TCU’s new quarterback explains why he turned down the NFL to come to Fort Worth
After leading Harvard to its first appearance in the FCS playoffs, quarterback Jaden Craig could’ve made the jump to the NFL.
He owned most of the Crimson’s passing records, had maximized his Ivy League education and was viewed as a top-10 quarterback by ESPN.
But Craig was still hungry to grow as a player, and there was a perfect opportunity waiting for him with TCU. When Craig entered the transfer portal, the Horned Frogs quickly rose to the top of his list, and the senior described it as an easy decision to make the move to Fort Worth.
“There was a lot of scheme fit in terms of how [offensive coordinator Gordon] Sammis runs his offense,” Craig said Tuesday. “It’s a very pro-style offense, and I think that’s what I wanted at this next level. Soon as I got on campus it felt like a family right away, and it was honestly an easy decision.”
The hiring of Sammis in December to replace Kendal Briles and the departure of quarterback Josh Hoover to Indiana all opened the door for Craig to land in Fort Worth.
During his time at UConn, Sammis turned Joe Fagnano into one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation while leading the Huskies to two of their best seasons in program history. TCU head coach Sonny Dykes praised Sammis’ recruiting efforts to land Craig.
“I thought Gordy did a great job of getting him on the phone and recruiting him,” Dykes said in January. “It was a great collective effort. I thought we did a good job of getting him on campus and making him feel comfortable. I think he felt like this was a place where he could come and thrive.”
Craig said one of his highlights of his visit to Fort Worth was sitting down with Sammis and reviewing some film from his days at UConn.
“I got on the board with Sammis while I was here. We went through a lot of film and game flows,” Craig said. “Right away I could see myself in this offense, I felt like there was a good amount of carryover from what we were doing at Harvard. It’s a really similar offense. I knew it was a fit schematically.”
Jaden Craig wants to play ‘best of the best’
Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Craig threw for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season while adding three touchdowns on the ground.
As productive as he was at the FCS level, Craig said he still felt like he had another level he could reach before making the jump to the NFL.
“I really wanted to see myself against the best of the best,” Craig said. “The Ivy League is FCS. It’s good football, but I really wanted to challenge myself this year and really feel like I’m ready before I make that jump. I think I can get more development in college than I can as a rookie backup.”
Craig was the most high-profile transfer in a small class for TCU, but he could end being one of the most impactful in the conference.
“We just needed somebody that had a lot of maturity,” Dykes said. “He’s got good size and strength, and he’s a great leader. He checked all the boxes and checked them quickly.”
Jaden Craig helped recruit Jeremy Scott
Craig showed some early signs of leadership even before he stepped on campus as he played a role in helping the Horned Frogs land South Alabama transfer wide receiver Jeremy Scott.
Scott was already attracted to TCU because of the program’s track record of producing NFL wideouts, but knowing he would be playing with Craig was the final sign of confirmation he needed.
“Many didn’t know this, me and Jaden had been talking in the portal,” Scott said. “We made this TCU thing the move and got it all figured out.”
As for what he’ll bring to the offense, Craig has always valued his mental approach to the game. An economics major at Harvard, Craig is used to quickly gathering and analyzing data like different defensive coverages he’ll see on the field.
“Processing ability is my greatest strength,” Craig said. “It’s one thing I worked on a lot at Harvard with my quarterbacks coach and my offensive coordinator. The ability to eliminate things in my read during presnap and right after the snap happens. Being able to streamline that decision-making process is something I really developed at Harvard, and I plan on using that to my [advantage] when I’m here.”
As the Horned Frogs continue their offseason conditioning, Craig is eager to suit up and continue to grow chemistry with his offensive teammates.
TCU returns Jeremy Payne and Jon Denman at running back, and the offensive line has a chance to be improved with the portal additions of Noah McKinney and Jaheim Buchanon.
At receiver, the Horned Frogs retained Jordan Dwyer, added Scott and are expecting big things from young receivers like Terry Shelton and Ed Small.
Playing with the most talent of his career, Craig has been impressed by what he’s seen so far.
“There’s a lot of size,” Craig said. “The receivers have a ton of range. The tight ends have a ton of range but can also run. The running backs are super talented, but you guys know that; you saw them in the Alamo Bowl. There’s a lot of excitement around the skill guys that we got.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 2:23 PM.
