Well, don’t just count TCU out; they might just surprise you. After all, Sonny Dykes isn’t merely entering the spotlight—he’s storming it. With fiery quarterback Josh Hoover, they’re all ready for a playoff run. Under Dykes, the program is buzzing; fresh off a 9-4 season and a New Mexico Bowl victory, the team’s caliber looks sky high. Despite their progress, their low win projection reveals lingering doubt. But Dykes is not sweating it. Instead, he’s taking the disrespect and turning it into rocket fuel for their success.
Despite a massive turnaround last season, FanDuel has still placed them low with a win total of 6.5, and that’s just pointing at their caliber. Sure, TCU’s 2024 season began poorly, a shaky 3-3 start highlighting a sluggish defense. Their subsequent 8-11 record over 19 games fueled a negative narrative. However, a remarkable turnaround saw them win six of seven to close the year. Andy Avalos’ defense, initially surrendering 37 points per game in their first five FBS contests, drastically improved, conceding only 19 points per game down the stretch.
Yet somehow, that turnaround flew under the radar. And Sonny Dykes seems to notice the kind of ignorance his program faces despite putting up impressive numbers and highlights the reason behind it. “I think that’s kind of part of, you know, the way it is being at TCU. You know what I’m saying? I just think, you know, we don’t have a million alumni, and so, you know, we’re not going to sell a million magazines, and that’s just—we just don’t—that’s just not what we have. And so, I think because of that, people are always going to undervalue us just a little bit,” Dykes said on Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
Despite all the buzz downplaying their strengths, Sonny Dykes’ team is leading the charge in 2025. His massive weapon? Josh Hoover, who turned heads last season, racked up 3,949 yards with 27 touchdowns and a completion rate of 67% of his passes. Sure, he faltered midseason, throwing eight of his ten interceptions in just five games, but he finished strong, playing composed football.
That consistency is what is keeping them in the league, and Sonny Dykes didn’t hold back before pointing it out: “I think we would put our consistency as a program up against anybody’s since, you know, over the last 25 years. And so, you know, we’re the winningest team in the Big 12, us and Kansas State, over the last three seasons. You know, we’ve had success. I think we’re going to continue to have success, and I don’t really care that much about what people say externally.”
The best part is that the key pieces around Josh Hoover are improving. TCU’s offense needed a rebuild after losing four of its top five receivers and its leading rusher. Explosive threat Eric McAlister (19.5 yards per catch) returns, joined by veteran receivers Joseph Manjack IV (from Houston) and Jordan Dwyer (1,192 yards at Idaho). But the real X factor might be young talent: Sophomores Jordyn Bailey and Braylon James, and redshirt freshman Dozie Ezukanma could significantly boost the passing game.
Even defensively, Andy Avalos’s squad inherits an experienced core: eleven players returning with at least 200 snaps last season. However, key players like NaNa Osafo-Mensah, Johnny Hodges, Abe Camara, and LaMareon James need to be replaced. Linebacker Namdi Obiazor and sack leader Devean Deal solidify the front seven, while senior safety Bud Clark anchors a strong secondary. This explains Sonny Dykes’ confidence.
But that’s not the only thing that is keeping them in the spotlight.
Connor Stalions fires back at Sonny Dykes
The entire sign-stealing drama took a different turn. And it looks like Connor Stalions is not staying quiet any longer, as he fired back at Sonny Dykes’ claim at Big 12 Media Days that TCU used “dummy signals” to outsmart Michigan in their 2022 CFP semifinal matchup. Stalions fired back on social media. As first reported by Yahoo Sports back in 2023, Dykes admitted that his team used fake signals on purpose. Why? Because they thought Michigan might try to steal them. But Stalions’ lengthy X post dismissed the notion of Michigan’s sign-stealing impacting games, stating, “The continuous attempt to correlate signals to any wins and losses at Michigan is funny.”
But he didn’t just stop there. Connor Stalions went on to detail several games where he allegedly knew opposing signals, saying, “There were 7 games in my time at Michigan where I knew almost every signal the whole game: 2021 MSU, 2022 MSU, 2022 PSU, 2022 OSU, 2022 TCU, 2021 Georgia, and 2021 Wisconsin. We lost 3 of those games because we didn’t tackle well, and Georgia was historically good. We won the four other games because we dominated the line of scrimmage & tackled well.” Stalions ultimately emphasized strong execution as the key factor in game outcomes.
He stressed the basics of football rather than declaring the result as an outcome of sign stealing. “Blocking, ball security, tackling, run fits & coverage tools. That’s football. This is not rocket science.” With that, Stalions shifted the focus from sideline secrets to player performance with his bold remarks. Back in 2022, Connor Stalions couldn’t do much against TCU, as two defensive touchdowns hampered their performance and left them with limited options.
On top of that, Stalions also cited Michigan’s 2021 CFP loss to Georgia, highlighting their inability to compete physically against the Bulldogs, and in the end, they lost against them with a 34-11 record. While Harbaugh denies involvement in any sign-stealing, and Sherrone Moore awaits NCAA decisions, Stalions is ready to defend his side until the final whistle.
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