TCU. Sophomore Dillon Duff and junior Blake Barnett are both in the mix, and Klein said the competition will continue in practice as the Wildcats try to steady themselves after Avery Johnsons injury helped trigger a recent losing streak.
The possibility of using both quarterbacks adds another layer to a situation Kansas State would rather have settled by now. With TCU next and the offense still adjusting to life without its starter, Klein is weighing not just who gives the Wildcats the best chance to move the ball, but how much flexibility he wants to keep available once the game begins. [Read more 🡒]
K-State Just Gave Fans A Real Reason To Feel Better
After a flat opening loss to South Dakota State, Kansas State has started to steady itself with back-to-back wins over Cal State Northridge and Creighton. The early response mattered, because it showed the Wildcats could absorb an ugly start and come back with more pace, better shot selection and a sharper edge on offense. Brandon Rechsteiner has been at the center of it, leading the way with 26 points in both victories while K-States three-point shooting took a noticeable step forward.
For a team trying to build confidence early, that kind of bounce-back is exactly what coach Casey Alexander wanted to see. He pointed to the progress and readiness the Wildcats showed after the opener, and the next question is whether this stretch is the start of something more stable or just a brief correction. Either way, K-State has already given its fans a much better reason to feel optimistic than it had after game one. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Is Pushing For A Young Tight End Fans Should Watch
Kansas States recruiting board keeps expanding, and one of the more intriguing names to surface is Caden Palmquest, a young tight end from Aledo High School in Texas. Collin Klein has extended a scholarship offer to Palmquest, who is already committed to SMU but is drawing attention from programs that like his upside and long-term potential. He is also hearing from Arkansas, Baylor and Oregon State, a sign that the Wildcats are competing in a crowded race for a prospect who is still early in his high school career.
For Kansas State, the offer fits a broader push across multiple positions and recruiting classes as the staff keeps working to build out its future board. Tight end is always a position worth tracking in this offense, and Palmquest is the kind of name that can linger on the radar for a while as the recruiting process unfolds. The Wildcats have made clear they want to stay involved, and for fans following the next wave of targets, this is one to keep an eye on. [Read more 🡒]