Head coach Sonny Dykes and TCU football are turning the page after quarterback Josh Hoover announced his intention to enter the transfer portal Thursday night.

While it’s always tough to see a player as productive as Hoover leave a program, Dykes offered his full support to his former quarterback as he pursues other options.

“Josh called me and notified me that he had decided to enter the transfer portal and was not going to play in the bowl game,” Dykes said Friday. “We had a friendly conversation, and I told him I supported his decision. I was disappointed and certainly wished it would have gone differently, but that’s kind of the new world of college football.

“He felt like that was the best situation for him, and so that was the decision that was made. We moved forward quickly. I talked to several players last night and had a great team meeting this morning.”

Dykes also confirmed that senior quarterback Ken Seals would get the start in the Alamo Bowl against USC on Dec. 30 in San Antonio. Seals has attempted just six passes this season, but has plenty of experience as a starter from his time at Vanderbilt.

“Ken started 22 games in the SEC,” Dykes said. “He’s been a great teammate, a great practice player. Now he’s going to get a chance to go perform on the big stage. He’s excited about it, our team believes in him, and we’ve moving on quickly.”

It’s a huge opportunity for Seals to end his career on a high note. The senior from Azle transferred to TCU in 2024 hoping to compete for the starting job with Hoover after his time at Vanderbilt.

Hoover started each game of the past two seasons, and Seals didn’t know if he would ever start a game for the Horned Frogs. He said he still felt at peace with his decision to come back closer to home to be near his family.

Now he’ll have his chance to start for his hometown team against No. 16 USC in San Antonio.

“It’s something that I didn’t think was going to happen, to be completely honest,” Seals said Friday. “To be able to start a game for TCU, but now the opportunity’s here. I’m excited to go run with it and get back in the saddle and go ball out one last time.”

Seals said his first phone call was to his parents, and then he received a bunch of text messages from teammates as they rallied around him.

The biggest endorsement came from All-American wide receiver Eric McAlister. When the Hoover news was announced, many wondered if he would still play in the Alamo Bowl, but opting out wasn’t something that McAlister considered.

He made sure to let the team know during a meeting Friday.

“Everyone was asking, ‘Are you gonna play?’ I knew at that point there were some people not trusting in Ken. Everybody’s worried if I was gonna play,” McAlister said. “I stepped up in the team meeting and said I’m playing, you guys should trust in Ken. He’s been here, he has 22 starts in the SEC. He’s seen it all, so let’s get behind him.”

McAlister’s endorsement and decision to play provided a huge boost to the roster, and TCU’s practice Friday seemed energetic despite the news of Hoover’s departure.

Seals said he will embrace this moment he always envisioned when he first started playing football. It’s just one start, but for Seals it means everything after he opted not to transfer last offseason despite knowing he wasn’t going to start.

“Even though I wasn’t the guy here, I liked the people here. I liked my coaches,” Seals said. “I liked my teammates. I knew what I was going to expect from them every single day. They knew what they were going to get from me.

“If I had an opportunity to go out there and play for the Frogs, even if it was a slim chance, that was a chance I was willing to take. It turns out it was one game, and it’s gonna be my last one, but I wouldn’t trade that for anything to be completely honest.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM.

Steven Johnson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram