TCU football 2023 preview: Record prediction, breakout candidates, bowl game

2023-08-17 04:55

TCU enters 2023 with much higher expectations a year ago, hoping to recreate last year’s magical season.How does a Cinderella team one up a season to remember? Carrying the weight of a 13-2 season and the first Big 12 school to win a College Football Playoff game.Combined with the expl...

TCU enters 2023 with much higher expectations a year ago, hoping to recreate last year's magical season.

How does a Cinderella team one up a season to remember? Carrying the weight of a 13-2 season and the first Big 12 school to win a College Football Playoff game.

Combined with the explosive Garrett Riley-run offense and the Horned Frogs knack for winning close games, was a special season.

The fire-drill kick to beat Baylor in Waco, come back home wins over Kansas State and Oklahoma State. And a thrilling CFP Semifinal, seeing TCU overcome Michigan.

Max Duggan closed his career the best way he possibly could, as an All-American, accounting for the second most touchdowns in a season in program history and a laundry list of other accolades.

Quite possibly, the biggest attrition from this program was not a player. Garrett Riley turned the Horned Frogs offense into a juggernaut in 2022. He took his services toward the east coast to be the play caller at Clemson. While other valuable pieces are playing professionally, his offensive scheme could be the biggest domino to fall.

Wide receiver Quentin Johnson and running back Kendre Miller are off to the NFL and cornerback Trevious Hodges-Tomlinson also heard his name called.

TCU football: Offseason additions, losses for 2023

The Horned Frogs capitalized in the off-season, adding high-end transfers in a trio of former Alabama players, wide receiver JoJo Earle, running back Trey Sanders, and offensive lineman Tommy Brockermeyer. Some of those new additions will be prominent in reloading, rather than rebuilding.

Oregon State quarterback Chance Nolan comes in to provide depth at a vital position and Oklahoma State's John Paul Richardson and Ole Miss' Jaylon Robinson bring key experience in the receiving room, a group that was not shy of attrition from last season.

In recruiting, TCU signed its best class, with seven four-stars, including Top-100 prospects wide receiver Cordale Russell and offensive lineman Markis Deal. Expect a couple of higher-end recruits to make an impact in 2023.

TCU football: 3 breakout candidates for the 2023 season

JoJo Earle, Wide Receiver

The Fort Worth native made his way home this past off-season after two years of being among the best wide receiving corps in college football at Alabama.

What will begin a trend of this section, Earle has stumbled with injuries in his young career, missing five games last year, due to injury and playing minimally as a freshman. He was mentioned on the Freshman All-SEC list as a return specialist.

His agility and twitch movements make him an easy player to see line up in the slot or send in motion for quick jet sweeps. Earle also has the route running to take the top off a secondary.

In a room filled with uncertainty and homegrown talent lacking experience, Earle can become a starter by the time TCU takes the field for the first time in 2023.

Trey Sanders, Running Back

The former No.1 ranked running back recruit in the 2019 class is expected to fill in Kendre Miller's void as being one of the top ball carriers in 2023.

Sanders spent his first two seasons on the sideline, hampered with injuries. While on the field, he was consistent, with a total of over 500 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons.

While Emani Bailey is the home-run hitter out of the backfield, Sanders will complement the veteran as an all-purpose back, with more emphasis on being used as a receiving back.

He has a chance with TCU to showcase the reason why he was the top running back in his recruiting class.

Marcel Brooks, Linebacker

Brooks has just about done it all in his first four seasons of college football, beginning with LSU back in 2020. After spending a year there and converting from safety to linebacker, he spent 2021 as a wide receiver for the Horned Frogs.

2022 was a stressful year for the former Five-star recruit, being out for the first three games, then suffering a season-ending injury halfway into the season.

In and out of playing time, Brooks is eyeing stability and this season offers the best opportunity for it.

Although the playing time has been very sparse, Brooks high-end talent can not be denied. His biggest hurdle will be health. If so, he can supply high-end depth along the trenches, a unit that took a toll this off-season.

TCU Football: Game-by-game and record predictions, bowl game prediction

The Horned Frogs are turning a completely different page, from a roster and schematic standpoint in 2023. New leadership on the field, key starters and positions that may not be up to snuff from 2022.

They begin with a future conference opponent in Deion Sanders' Colorado team is welcomed to Fort Worth after TCU pulled away late against the Buffaloes.

Although the Horned Frogs leave the state just once in the first seven games, the two road games won't be cakewalks. They are Houston's first home game in the league and playing in Ames, IA can be polarizing, regardless of the program's trajectory since 2020.

TCU will be put to the test in the back half of the season with road trips to Manhattan, Lubbock and Norman.