TCU’s 2026 season opener is getting closer by the day, with the Horned Frogs set to face North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29. With 13 days left in the Countdown to Kickoff, the spotlight lands on former TCU linebacker Dee Winters, who wore No. 13 in Fort Worth.
Winters put together a big-time college run for the Horned Frogs before moving on to the NFL. Over four seasons at TCU, he piled up 246 total tackles, including 160 solo stops, along with 33.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2022 and was named Defensive MVP after helping TCU beat Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl.
That game gave Winters one of the defining moments of his college career. He picked off Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy and took it back to the endzone for a touchdown.
Winters appeared in 48 games during his time with the Horned Frogs, then took the next step toward the pros after earning a Senior Bowl invite in 2023. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Since entering the league, Winters has played in 47 NFL games over the last three seasons and recorded 155 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. His best NFL season came in 2025 with San Francisco, when he finished with 101 total tackles, five pass breakups and his first interception. He was traded to the Cowboys over the offseason.
In Other News...
TCUs Season Rests On A Quarterback Gamble Fans Cant Ignore
TCU is banking on a fresh face under center this fall, and Jaden Craig arrives with a rsum that makes him one of the more intriguing names in the Big 12. The Harvard graduate transferred in from the Ivy League and has already started drawing attention around campus, not just because of his background, but because of the visibility that has followed him since landing in Fort Worth through NIL opportunities.
Craig has not yet taken a meaningful snap for the Horned Frogs, which only adds to the curiosity around how his game will translate at this level. There is a bigger idea wrapped up in his move, too, since he is hoping to show that an Ivy League quarterback can stand up to Power-Four defenses, and TCU is willing to find out quickly as it puts its faith in a player with plenty to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Hinted Where TCU Camp Battles Stand Right Now
A closed scrimmage has a way of sharpening the picture in fall camp, and Sonny Dykes offered a few useful clues afterward about where TCU stands as the Horned Frogs keep sorting out roles and building toward the opener. The head coach touched on the depth chart, the progress the team has made in camp and the way several players have taken steps forward, with the rushing attack drawing particular mention as an area that has looked better.
Dykes also pointed to the development of players such as Jaden Craig and Michael Short, a sign that the competition is not only about settling starters but also about finding dependable pieces for the long haul. For TCU, the bigger challenge now is carrying that improvement into the season and sustaining it once the focus shifts from camp battles to weekly preparation for upcoming opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Has TCU Fans Dreaming Bigger Than Usual This Season
Fall camp has a way of feeding optimism, and this TCU preseason has given Horned Frogs fans plenty to chew on. Under Sonny Dykes, the conversation has moved beyond simple improvement and into the kind of wishcasting that usually comes with a team that thinks it has enough talent to make real noise, with fans and observers eyeing possible 1,000-yard seasons on both sides of the ball and a defense that could be more disruptive than it has been in recent memory.
The intrigue is not just about individual production, either. There is a growing sense around the program that the schedule could open the door to a fast start before the grind of conference play puts the season under a harsher spotlight, and that is why the buzz around the secondary matters so much. If the transfers in the back end settle in quickly, TCU may have the sort of top-end playmakers that can turn preseason hope into something far more believable once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]