Why Sonny Dykes is the perfect fit for what TCU is looking for in next coach | Analysis
All signs point to Sonny Dykes becoming TCU’s next football coach.
The SMU coach has been the frontrunner since the job opened on Oct. 31 with TCU parting ways with longtime coach Gary Patterson. Dykes’ candidacy appears to have been verified through TCU’s national search.
Barring something unforeseen at the last minute, sources indicate that Dykes has emerged as TCU’s top target despite No. 5 Cincinnati rolling to a 48-14 victory over Dykes and SMU on Saturday. The feeling is there is strong enough mutual interest that a deal will get done shortly after SMU closes its regular season against Tulsa this Saturday.
Nothing has been finalized at this point, and SMU has offered Dykes a long-term extension. But Dykes has delayed signing it with many believing it was because he would eventually bolt for TCU. And that appears to be the case.
A TCU-Dykes marriage makes sense, too, given what TCU wants in its next coach.
TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati listed off a number of credentials he’d like the next coach to have two days after Patterson’s tenure came to an abrupt end. And Donati’s bullet points read as though he had just reviewed Dykes’ resume.
Donati wanted a sitting head coach with an offensive background who had familiarity with today’s age of college athletics with players being able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) as well as how to navigate the ever-growing NCAA transfer portal.
Dykes meets the head coaching requirement with stints at Louisiana Tech (2010-12), Cal (2013-16) — where he went 2-0 against Texas in nonconference games in 2015 and 2016 — and SMU (2018-21). He spent the 2017 season as an offensive analyst under Patterson at TCU, which is when he developed relationships with a number of TCU officials including Donati.
Dykes, 52, has been lauded for how he’s embraced the new age of college athletics as well. He strengthened his roster at SMU through the transfer portal, notably landing quarterbacks such as Shane Buechele (Texas) and Tanner Mordecai (Oklahoma).
And Dykes checks the box as a coach with a strong offensive background. SMU is ranked 13th in total offense in the country this season, despite its lackluster performance at Cincy on Saturday with only 199 total yards. The Mustangs ranked 12th in total offense in 2020, and ninth in total offense in 2019 under Dykes. At Cal, Dykes developed quarterback Jared Goff, who became the top overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Donati said he’d like a coach with Texas ties, but that wasn’t necessarily a requirement. However, it’s certainly a benefit in evaluating Dykes compared to the other candidates.
As one prominent high school coach in the Fort Worth area told the Star-Telegram recently, “Dykes and his staff are extremely good at communicating with high school coaches” in Texas.
Recruiting Texas is an area where Patterson lost some ground in recent years. He mentioned before the 2019 signing day that TCU had more respect outside of the state than within the state. His recruiting classes of late reflected that.
In the NIL era, though, landing more local players is viewed as a benefit.
As Donati said in listing off his criteria for the next coach, “I wouldn’t say (Texas ties) is absolutely necessary, but the DFW marketplace — it has shown already that it’s a big advantage for us, especially in this NIL space.
“I think that’s something that I really want to hear in our coach’s vision for how we can continue to do a better job. It is still evolving. It is going to be very important that the new head coach has an NIL strategy.”
Those are all reasons that Dykes has emerged as the target for TCU.
It felt like Dykes’ job from the moment TCU and Patterson split, but the school wanted to conduct a thorough search in order to validate it.
The Frogs flirted with a number of coaches throughout the process. They vetted candidates at the NFL level including Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Denver Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins.
At the college level, TCU interviewed coaches such as Deion Sanders, who has impressed since taking over at Jackson State two years ago. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and Louisiana’s Billy Napier were others who drew interest as well as Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.
Some fans may feel that Dykes is the “safe” hire. Some may question whether Dykes is an upgrade over Patterson.
On the latter question, if we’re talking about Patterson from a decade ago, the answer is no. There’s no coach on the open market that would meet that requirement. If we’re talking about Patterson of the last few years, the answer is yes — at least in TCU officials’ minds.
Patterson had lost more games than he’d won since 2018, going 21-22. Dykes, meanwhile, is 30-17 since taking over SMU. Granted, the competition level in the American isn’t as strong as the Big 12 but Dykes has found ways to win games and produce an elite-level offense on the other side of the Metroplex.
TCU is prepared to bank on Dykes making a successful transition into the Big 12.
At the end of the day, TCU has found its No. 1 option in Dykes.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
