TCU’s countdown to the 2026 season opener keeps ticking, and with 11 days left, the spotlight lands on a familiar number: No. 11, worn by former Horned Frog Derius Davis.
The Horned Frogs are set to open the 2026 season against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29, and Davis fits neatly into the countdown as one of the most electric players to come through Fort Worth. Over five seasons at TCU, he piled up 1,513 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, while also adding 183 rushing yards and two scores.
His impact went well beyond offense, though. Davis delivered six return touchdowns in college - five on punts and one on a kickoff - and became a major weapon any time the ball was in his hands.
At 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, Davis made his name as a speed threat and a return specialist, earning Fourth-Team All-American honors and Honorable Mention Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year recognition in 2020. His biggest college season came in 2022, when he was named First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 as a returner.
Davis closed out his college career with personal bests in catches (42), receiving yards (531) and receiving touchdowns (5) during his fifth and final season. That production helped push him into the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Los Angeles Chargers took him in the fourth round.
He’s now played 43 games in the NFL and made four starts, recording 30 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 145 yards on 28 carries. As a return man, Davis was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and earned Second-Team All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2023.
In Other News...
TCUs Ireland Opener Just Got More Interesting After UNCs QB Decision
TCUs trip to Ireland was already going to carry plenty of intrigue, and now the opener against North Carolina has a clearer quarterback picture on the other sideline. The Tar Heels have settled on Billy Edwards Jr. to lead the offense in the 2026 season opener, giving the Frogs a little more to study before the teams meet Aug. 29 in a noon ET game on ESPN.
Edwards arrived in Chapel Hill after transferring from Wisconsin following the 2025 season, and his selection gives UNC an early answer at one of the most watched positions in college football. For TCU, it adds another layer to a season-opening stage that was never going to feel ordinary, with an overseas setting, a national audience and an opponent now carrying at least one major piece of certainty into kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Sounds Off On What TCU Is Up Against Now
College sports is headed into another round of uncertainty, and Sonny Dykes is not pretending the next fix will be simple. The TCU coach recently voiced skepticism about whether the Protect College Sports Act can really save the system, even as the proposal picks up public backing from power leagues like the Big Ten and SEC. The bill would bring federal rules to transfers, conference realignment and a salary cap for student-athletes, all of which would reshape a landscape that already feels unstable.
For schools like TCU, the stakes are obvious. Any major overhaul would not just affect roster movement and recruiting, but could also widen the gap between the biggest conferences and everyone else if the details are not aligned in their favor. Dykes' comments reflect a concern shared by plenty of athletic departments outside the top tier, where the hope for order comes with a lingering fear that the next national solution could end up making things harder, not easier. [Read more 🡒]
Sonny Dykes Is Betting TCUs Season On A Dramatic Reset
TCUs offseason has been defined by a clear desire to look different on offense, and that starts with Sonny Dykes turning over the playbook for a more pro-style approach with NFL influences. The Horned Frogs are preparing for their season opener against North Carolina in Dublin, and the changes are bigger than simple personnel tweaks. The staff has been sorting out a new identity, one built to fit the roster Dykes believes can handle a more structured attack after years of a different kind of pace and spacing.
At the center of the reset is the quarterback picture, which has changed along with the scheme. Jaden Craig, the Harvard transfer, is in line to take over after Josh Hoover moved on to Indiana, giving TCU a fresh face to guide the offense into the opener. With the new system still coming together and the first test arriving overseas, the Horned Frogs are asking a lot of a group that has to adapt quickly if this overhaul is going to work. [Read more 🡒]