TCU’s march toward the 2026 opener keeps rolling, and with 40 days left before the Horned Frogs face North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29, the spotlight lands on a familiar name: former defensive end James McFarland.
McFarland wore No. 40, and his TCU résumé is packed with the kind of moments that stick. His biggest came in the 2014 Peach Bowl, when he was named Defensive MVP after picking off a Bo Wallace pass in the Ole Miss end zone to help TCU build a 28-0 halftime lead. He also logged two tackles for loss and a sack in the Horned Frogs’ 42-3 win, a game in which the defense controlled everything.
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound West Monroe, Louisiana native finished that 2014 season with 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks and three forced fumbles. That was the breakout year in a five-season run with the program after he joined TCU in 2012.
Across his career, McFarland posted 99 total tackles, 57 solo tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 10 pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a pick-six in 51 games. He missed the 2015 season because of injury, then came back as a redshirt senior in 2016 and started all 13 games.
That final season brought 35 total tackles, a team-leading mark for the defensive line in pass breakups with four, and six quarterback hurries. His tackle total included a season-high six in the Liberty Bowl loss to Georgia.
McFarland arrived at TCU as a three-star recruit and chose the Horned Frogs over Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Arkansas. He played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2012, when TCU finished 7-6 and lost to Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. He appeared in 12 games in 2013, then took off in 2014 as TCU went 12-1 and shared the Big 12 title with Baylor.
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Texas Tech Defense Is Facing A New Big 12 Reality
The Big 12s defensive-line conversation for 2026 has a familiar TCU flavor to it, because the Horned Frogs are again part of the leagues upper tier up front. Texas Tech and BYU may be drawing the loudest praise for the strength and depth of their fronts, but TCU is right there in the mix after bringing back a veteran group that gives the defense a stable foundation heading into next season.
What makes the Frogs interesting is how much continuity they have compared with the rest of the league. The rotation is intact, the experience is there, and the group has enough proven pieces to keep TCU in the conversation with the Big 12s best defensive lines. The only real question now is how high that kind of return can push them once the season starts and the league starts sorting out its pecking order. [Read more 🡒]