TCU’s 2026 Countdown to Kickoff has reached 12 days, and the Horned Frogs are using the number to spotlight one of their best recent defensive backs: Jeff Gladney.
Gladney’s TCU career stretched across five seasons and 49 games, and he piled up 146 total tackles, 43 pass breakups, five interceptions and six tackles for loss. He became a starter in his redshirt freshman season in 2016 and went on to establish himself as one of the Big 12’s top corners over his final two years in Fort Worth.
His awards stack up with that reputation. Gladney earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2017, followed by All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2018 and All-Big 12 First Team recognition in 2019. He was also named a Second-Team All-American in 2019.
After earning invitations to the NFL Combine and Senior Bowl in 2020, Gladney was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the 31st overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. As a rookie, he started 15 games and recorded 81 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, three pass breakups and an interception.
His NFL career was cut short after he was indicted on a domestic violence charge in 2021 and later released by the Vikings. He was found not guilty in 2022.
Gladney then signed with the Arizona Cardinals, but two months later he and his girlfriend, Mercedes Palacios, were killed in a car accident in Dallas. Gladney was 25 and Palacios was 26.
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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 🡒]