TCU football coach search: SMU looks to keep Sonny Dykes; Is UTSA’s Jeff Traylor out?
TCU has a lengthy list of candidates to become its next head football coach after longtime coach Gary Patterson and the school decided to part ways last Sunday.
The initial list included a couple of coaches at schools inside the state with SMU’s Sonny Dykes and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor.
Dykes, who served as an analyst on Patterson’s staff in 2017, remains a strong candidate but SMU is making a push to keep him. Dykes reportedly has been offered an extension in the five- to seven-year range that would almost double his $2 million salary, according to Billy Embody of 247Sports.
The extension also includes more money to pay assistants and plans for a new football operations building. But Dykes hasn’t signed it yet as he’s a potential target for a few Power Five openings including TCU.
Dykes has a relationship with TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati from the 2017 season and was considered an early front-runner for the position. Not much has changed as Dykes remains a strong candidate for the job.
SMU is in the midst of a solid season with a 7-1 record and No. 23 ranking in the latest AP poll. But the Mustangs don’t have the easiest finishing stretch, including a game at No. 2 Cincinnati on Nov. 20.
Traylor, meanwhile, is no longer a candidate for the TCU job, a source confirmed. Traylor had been among the early candidates given what he’s done at UTSA, which is 8-0 and No. 16 in the country.
“We’re focused on other candidates,” the source said when asked about Traylor.
Traylor recently signed a $28 million deal that runs through 2031 with UTSA and includes a $7.5 million buyout if he leaves during the first year of the contract, which starts Jan. 1, 2022. Jeremy Clark of 247Sports first reported that Traylor was out of the mix at TCU.
Along with Dykes, other known coaches that TCU has interest in include Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Denver Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins, Louisiana’s Billy Napier, Nevada’s Jay Norvell, Jackson State’s Deion Sanders and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.
Jerry Kill, meanwhile, is serving as the interim coach for the remainder of the 2021 season. TCU (3-5, 1-4 Big 12) takes on No. 14 Baylor (7-1, 4-1) on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 1:24 PM.
