How TCU’s Mitch Kirsch is approaching the opportunity to call plays vs. USC
TCU tight ends coach Mitch Kirsch didn’t think coaching college football was his calling after a brief stint with the Chicago Bears in 2017.
Fast-forward eight years later and Kirsch finds himself with an opportunity to call plays for TCU in the Alamo Bowl against USC at 8 p.m. Tuesday in San Antonio.
It’s been quite the journey for Kirsch, a former FCS All-American at James Madison who was trying to find his way after the opportunity with the Bears came to an end.
“I got cut from the Chicago Bears. I was coaching at my high school and trying to get back to the NFL,” Kirsch said. “My O-line coach that I played for got the job at SMU. He gave me a call and said had I thought of coaching. My initial answer was ‘No, not really.’ I gave it a few days, called him back and said I’m in.
“I packed two duffle bags full of fishing rods and drove down to Dallas. I walked into Sonny [Dykes]’ office and said, ‘Hey, I’m ready to work.’”
It was Kirsch’s first time meeting Dykes, who was still head coach at SMU, but it was the start of what would be a coaching relationship that is approaching a decade.
Kirsch served as an offensive graduate assistant with Dykes with the Mustangs and then followed him to Fort Worth to become a senior analyst. After Doug Meacham departed to become the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State last December, Kirsch was elevated to tight ends coach.
Now he’ll have an opportunity to lead the Horned Frogs’ offense against a top-20 opponent. It’s not something Kirsch is taking for granted.
“It’s been really cool,” Kirsch said. “Coach Dykes gave me this opportunity, and I’ve been with him for eight years. Most importantly, we’ve got a great staff that’s put together a really good game plan ... to just go execute at a high level, and that’s what we were looking at going into this. How can we get our guys to play fast, play efficiently and execute at a high level?”
The departure of former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to South Carolina earlier this month opened the door for Kirsch to have this moment, and while Briles’ departure happened quickly, Kirsch has been preparing for this chance since he joined Dykes’ staff.
Kirsch said the quality of offensive coordinators Dykes has had helped Kirsch develop his own scheme he’s been waiting to unleash.
“It’s funny everybody thinks in this profession you have to move around as much as possible to learn new stuff,” Kirsch said. “But I’ve been lucky to be around Sonny for eight years and have four really good coordinators come in and be able to learn from them. It started off with Rhett Lashlee. Rhett was a power run guy and our second year changed to more four verts and change [routes] stuff.
“Then I got with Garrett Riley who was true Air Raid and Kendal, being able to pick and pluck things from each of their offenses [was huge]. A lot of people don’t know this, but I’ve got my offensive playbook off to the side for when I get my chance.”
Kirsch said the playbook includes concepts that Dykes was using five years ago and some concepts that were used five games ago. Kirsch also said that Briles and TCU’s new offensive coordinator, Gordon Sammis, provided some tips to prepare for Tuesday’s game.
The biggest goal for Kirsch and the rest of the offensive staff was to build a game plan around Ken Seals, who will start at quarterback in place of Josh Hoover, who said on Dec. 18 that he intends to enter the transfer portal. Seals played at Weatherford High School before starting his college career at Vanderbilt.
Kirsch said he doesn’t see a huge difference in their skill sets.
“Ken and Josh have a lot of similarities in arm talent,” Kirsch said. “Ken is a little bit more of a runner at times. Everything that Josh could do, Ken can do. Let’s not forget, Ken started 20-plus games in the SEC. So we felt as a staff for the longest time, we’ve had the best backup quarterback in the country, and now he’s got a chance to ride off into the sunset for TCU, a team that he grew up watching.”
As much as Kirsch is excited about the opportunity for Seals, the Horned Frogs are also excited that Kirsch will have his moment to lead the offense.
“Man, Mitch has been a great role model to me,” tight end Chase Curtis said. “He’s like an older brother to me because I’m closer to him in age than most of the other tight ends in the room. But he’s made football really fun for me again. I’ve grown so much with him as a coach, and it means the world to me he’s got this opportunity. I know he’s going to do a good job.”
All-American wide receiver Eric McAlister, who will likely play a big role in Kirsch’s game plan, also said he was excited to see Kirsch get play-calling duties.
“Mitch is a cool guy, he’s always fun to be around,” McAlister said. “He’s one of those guys you want to go into a fire with, no matter if it’s dumb or smart decision. If Mitch says let’s go, he’s going to be one of those guys we follow behind.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 6:10 PM.
