Who will call plays for TCU in the Alamo Bowl with offensive coordinator gone?
With Kendal Briles headed to South Carolina, TCU football will need to find a new offensive coordinator and a new play-caller for the Alamo Bowl against USC on Dec. 30.
Head coach Sonny Dykes said Tuesday that the Horned Frogs hadn’t decided who would call plays yet.
“We’re trying to figure that out,” Dykes said. “The world of college football is always working on contingency plans. And so I think there’s always a Plan A, a Plan B, Plan C, etc., all the way down the road. I don’t know what we’re going to do quite yet. As that plays out we’ll have an answer for you.”
Two possible choices could be offensive line coach A.J. Ricker and wide receivers coach Malcolm Kelly. Ricker is also the co-offensive coordinator and has held the title since 2021, when Dykes brought him over from SMU.
Kelly is arguably the top position coach in the program from a recruiting and developmental standpoint. He’s also the longest-tenured assistant coach, having been with the program since 2019, and Kelly also holds the title of assistant head coach.
Dykes also didn’t rule out the possibility he could call plays against the Trojans.
“We’ll see. There’s a chance,” Dykes said. “There’s not a reluctance, you just want to do what’s best for your team. In our world you’re either all in or you’re not. ... Retaining players has become critically important to the program. It’s difficult for me to walk into a film room and sit there for 12 to 16 hours a day, which is really what it takes to call plays.”
Dykes said TCU will have time to make the decision, as the first few practices will be more focused on fundamentals than game-planning for USC.
“We’ll practice on Thursday and Friday, then we’ll practice on Monday and Tuesday the following week,” Dykes said. “Those practices will be heavy fundamentals, heavy competition, almost like spring practices. It’s a great time for everyone in our program to develop, but especially our younger players.
“The focus will be getting everybody better, and then as we kind of transition after that fourth practice, it’ll be a little bit more USC-specific.”
TCU offensive coordinator candidates
As for who could replace Briles, Dykes says he’s keeping an open mind.
“Yeah, you always have some names,” Dykes said. “You always pay attention to trends that are happening in college football. You always have people that you know, and then you always have people that you don’t know, that you have watched and admired and they’ve caught your eye. So it’s always balancing those things and trying to find the right people if it happens.”
Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen remain two names to watch, and Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital is another name to know, sources indicated to the Star-Telegram.
Spavital previously served as Dykes’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at California.
Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege is another name that could get into the mix.
