After waiting his turn, this TCU linebacker is ready for his breakout moment
After patiently waiting for his turn, it’s now officially Max Carroll’s time to shine with TCU football.
The redshirt junior linebacker has spent the past few seasons behind high-level linebackers like Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Namdi Obiazor and Johnny Hodges.
With Elarms-Orr and Obiazor preparing for the NFL draft, TCU needs one of its linebackers to take a major leap this season, and Carroll has all the makings of being the next potential draft prospect at that position. After spending last year as a key reserve, Carroll is excited for his opportunity to lead the Horned Frogs’ linebackers.
“It’s overly exciting. I’m just ready to showcase what I can do,” Carroll said Tuesday on the first day of spring camp. “I built those habits the last couple years in practice watching the guys ahead of me, and now I’m just ready to go out there and prove I belong here, and I belong at the next level.”
Confidence of the coaching staff
They say actions speak louder than words, and head coach Sonny Dykes’ approach to the transfer portal spoke loudly about the confidence of the program in Carroll’s development.
Elarms-Orr was an All-Big 12 linebacker who produced 130 tackles and four sacks last season. Obiazor had a career-high 88 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble last year as he formed one of the nation’s best linebackers duo with Elarms-Orr.
Both players are expected to hear their names called in the draft in April. For most programs, losing that type of production would signal the need to go big-game hunting in the portal, but TCU signed only one true linebacker with the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Michael Short.
It was a telling decision that the staff is putting so much faith in Carroll taking the next step.
“I think Max has been one of those guys that’s been in our program for a long time, and he’s gotten better every year,” Dykes said Tuesday. “I think maturity-wise he’s grown. That to me was the biggest question he needed to answer, would he have the maturity to evolve into that role? I think he’s shown it so far, it’s early, but he’s a different guy. I think he came back this semester and really set his mind on replacing those guys that were here before.”
The decision to bring in just one linebacker wasn’t lost on Carroll, and it only helped increase his inner confidence, knowing that the staff thought it had the ideal replacement for Elarms-Orr in house.
Carroll already had a desire to be great, but the belief of the staff only gave him more motivation to prove them right for having that level of belief in him.
“It means a lot, they put a lot of trust in me,” Carroll said. “I was playing well last year, and now they moved me to (middle linebacker), so I had met with Coach (Ken) Wilson and I just really appreciate Coach for trusting in me and believing me. I just gotta prove to myself and prove them right.”
For those who have watched Carroll perform in practice, it’s no surprise that the program has that much confidence in him. His talent routinely flashed during team periods and on the field when he received his biggest role last season.
Carroll had 34 tackles and a forced fumble as the first linebacker off the bench last season. Wilson said last season that he expected Carroll to have a big role in 2026 and even compared his situation to Elarms-Orr’s in 2024 when he played behind Hodges and Obiazor.
“Max has really progressed from when he had to play in the second half against Kansas,” Wilson said back in November. “He’s kind of in the situation where Kaleb was last year, at a lot of places he would be playing a lot more than he is right now. … I’m excited about him and his development here.”
Why Max Carroll could have a breakout year
Carroll has all the physical traits you’re looking for in a linebacker. Listed at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Carroll is one of the most physically imposing players on the roster
He also has advanced ball skills from his time at Briarcrest Christian near Memphis, Tennessee. Carroll was a two-way standout playing virtually everything for the Saints as he became a four-star recruit thanks to his versatility. Carroll has retained those skills while also mastering the linebacker position.
“I’m really comfortable, I still sometimes want to have the ball in my hands and play offense a little bit,” Carroll said with a smile. “But linebacker is my home, it’s what I grew up playing. It’s been really smooth, I’m becoming accustomed to that and the game is slowing down for me.”
Carroll’s development was aided by watching Obiazor and Elarms-Orr. Obiazor was initially a defensive back who moved to linebacker, while Elarms-Orr was viewed as more of an edge rusher coming out of high school.
They both developed and mastered the linebacker position and Carroll made sure to pay attention to each of their strengths.
“The biggest thing I learned from Kaleb was how he always ran to the ball,” Carroll said. “That’s what every prototype linebacker needs to do, run to the ball. His form tackling is just teach tape every time. As for Nam, his pass coverage, like his drops and how he moves in coverage, is like no other. Just sitting behind them, learning from them was a blessing.”
Elarms-Orr also made sure to pour into Carroll last season and believes Carroll has everything he needs to step into his role he left behind.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence,” Elarms-Orr said Tuesday. “He’s been in this defense for a few years, and he’s a guy that’s been able to learn behind me and Namdi. He’s been able to see how we operate, see how we study, see how we treat our bodies. I got a lot of confidence, and I was just talking to (Jamel Johnson) Sunday, and he said Max is going to be a breakout guy and thinks he’ll have a similar year to me and Namdi had in the past.”
While it may seem like that’s a lot of pressure to put on a player, Elarms-Orr believes Carroll’s physical traits and versatile background give him a great shot at meeting all of those expectations.
“He’s a former safety, so he’s very good in coverage and he’s really long,” Elarms-Orr said. “His ability to create separation against guys trying to block him is some of the best I’ve ever seen. His effort is always unbelievable and he’s growing and evolving to get better as a blitzer and against the run. He’s going to be a good player for sure.”
Those types of expectations aren’t just given, they have to be earned on the field, in the weight room and around the building.
Carroll has checked many of those boxes and is determined to live up to his vast potential. So what does a successful year look like for Carroll?
“A successful season to me looks like a Big 12 championship, going to the playoffs and competing for a spot in the national championship,” Carroll said. “With the new NIL and all the people transferring, the biggest thing is the connection part and playing for each other. If you play for each other and not yourself, you’ll make it far.
“Then once you win, everybody gets drafted. … it was great to bring everybody back. Since I’ve been here, this is the year where it feels like we gotta win the Big 12. We’ve got everything that we need. The D-line is eating, we’ve got (Jamel Johnson), Vern (Glover) on the backend and young guys like Gil (Jackson) and transfers like (Jacob) Fields. We’ve got everything we need, now we just got to come together.”
Valuing team success over individual stats is the exact type of mindset Dykes and the staff were looking for from Carroll, who will likely serve as the quarterback of the defense.
From his physical traits to his mental growth as a leader, all eyes will be on Carroll now that he has his moments.
“He’s got the length, he’s got the playmaking ability to go out there and be a really good player,” Dykes said. “Those are big shoes to fill, both those guys are going to be NFL players, but he’s certainly capable of doing it.”
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
