By: Anthony Miller
The TCU Horned Frogs are back for the 2023 season with renewed energy in taking the final step in winning a national title after falling one win short of a title.
TCU finished the 2022 season with a 13-2 record only losing in the Big 12 Title game to Kansas State and the national title game to the Georgia Bulldogs. It was the most successful season in program history as it is the closest the school has come to a national championship.
This season is all about how they can bounce back and win a national title. They have 11 total returning starters with only three of them being on offense. It’s a bit of a rebuild mode for the offense, but the talent is there to still be competitive.
TCU Horned Frogs Season Preview
Key Players to Roster
Chandler Morris, QB
Last season was tough for quarterback Chandler Morris to start one game before getting injured and Max Duggan. During his career at TCU, Morris was thrown for 862 yards and four touchdowns to zero interceptions. He has also run for 107 yards and one touchdown.
Nothing should hold Morris back from the starting quarterback job unless he gets injured again. His strength is accuracy completing 66 percent of his career passes and has good mobility. This is the season that Morris proves to be one of the top quarterbacks in the conference.
Andrew Coker & Brandon Coleman, Tackle
The tackle combo of right tackle Andrew Coker and left tackle Brandon Coleman is one of the best tandems in the Big 12. Both tackles started all 15 games for the team last year, each earning All-Big 12 honorable mentions for their performances.
TCU’s offense has some movement, losing key players at the skill positions. Having some continuity on the offensive line is important to the success of the offense. Coker and Coleman will play a big factor in getting the running game going and protecting Morris on the outside.
Johnny Hodges, LB
One of the team’s top tacklers, linebacker Johnny Hodges has been the model of consistency at linebacker for TCU. Hodges started all 15 games last season for the Horned Frogs racking up 82 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks to lead the team. He was named as an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 list.
He’s got great instincts and vision to follow the ball carrier, Hodges plays a critical role on defense to help the unit out. TCU ranked 94th in total defense with eight starters returning so Hodges will play a role in making sure that ranking improves.
Josh Newton, DB
A key piece to the secondary, defensive back Josh Newton returns as one of the team’s top players. Newton recorded 35 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 15 pass deflections, three interceptions, and one interception for a touchdown in 15 games played. He landed on the Big 12’s First-Team All-Conference team last year.
The senior defensive back proved time and time again to be a shutdown defensive back and was able to cover up receivers well. TCU will be leaning on their top coverage defensive back to help the defensive unit improve and get back to the national title game.
Schedule Overview
The beginning of the season will be more of a challenge for TCU as they first face new head coach Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. They have an easy matchup with Nicholls after that but take to the road to play the newest member of the Big 12 Houston. TCU finishes their non-conference schedule against SMU.
Their four-game slate of West Virginia, Iowa State, BYU, and Kansas State will be the easy part of their Big 12 schedule. BYU and Kansas State could present some challenges but should be winnable games for the Horned Frogs.
If fans want to see where TCU is in their development, it will be the last four games of the season that really tell how good they are. Road games against Texas Tech and Oklahoma will not be easy games to win in hostile environments. Baylor and Texas are the other two teams TCU plays as they get home games against them.
Prediction
The biggest question about this team is their playmakers on offense and whether they can duplicate the talent they had from last season. Morris provides experience at quarterback and there are returning starters on the offensive line, but the focus is on the running back and receiver positions.
TCU’s defense must improve as well, being ranked one of the worst in the Big 12. With eight returning starters, it should start to be the strength of this program.
This is the last season TCU will have to deal with Texas and Oklahoma in the Big 12 so statement wins against two future SEC opponents could go a long way. It’ll be more of a challenge for this school this season, but TCU has proven to beat the odds since joining the Big 12 so they should no doubt be in contention to win the conference.
Final Record: 10-2 Record (7-2 Big 12 Record)
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