TCU’s football coaching search enters the ‘final stages’ as a favorite has emerged
TCU is closing in on its next football coach.
“We’re working toward the final stages in the process,” TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati said on Saturday before TCU faced Kansas.
No formal offers have been made yet, Donati said.
But, barring a last-minute change of heart, signs point toward an offer going to SMU coach Sonny Dykes at some point in the near future. Speculation that a deal is done between Dykes and TCU is unsubstantiated, but Dykes has emerged as the frontrunner for the job.
Dykes and SMU had a forgettable day in a 48-14 loss at No. 5 Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, but that isn’t expected to have much of an impact on TCU’s desire for him to take over the program.
Dykes, 52, has been the favorite since TCU parted ways with longtime coach Gary Patterson on Oct. 31. A national search has seemingly verified Dykes’ candidacy.
Along with Dykes, other coaches who landed on TCU’s radar included Louisiana’s Billy Napier, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Jackson State’s Deion Sanders and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. TCU also explored coaches at the NFL level, including Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Denver Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins.
In the end, though, Dykes meets every requirement TCU has on its wish list.
TCU wants a sitting head coach with an background on offense who is familiar with today’s era 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 checks all of those boxes. His Mustangs have ranked among the top offenses in the country the past three seasons and he’s strengthened his roster through the transfer portal by landing players such as QBs Shane Buechele (Texas) and Tanner Mordecai (Oklahoma).
It also helps that Dykes has familiarity with a number of TCU officials after spending the 2017 season with the program as an offensive analyst under Patterson.
Again, nothing is official yet but the direction of TCU’s search has become clearer in recent days.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
