TCU’s fall camp is going to answer a lot of questions, but the biggest theme might be this: the Horned Frogs aren’t hunting for bodies so much as sorting through quality options.
That’s a good problem to have, and it matters even more with 2026 shaping up as a pivotal season for a program trying to punch back through and get to Arlington for a conference championship. TCU has a new quarterback, a new offensive coordinator and fresh voices helping steer the defense, so these next few weeks are about more than just getting ready. They’re about figuring out who the Frogs really are before they head to Ireland for a Week 0 meeting with the North Carolina Tar Heels.
The clearest battles appear to be along the offensive line. At left tackle, the competition looks like Ryan Hughes versus Witten Van Hoy.
Hughes was the starter last season before a lower-body injury sidelined him, while Van Hoy turned in a strong spring in his place. From the outside, there doesn’t seem to be much separating them, and either one looks capable of handling the job.
Center is another spot worth watching. Jaheim Buchanon, a transfer, is pushing returning lineman Cooper Powers.
Both had strong springs, and both look like viable answers. With TCU’s tendency to rotate its offensive line to keep legs fresh, it would not be a surprise to see both players involved once the season gets rolling.
There are a few other spots that could still shift before the opener. At linebacker, the question is who lines up next to Max Carroll, with Michael Short, Michael Teason and Hudson Hooper all in the mix. In the safety room, Jacob Fields is another name to keep an eye on after a solid spring.
What stands out is that these battles exist because TCU has depth, not because it is scrambling to find competent starters. That changes the feel of camp. The Frogs have names they trust; now they just have to decide how those pieces fit best.
Offensively, the spring only offered a partial look. Jeremy Payne was limited, Jon Denman did not participate, and quarterback Jaden Craig was still building chemistry with the roster while adjusting to the speed of Power Four football. This camp should give a much clearer picture.
Expect the offense to lean into more double-tight end looks, more pulling guards, more physical play and a stronger commitment to the run game. That lines up with what the coaching staff and players have been saying, and it fits the personnel too. TCU has a deep tight end group, a two-headed backfield and a receiver room that has talent but still needs to prove itself.
Craig sits at the center of all of it. He started to really find his footing as spring went on, and now he has a summer of work behind him along with more time spent building timing with his receivers.
His willingness to use his legs, compared with his last stop, is another part of the equation. If that development keeps moving forward, the offense has a chance to become what people are expecting.
And if the run game becomes what the staff says it wants it to be, Craig’s job gets simpler. He is one of the least turnover-prone quarterbacks in the country, and letting him operate with some freedom could force defenses to deal with pressure on both fronts.
Defensively, the challenge is replacing the leadership of Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Bud Clark. That was always going to be a tough ask, but spring suggested Jamel Johnson and Max Carroll are ready to help fill that void.
They won’t be carrying that burden alone. TCU brings back its entire defensive line, including locker-room leaders Ansel Din-Mbuh and Markis Deal.
Together with Johnson and Carroll, they should form the core of the defense’s voice. The bigger question is who else joins them.
Vernon Glover has already shown he can lead in the cornerback room, and Michael Short, the Virginia Tech transfer, had a solid spring and was not shy about making himself heard on the field. This is an experienced group, so the voices are there. Camp will help reveal which ones truly take charge.
By the time TCU gets on the plane for Ireland, most of these questions should be closer to answers. Fall camp won’t finish the job, but it should lay the groundwork for a team hoping to be back in Arlington in December.
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Sabans point was a familiar one for anyone who has spent years around championship football, and it lands especially well now with Georgia and Texas among the teams being mentioned as national title favorites. A single trophy can change the mood around a conference, but it does not settle every argument, and that leaves the larger question very much alive as the sport heads toward another season of measuring leagues against one another. [Read more 🡒]