Sonny Dykes isn’t talking about TCU’s next step as if it’s all about one big splash or a single breakthrough season. For the Horned Frogs entering 2026, he keeps coming back to the same three pillars: culture, leadership, and Jaden Craig.
That was the message Tuesday at Big 12 Football Media Days, where Dykes opened by reflecting on a long coaching run that now stretches to year 30. He said the longer he’s been in the game, the more he appreciates the opportunity to be part of it.
“This is year 30 for me as a college football coach,” Dykes said during his opening remarks Tuesday at Big 12 Football Media Days. “The longer you’re involved in the game, the more you realize how fortunate you are to be a part of it.”
Dykes has already changed the trajectory of TCU since arriving in 2021 after four seasons at SMU. The Horned Frogs surged to the College Football Playoff national championship game in 2022, and Dykes was honored as both the AP Coach of the Year and the AFCA Coach of the Year.
Now in Year 16 as a Division I head coach, he said one of the most meaningful parts of the job is watching players develop into more than just football pieces.
“What makes doing what we do so gratifying is when you get to bring six players with varying backgrounds like we brought today, and guys that have been with us really since the beginning,” Dykes said. “It’s fun to watch those guys grow up and become not only great football players but great people, get their education and graduate from TCU. It’s incredibly satisfying.”
That development piece matters even more in the transfer portal era, where roster-building has become a constant evaluation exercise. Dykes laid out how TCU handles it: the staff tracks portal movement, studies film for traits like size, strength, throwing ability, ball security and production in both the passing and running game, then makes phone calls to see whether a prospect fits the program’s culture before bringing him to campus.
Once the staff decides a player matches what TCU wants, the process moves fast.
That’s how Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig ended up in Fort Worth. Craig said he’s a pro-style quarterback who can make plays with both his arm and his legs, a fit for Dykes’ up-tempo, pass-oriented offense.
“The more I’m around him, the more boxes I think he checks in a lot of ways,” Dykes said. “I appreciate his love of the process of playing quarterback because it is a process-driven position.”
Dykes also made it clear that Craig’s first impression went beyond the tape. He said the quarterback earned his teammates’ trust by staying humble and not trying to force his way into the spotlight.
“He has come in and won over the hearts and minds of his teammates,” Dykes said. “He did it by being humble, by working hard, by not overstepping his bounds, by never pounding his chest and saying, ‘Look at me.’ He’s just a joy to be around.”
Craig was one of several TCU players at the event, joined by defensive leaders Jamel Johnson, Ansel Din-Mbuh, and Markis Deal, all expected to have major roles this season.
Johnson said the departure of veteran leaders has pushed him into a louder role in the locker room.
“I got to lead in my own way,” Johnson said. “I got to be more vocal.
I got to tell the young guys. We just have to stick together and execute our assignments.”
He added that communication and accountability will be essential as TCU gets ready for the 2026 season.
Din-Mbuh pointed to another defender who could be ready to break through, naming redshirt junior Max Carroll as a player to watch. Carroll played in every game in 2025 and finished with 34 tackles, including 20 solo stops, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and a forced fumble. His best game came against BYU, when he had six tackles, and he added 1.5 tackles for loss against Arizona State.
Even with the offseason progress Dykes said he liked, he wasn’t pretending the work is done. There’s still a summer to get through, and a fall camp that has to go right.
“I loved what we did offensively,” Dykes said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do this summer.
We’ve still got a lot of things that have to happen. We’ve got to have a great fall camp.”
For Dykes, the bigger picture remains the same: an experienced staff, veteran defensive voices, and a new quarterback settling into the system give TCU a chance to keep building on what’s already been established in Fort Worth.
And if there was any doubt about how he measures success, Dykes left no room for it. The scoreboard matters, but it isn’t the whole story.
“It’s fun to watch those guys grow up,” Dykes said. “That’s what’s incredibly satisfying.”
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