A Cinderella season turned into an unfortunate record in the CFP National Championship. The TCU Horned Frogs accomplished arguably the greatest year in the history of the franchise, only to go up against an unstoppable SEC powerhouse and NFL talent factory in the Georgia Bulldogs.

As the red and black confetti cleared in their 65-7 loss to the Bulldogs (the greatest deficit in the Natty), the Horned Frogs still had a lot to look back on, in particular, their stellar run game and receiving provided by former Texas HS Football standouts. In total, TCU had 79 players that played Texas high school football on their roster in 2022.

The Breakdown

The team finished ninth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 38.8 points per game and totaling 582 offensive points in the season — third only behind by Georgia and Tennessee. Their rushing, a bright spot to their squad, was second in the Big 12 behind Kansas State, totaling 2,899 yards.

Rushing

Starting running back Kendre Miller declared for the draft after his career season, leaving a sizable void in the team’s plans moving forward. Throughout the year, Miller scrambled for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns.

In high school, Miller was a competitor for Mount Enterprise. As a senior, he rushed for 2,508 yards and 34 touchdowns. He graduated as a three-star recruit and was rated in the top 120 in the nation.

Replacing him will be Ryan grad Emani Bailey, a transfer from the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. At the high school level, Bailey rushed for 4,026 yards and 51 touchdowns throughout his tenure.

TCU also signed four-star prospect Cameron Cook out of Stony Point. Cook turned down offers from Houston and Arizona after a campus visit last summer.

Receiving

Many pundits believe the Horned Frogs will be unable to attain the same success of ’22, pointing specifically towards their absence at quarterback. Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan is gone after his four-year career. More importantly, Duggan’s favored receiver Quentin Johnston declared for the Draft after recording a career-high 1,069 yards and six touchdowns.

At Temple, the four-star prospect was the second-highest recruit in the 20 classes under former coach Gary Patterson. After considering the Longhorns, Duggan’s opted for the Horned Frogs.

Slot receiver Taye Barber (Cypress Springs) is also gone.

Jordan Hudson (Garland) and Cordale Russell (North Mesquite) will see significant reps this fall.

Offensive Line

The Frogs had a lot of returning experience on the interior spots of the line coming into this season. The uniformity was efficient, leading the nation’s most prolific offensive attacks.

Now, team captain Steve Avila has officially declared for the NFL Draft. Throughout the year, the big man didn’t allow a sack in 477 pass blocks during the regular season.

The consensus All-American was a top ten offensive guard in the state with South Grand Prairie and will be considered the same come Draft Night.

Lineman Garrett Hayes (Athens), Willis Patrick (Mansfield), and Tommy Brockermeyer (All Saints Episcopal) will look to pick up the slack.

2023 Outlook

There will obviously be some regression.

However, after coach Sonny Dykes inherited a 5-7 team, he took the rejuvenated Horned Frogs to the very last game of the season. It’s difficult to see the squad missing another bowl berth for the foreseeable future, especially bolstered by locally mined talent. Still, the Horned Frogs have to contend with Arch Manning and the Longhorns for the foreseeable future, before the Burnt Orange eventually splits for the SEC. 

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