Sports

Sonny Dykes Hits Spin Cycle While Trashing Former QB That Bailed On TCU

#TCU Horned Frogs
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The TCU football team will have a new face under center in 2026. Former QB Josh Hoover has moved onto Indiana. The Horned Frogs will turn to a transfer, as well as a new member of the coaching staff.

Will the offense thrive under new leadership? Sonny Dykes believes so.

Offensive success is nothing new to Dykes. He’s been productive at every stop. That includes his current four-year stint with the Horned Frogs.

Last year, the offense ranked fourth in the Big 12 with a Top 30 unit nationally in terms of yards per game. The task to repeat that performance will be taller due to offseason movement.

Josh Hoover left TCU football.

The signal caller had been a part of the program for four seasons. He was a three-year starter, racking up more than 9,600 passing yards since 2023.

That output helped the Horned Frogs win nine games in each of the last two seasons. Now, Hoover is gone.

The veteran quarterback transferred to national champion Indiana in the offseason. He will replace future No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza under center.

TCU hit the portal soon after Hoover’s transfer announcement. They secured a commitment from Harvard passer Jaden Craig.

Craig has been productive in his own right. He spurned the NFL Draft to sign with TCU in the winter.

He’ll bring 6,074 yards and 52 touchdowns with him to Fort Worth. He also boasts two-plus years of starting experience.

Craig owns a number of Crimson passing records. Dykes believes he can be successful at the FBS level. An offensive staff hire played a role in Craig’s commitment to TCU.

The Horned Frogs have a new offensive coordinator.

Kendal Briles bailed for South Carolina after the 2025 season. UCONN’s Gordon Sammis was hired as his replacement.

Sammis, too, has a history of success. With the Huskies last year, he led a unit that ranked 21st in offensive production at more than 445 yards per game.

Dykes believes he’s upgraded. He noted the numbers in the promotion of his new play caller. In doing so, he also took a shot at Josh Hoover.

“Numbers are numbers and stats are stats,” Dykes said in a preseason interview. “You look, for us, I think Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback and he turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts.”

Hoover struggled with interceptions last season. He led the Big 12 in the category with 13. Fumbles were also an issue.

Offensive line play, however, was a contributing factor. Hoover was sacked 18 times in 2025, and another 16 in 2024. For a scheme that often calls for getting the ball out quickly, that can cause problems.

Sonny Dykes believes Sammis can turn the turnover issues around. His signal caller last year at UCONN threw just one pick and had one lost fumble.

Craig, too, has faith in his coaching abilities.

“There was a lot of scheme fit in terms of how [offensive coordinator Gordon] Sammis runs his offense,” the transfer quarterback said. “It’s a very pro-style offense, and I think that’s what I wanted at this next level. As soon as I got on campus it felt like a family right away, and it was honestly an easy decision.”

Still, the shade thrown towards TCU’s former quarterback comes off as salty. Dykes did not highlight any of the positives from Hoover’s stay in Fort Worth.

He hopes his new passer and play caller can prove him right in the season to come.