Sonny Dykes has made a habit of finding real value at tight end, and TCU’s latest group looks ready to keep that trend alive.
That’s been true across the Dykes era in Fort Worth. The names have changed, but the job description hasn’t: catch passes, help in the run game, give the offense another layer.
Jared Wiley was the clearest example. After three seasons at Texas, he arrived at TCU and turned into a big, reliable piece of the Horned Frogs’ run to the national championship game.
Over two seasons in purple, Wiley produced 765 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 10.8 yards per catch, while also being named a team captain for the 2023 season.
TCU kept getting production from the spot even when the rest of the offense changed around it. In 2024, the Frogs leaned heavily on a wide receiver group that included Jack Bech, JP Richardson, Eric McAlister and Savion Williams, so the tight ends were less visible in the passing game.
Still, they mattered. Drake Dabney, the Baylor transfer, finished with 193 receiving yards, while DJ Rogers added 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Both also helped as blockers.
That balance showed up again in 2025, and Rogers became the top guy in the room. He led the tight ends with 319 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also contributing in the run game and on short-yardage snaps. Chase Curtis added 167 receiving yards and two touchdowns, giving TCU another experienced option.
Now the spotlight has shifted to Kari Ashley, and he has made the Frogs pay attention. The junior college transfer has been one of TCU’s most productive targets through five games, catching 25 passes for 374 yards. He ranks second on the team behind Ed Small, leads the team with four receiving touchdowns and is averaging 15.0 yards per reception.
Ashley’s path to Fort Worth included time at Georgia Tech and a stop at Navarro College, and TCU deserves credit for identifying him and bringing him in. He has become a steady part of the passing game while the offense continues to look for consistency.
Ka’Morreun Pimpton has given the room another threat. The LSU transfer has seven catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.9 yards per reception. Between Ashley and Pimpton, TCU’s tight ends have accounted for 485 receiving yards and six of the team’s eight touchdown catches through five games.
That production is about more than the box score. The value of the tight end room also comes from blocking, personnel flexibility and the matchup problems it creates, which is something this group has shown repeatedly.
Mitch Kirsch is a central figure in all of it. TCU’s run game coordinator and tight ends coach was in charge of playcalling during last season’s Alamo Bowl, when the Frogs beat USC 30-27 in overtime with Ken Seals at quarterback. It was his first game calling plays, and TCU found a way to finish.
Kirsch came to TCU in December 2021 as a senior offensive analyst after working with Dykes at SMU. A James Madison graduate and former All-American offensive lineman, he was promoted to coach the tight ends in 2024. His rise inside the program has made him a coach worth watching, and if the offense does not improve under Gordon Sammis, Kirsch is someone Dykes could consider for playcalling duties.
Several recent TCU tight ends have gone on to NFL chances, though that next step comes with no guarantees. Wiley was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but a torn ACL cut short his rookie season. He has two receptions for 11 yards across his first two NFL seasons and is still trying to carve out a bigger role in Kansas City.
Dabney signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2025 before joining Green Bay’s practice squad that November. He appeared in two games and made one start during the 2025 season, then returned to the Packers’ practice squad after being released during this year’s roster cuts.
Rogers signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2026 and is currently on injured reserve after a preseason injury. His NFL path came after waiting for his chance and finishing as TCU’s leading tight end in his final season.
Ashley may be next in line to draw NFL attention. He could become a Day 2 draft prospect, but he still has plenty of football left to strengthen that case.
For now, the bigger story is what the tight ends mean to TCU’s offense right now: a reliable group the Frogs can keep leaning on while they sort out the rest.
In Other News...
Sonny Dykes Just Put TCU's Biggest Baylor Week Concerns In Focus
With Baylor coming up next, Sonny Dykes used his media availability to sketch out where TCU stands after the bye week and what the Horned Frogs still want cleaned up. He was joined by Jamel Johnson and Jeremy Payne, and the conversation touched on the teams progress, the offensive direction the staff wants to keep pushing, and the challenge Baylors offense presents as the rivalry game draws closer.
Dykes also spent time on individual performances and the general confidence level around the program, which has been a useful theme for TCU as it turns the page from the break to game week. What he would not do, at least publicly, was spell out every detail of the staffs self-scouting from the bye or get too specific about the receiver room picture, leaving a couple of the most interesting personnel questions still hanging as the Frogs move into one of their most watched weeks of the season. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Comes Out Of The Bye Facing A Big 12 Gut Check
Baylors visit with TCU arrives with both teams rested and plenty on the line, but the tenor is different on each sideline. The Bears are trying to keep their conference start clean after a strong opening stretch, while the Horned Frogs are looking to steady themselves after a shaky first month and make the most of a bye week that gave them time to reset. It has the feel of a true early Big 12 measuring stick, with one team trying to protect momentum and the other trying to get back on track before the league race starts to tilt.
For TCU, the matchup carries extra weight because the Frogs need a sharper showing against a Baylor team that has looked comfortable in recent weeks. Coaches on both sides have already addressed their teams' performances and the challenge ahead, and the setup suggests a game that will say plenty about where TCU stands after its open week. A win would help change the tone quickly; another stumble would only deepen the questions heading into the heart of conference play. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Has Every Reason To Take This Baylor Rivalry Personally
TCU is getting ready for a rivalry game that has already carried a different kind of edge inside the building. Players have made it clear this one means more than the usual Big 12 week, with the Bluebonnet Battle trophy in play and both teams bringing defenses that can make every snap feel like it matters. For a roster that includes several transfers, the matchup has also become a chance to prove they understand what this game means to the people around the program.
The Horned Frogs know Baylor has had the upper hand recently, and that alone gives this meeting a sharper tone than most. There is a sense of unfinished business in the way TCU is talking about the game, along with a quiet confidence that contributions can come from all over the lineup when the moment arrives. Against a rival like this, even the subplots feel personal, and the Frogs seem intent on treating it that way. [Read more 🡒]