TCU’s offense has long been Sonny Dykes’ safety net, the part of the program fans could count on even when the defense was sorting itself out. But this season brings a different kind of test. The Frogs are asking a lot of new faces, and the biggest question isn’t whether the offense changes - it’s whether the change helps.
New offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis and Dykes have both talked about building around the run game. That means a noticeable shift away from the Air Raid identity Dykes was once known for.
On paper, the idea makes sense: slow things down, protect the football, help the defense, and lean into a more physical style. It could be exactly what TCU needs.
It could also be the kind of move that makes people wonder whether the old formula was working just fine.
The quarterback spot is part of that recalibration. Jaden Craig is the new name under center, and he has already turned heads in the first few days of fall ball.
Even so, expectations for 2026 will look different than they did for recent TCU passers. Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover threw for 3,472 yards in 2025 and 3,949 yards in 2024.
Craig, meanwhile, has thrown for 2,869 yards in 2025 and 2,430 yards in 2024. If he is going to approach Hoover’s numbers, it will take a huge leap and a whole lot of help from the pieces around him.
That help may come from Jeremy Payne, the running back who flashed again in the Valero Alamo Bowl. He’s the lone major returning back after Trent Battle and Kevorian Barnes graduated, and that puts a heavy burden on him right away.
Payne rushed for 623 yards on 110 carries in 2025, a season that fell short of preseason expectations. But the reality is that the carries simply weren’t there in an offense that leaned on the pass.
If TCU is going to get where it wants to go this season, Payne will be right in the middle of it.
The receiving group should give Craig some stability as he settles in. Jordan Dwyer, Ed Small, and Terry Shelton are back, and that trio gives Sammis a set of proven targets to work with.
Dwyer posted 730 yards on 54 catches last season, while Small and Shelton did not make a major impact in 2025. Even so, this group could end up being one of the more balanced units TCU has had in years, even if the raw numbers don’t jump off the page.
That’s the tradeoff with this offense. The stats may not look as flashy, but the whole unit could be more complete than anything TCU has put together in a while. Dwyer gives Craig a dependable top option, while Small and Shelton could emerge as underrated pieces by mid-October.
In the end, the offense will go as far as Dykes takes it. He has built a reputation as a reliable offensive coach since arriving at TCU, and even if there are growing pains, the expectation is still for production. Four Saturdays from now, fans will start finding out whether the new plan - and the people running it - are enough.
The players are back in pads, practice is underway, and kickoff is now just a month away.