TCU has built a pretty clear offseason tradition in its receiver room: Malcolm Kelly picks one veteran and pushes him to become the guy.
Quentin Johnston answered the call in 2022 and turned it into a run to the national championship game before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick. Savion Williams took his turn in 2024, helped rescue TCU’s season with his versatility out of the backfield and later went in the third round. Last year, Eric McAlister delivered again, leading the Big 12 in receiving yards and earning first-team All-Big 12 honors.
This time, Kelly’s target is Jordan Dwyer.
“Jordan Dwyer. Jordan Dwyer has been everything we asked him to be and more,” Kelly said Monday. “From blocking on the perimeter to mixing it up, moving him all over the field, putting him on different option plays- he’s winning at all three levels consistently.”
Dwyer arrived as one of the more overlooked portal additions in the league, and he wasted little time proving he belonged. The 6-foot senior had already posted a 1,000-yard season at Idaho, then followed it with 730 yards and seven touchdowns in his first year against Power Four competition.
He showed the kind of physical, dependable game that translates: he can battle through contact, work as a route runner and win when the ball is up for grabs. He also benefited when defenses tilted toward McAlister.
Now the situation flips. Dwyer is the one opposing secondaries are built to stop, and he’s also the veteran voice in a receiver group that is talented but still young. TCU’s room is mostly made up of second- and third-year players who haven’t yet established themselves on the field.
Dwyer says he’s comfortable with that responsibility.
“I’ve had a lot of reps in college. I’ve had a lot of production.
I’ve just been giving those guys whatever they need,” Dwyer said. “Just the little things, you know, how to practice, how to work, but those guys, they’re all amazing.
They’re super talented. It’s just about getting reps and, man, they’re gonna be amazing.”
The supporting cast has plenty of names worth watching. Sophomore Ed Small, redshirt sophomores Jeremy Scott and Dozie Ezukanma, and redshirt freshman Terry Shelton are among the options. Redshirt freshman Dane Jones and sophomore Jacobe Hayes have also flashed during camp.
Still, the room’s ceiling is tied to Dwyer. If TCU is going to get where it wants offensively, he’ll need to play like one of the Big 12’s best.
Kelly likes what he has seen so far.
“He’s been a great teammate, taking care of his body,” Kelly said. “I’m very pleased with him.
He’s really the only one with a lot of production. He’s bringing the young guys along like he should.”
The Horned Frogs are also making sure Dwyer gets used in ways that keep him dangerous. In offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis’ new scheme, he won’t be locked into one spot. TCU plans to move him around - outside, in the slot, in motion - and keep finding ways to put the ball in his hands.
Dwyer is all in on that approach.
“Oh it’s great, I love it,” Dwyer said. “Sammis, he’s got the special sauce.
I love it. It’s been great learning it, and going out there and executing it has been awesome.
This is going to be a fun year.”
TCU doesn’t always get mentioned with the sport’s biggest receiver factories, but the program has still sent Johnston, Williams, Jack Bech and Derius Davis to the NFL since 2022. The message is hard to miss: if you start at receiver for the Horned Frogs, the pro path is right there.
Dwyer knows what comes with that job. For now, though, he’s keeping his eyes on the next rep, not the next level.
“It’s obviously everything you want as a player to be in that role,” Dwyer said. “But it’s really just about taking it day by day and just me getting better every single day in the receiver room. Just stacking reps.
“I don’t want to think about getting this many yards or going here, it’s really about baby steps every single day, fixing this thing and getting better every day, that’s all it is.”
He’s already shown he can put up numbers in the Big 12. If the mindset stays the same, TCU may have its next receiver headed for the NFL.
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