TCU has interest in Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, source confirms
Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as a candidate of interest for TCU in its head coaching vacancy, a source confirmed Wednesday.
Horned Frog Blitz publisher Jeremy Clark first reported of TCU’s interest in Moore, and a source confirmed that “there is some interest.”
“There is interest in quite a few candidates,” the source added. “Long way to go.”
Moore is an intriguing name to add to a growing list. The Cowboys feel Moore is a coaching superstar and a potential coach who could lead the organization in the future.
But TCU has shown a willingness to spend money on its coaches. Former coach Gary Patterson ranked among the 10 highest-paid college coaches in the country with an annual salary of approximately $6 million. That is more than the Cowboys are paying head coach Mike McCarthy, who is reportedly making $4 million a year, according to NBC Chicago.
So Moore could be intrigued from a financial standpoint. The Cowboys aren’t strangers to seeing assistants depart, either.
As Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said during a recent radio interview on 96.7 FM The Ticket, “You always want to keep guys that are helping you have success, but at the same time we know that’s part of this business.
“Coach [Bill] Parcells was here. We had Mike Zimmer and Sean Payton and certainly those guys got their opportunities to go on and be successful coaches, but the good news with that is it usually means you’re having success on the field. So, certainly, it happened back when we had our Super Bowl run when we had guys like Butch Davis, Dave [Wannstedt] getting opportunities. Norv Turner getting opportunities. That comes with success.”
Moore drew heavy interest from his alma mater Boise State last offseason before withdrawing his name from consideration for that opening. Most feel Moore is a year or two away from landing a head coaching job in the NFL.
Moore, 33, played his final three NFL seasons with the Cowboys from 2015-17 and then stepped into the quarterbacks coach job in 2018. He has served as the team’s offensive coordinator since 2019.
The Cowboys have the top-ranked offense in the NFL this season, averaging 454.9 yards per game. They had a middle-of-the-road offense last season with quarterback Dak Prescott sidelined with an injury, but were the top-ranked offense in 2019 in Moore’s first season as the OC.
Moore would be considered a home-run hire for TCU even though he doesn’t have the desired head coaching experience that athletic director Jeremiah Donati mentioned during his news conference on Tuesday. But Moore is a rising star in the coaching profession and should be able to have a relatively seamless transition to the college game.
Moore owns the NCAA record with 50 wins as a starting quarterback at Boise State from 2008-11. He holds program records for career touchdown passes (142), passing yards (14,667), completions (1,157) and attempts (1,658).
Other candidates who are known to be on TCU’s list include SMU’s Sonny Dykes, UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, Louisiana’s Billy Napier and Jackson State’s Deion Sanders. Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Denver Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins are also among those in early consideration.
Donati said he would like to have the process complete and a new coach in place by early December with the early signing period starting Dec. 15.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 8:46 PM.
