There is little worse than the bye week following a demoralizing loss. As the rest of college football was celebrating the eternal hope that comes with the start of a new campaign, the Horned Frogs and its fans could only watch from the shadows. With no game this weekend and its 2026 hopes already drowned in a bottle of Jameson after being humiliated in Week Zero by Bill Belichick's dysfunctional Tar Heels in Ireland, TCU fans could only settle for a Hate Watch in Week One. However, the egg only continued to pile onto Sonny Dykes' face with just about the least successful Hate Watch imaginable as former Horned Frogs lit up scoreboards and made headlines all around the sport. This week's recap focuses on these familiar faces in new places, as we wonder what coulda been in Fort Worth
Josh Hoover departing TCU for Indiana was always an understandable and logical outcome. He had put in years of solid, if imperfect, play while piling up big numbers in the Horned Frogs' offense and certainly would have been welcomed for another season in Fort Worth. However when the reigning National Champion comes calling, after just skyrocketing its QB to the Heisman Trophy and No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick, and brings with it a major salary increase, it was likely a no-brainer choice for Hoover. Most TCU fans understand the decision and hold little ill-will towards Hoover. Sonny Dykes on the other hand decided to open his mouth during the offseason to speak on the QB situation and promptly stuck his foot right in.
It is not inaccurate for Dykes to point out the turnover woes the Frogs experienced during Hoover's time as the signal caller – it was the single biggest factor holding TCU back the last two seasons – though he perhaps could have looked in the mirror at himself or the much maligned Offensive Coordinator he hired that put Hoover in such turnover-prone conditions. It didn't take long for Hoover to shove the criticism of his former coach right back in his face, as Hoover delivered a near perfect performance in the season opener for the Hoosiers, completing 81% of his passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns, with zero turnovers and noting the "culture shock" of coming to Indiana after being under Dykes' tutelage the last four seasons.
To note: in one start for the Horned Frogs, Hoover's replacement Jaden Craig threw for 175 yards with zero touchdowns and lost a fumble.
A hometown hero as a two-time State Champion at Aledo whose parents were both TCU athletes, Hauss Hejny looked to be a storybook savior of the Horned Frogs following a dismal 2023 campaign. The four-star prospect was the crown jewel of the 2024 recruiting class as one of the nation's best quarterbacks, a true dual threat with elite speed and arm strength; the kind of player you can build a future around. TCU however did not show Hejny such an opportunity as a true freshman; he did not attempt a single pass in four games of action, serving only as a wildcat running QB, operating behind Hoover and Ken Seals on the depth chart. With a clear message that he would remain behind Hoover & Seals in 2025, Hejny transferred to Oklahoma State where he started the season opener throwing for a TD and running for another before suffering a season-ending foot injury. Now Hejny looks primed to lead Colorado State into contention in its new conference home in the PAC 12. Hejny dazzled in the season opening demolition of former MWC rival Wyoming, showing off his do-it-all versatility: completing 70% of his passes for 214 yards and five touchdowns, running for 39 yards, and even making an acrobatic circus catch on a trick play for a 28 yard gain. Hejny is another player TCU fans can't help but root for and ponder "what if."
To note: TCU currently has a four-star state champion true freshman QB on its roster with a decorated TCU family legacy.
An elite four-star prospect in the Class of 2023, Cam Cook committed to TCU in the summer of 2022, before Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs stunned the CFB world with a miraculous run to the National Championship game. However before Cook got to campus, Dykes brought in Kendal Briles to take over the offense after Garrett Riley left for Clemson. Briles and Cook were simply never on the same page and clearly the OC had no idea how to properly use the Ferrari he had in his garage. While Cook found the end zone nine times as the lead back in 2024, he rushed for just 518 yards total in his two seasons in Fort Worth, an inefficient 3.8 yards per carry. Upon leaving Dykes, Briles, and TCU, he has found homes that LET CAM COOK. In 2025, he led the NCAA in rushing, amassing an incredible 1,659 yards (127.6 yards per game) and 16 touchdowns during a superstar season at Jacksonville State where he earned Conference USA MVP and All-American honors. In his return to the Big 12, Cook ran wild to lead West Virginia to the win over Coastal Carolina, gaining 153 scrimmage yards with two touchdown runs on Saturday.
Paired with fellow elite four-star WR Jordan Hudson as the top prospects of Sonny Dykes' first TCU recruiting class in 2022, DJ Allen carried heavy expectation to be next in line behind Quentin Johnston & Savion Williams. After redshirting with zero appearances in 2022 and making just 2 receptions for 10 yards in 2023, Allen was so deeply buried on the depth chart that he needed a new opportunity if he was going to see meaningful playing time. Allen made his way to San Antonio where he has been limited, but has been a contributor for the Roadrunners. Perhaps the breakout is finally happening for Allen, as he took the opportunity to show out in UTSA's season opening victory over UTRGV, reeling in three catches for 116 yards and a dynamic TD run that showed off the speed and athleticism that made him a top-end recruit all those years ago.
Watch that video. That is a USC team that is expected to compete at the top of the Big Ten and make a real push for the College Football Playoff and National Championship. The team is celebrating a 4th down stop in the final seconds of a Week One game vs. Fresno State that it already had well in hand as if it had just won that Championship. That is a team and defensive unit that loves its coach, that loves its culture, that hunts together and wins as one. It's a celebration reminiscent of the 4th down stop in 2OT in the freezing rain to beat Baylor or the 3OT 4th down pass break up to win the Alamo Bowl over Oregon .
Whatever spark Patterson lost over the final years in Fort Worth – and to be sure, his spark was long gone by the end at TCU – he seems to have it back coaching alongside Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles. He may just be GMFP again. Outside of a garbage time 4th Quarter vs. San Jose State in Week Zero where the Spartans scored 23 points, Patterson's Trojan defense has been bulletproof, allowing three total points over the seven other quarters played this season. Friday's game against Fresno State was a vintage masterclass from the master of the 4-2-5. The Bulldogs crossed midfield just three times all game (one of which came thanks to a USC fumble), only moving inside the USC 40 on that final drive that ended with the turnover on downs. Fresno had six of its 10 possessions end in three plays or fewer. The Trojans defense produced five sacks, two safeties, an interception, and a fumble recovery while allowing only 116 total yards of offense….77 of which came in that 4th Quarter. Folks, that is 39 yards of total offense allowed to a PAC 12 opponent in three quarters of non-garbage time football. Yeah, I'm thinking GMFP is back.
Sonny Dykes was somewhat vindicated when Garrett Riley, the Offensive Coordinator for the electric 2022 season, went off to Clemson and could not create the same kind of success in South Carolina that he did with the Frogs in Fort Worth. Once again, Dykes' hand-chosen OC departed Cowtown for the greener pastures of the Palmetto State, with Kendal Briles shipped off to the SEC to join the South Carolina Gamecocks. It was another opportunity for Dykes to prove that any success of TCU's is his and any Horned Frog failures are at someone else's cause. Although it was against perhaps the worst team in FBS, Briles and the Gamecocks offense was near perfect in a 57-point romp over Kent State. SC put up 645 yards of total offense in Week One, passing for four touchdowns and rushing for another four scores with zero turnovers. There will be more challenging days ahead eventually for the Gamecocks, but Briles may have his RGIII reboot in QB LaNorris Sellers and could have South Carolina ranked and in Playoff contention by the end of the season.
