2025 TCU football preview: All-Big 12 safety Bud Clark leads talented room
TCU will have the luxury of having one of the best safeties in the country with the return of All-Big 12 standout Bud Clark.
Clark’s decision to wait on entering the NFL Draft makes the safety position one of the Horned Frogs’ strongest on the team. TCU returns another productive starter at strong safety, but the biggest question mark will be finding a nickel safety to replace Abe Camara.
The safeties will be led by a new position coach as long-time coach Paul Gonzales left for rival Baylor during the off-season. New coach Tre Watson has an impressive pedigree and made a strong impression during spring camp with his energy and coaching style.
Having a safety like Clark should make the transition easy for Watson along with the vast talent in the position room.
The Star-Telegram continues its TCU football preview with a look at the safeties:
Safeties
Starters: Bud Clark, Jamel Johnson, Austin Jordan
Next up: Jordan Lester, Kylin Jackson, Ryan Yaites
Depth: Kaden McFadden, Devyn Hidrogo, Rohon Kazadi, Julius Simms, Joseph Albright, Sebastian Peterson
Breakdown: If Josh Hoover is the face of the TCU offense then Clark is the face of the Horned Frogs’ defense. Clark has been a fan favorite ever since his pick six against Michigan in the 2022 Fiesta Bowl and is coming off the best season of his career. Clark posted a career-high 68 tackles while adding three interceptions and three pass breakups. Clark has 11 career interceptions and is one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the country.
Johnson started alongside Clark at strong safety and the former four-star recruit had a good debut season as a starter. He finished third on the team in tackles with 73 including 44 solo stops. Johnson briefly entered his name into the transfer portal, but opted to return which was a major boost to TCU’s defense. The goal for Johnson will be to continue to improve in coverage and cause more turnovers.
Jordan assumed Camara’s role as nickel during the spring and seemed to fit the position well. Jordan played in all 13 games and picked up a sack during TCU’s New Mexico Bowl win. The former Texas transfer will enter camp as the favorite to start, but he’ll have plenty of competition.
Yaites is one that could be his biggest challenger after he followed Watson from California. He had 16 tackles, a half and a pass defended as a reserve safety for the Golden Bears. Jackson was another transfer portal addition from LSU where he was a backup the last two seasons. Jackson’s physicality really stood out during the spring as he had a number of hit-stick tackles and really excelled against the run and screen game.
Lester is Clark’s understudy and has made strides learning from Clark the last two seasons. Lester gained his first career interception last season and filled in nicely for Clark when the staff rested him during the spring. Lester played in five games last season and should see more playing time this year.
Next up behind those three are true sophomores Hidrogo and McFadden. McFadden appeared in all 13 games last season, using special teams as a way to get on the field. That experience allowed him to play with tons on confidence during the spring. Hidrogo played in eight games last season and could challenge for second team reps.
Kazadi and Simms are two true freshmen with Kazadi being the son of TCU assistant athletic director for human performance Kaz Kazadi. Simms was a three-star signee in the 2025 class and was rated a top-100 safety by 247Sports.
Best case scenario: Clark ends his storied career on a high note with at least three interceptions and All-American honors while Johnson improves on his sophomore season. Jordan or Yaites steps up and fills the void left by Camara. The Horned Frogs once again have one of the best pass defenses and also see improvement in the run defense.
Worst case scenario: Even with Clark and Johnson returning, TCU’s safeties miss Camara’s physicality and the presence of Gonzales leading to a noticeable drop-off in production across the board.
TCU opens fall camp on Friday.
