College Football Preview 2024: TCU Horned Frogs win projections, strengths and weaknesses, quarterback spotlight and more

Head coach: Sonny Dykes (third season)
2023 record: 5-7
PFF power ranking: 46th
Chance to win the Big 12: 7%
Strength of schedule: 54th
Projected win total: 6.5
FanDuel win total: 7.5
2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 36 nationally, No. 3 in the Big 12

2023 was a hangover season for TCU after the program made the national championship game in 2022. The Horned Frogs were the first team since Texas in 2010 to follow a national title game appearance with a losing record.

While it’s unlikely that TCU will make another run to the national championship, there is optimism that the team can get back to its winning ways. It starts with a strong receiving corps, headlined by Boise State transfer wide receiver Eric McAlister. The Horned Frogs will need four transfers on the offensive line and their pass rush to step up to have a successful year.

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Biggest Strength: Receiving corps

Even after losing first-round receiver Quentin Johnston, TCU finished with the nation’s 23rd-best receiving grade in 2023. The Horned Frogs could be even better in 2024, as they bring back their top two pass-catchers (Savion Williams and JP Richardson) and added a couple of big-time transfers in Boise State wide receiver Eric McAlister and Baylor tight end Drake Dabney.

Biggest Weakness: Pass rush

TCU couldn't consistently get after the quarterback in 2023, finishing among the 10 worst FBS teams in both pass-rush win rate and pressure rate. The Horned Frogs didn’t do much to address the issue in the transfer portal and lost last year’s pressure leader, Damonic Williams, to Oklahoma.

2023 Team Overview

Offense
EPA per play	Yards per play	Successful play rate	Explosive run play rate	Explosive pass play rate
0.077	6.2	39.2%	17.0%	15.4%
37th	T-42nd	21st	45th	52nd
Defense
EPA allowed per play	Yards allowed per play	Successful play rate allowed	Explosive run rate allowed	Explosive pass rate allowed
0.030	5.7	34.7%	13.0%	14.6%
91st	T-72nd	70th	27th	75th

Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions

WR Eric McAlister (Boise State): 80.9 PFF grade
OT Bless Harris (Florida State): 72.9 PFF grade
S Jaise Oliver (Tulsa): 73.0 PFF grade

Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses

QB Chandler Morris (North Texas): 79.4 PFF grade
DT Damonic Williams (Oklahoma): 69.0 PFF grade
S Randon Fontenette (Vanderbilt): 69.3 PFF grade

Quarterback Spotlight: Josh Hoover

2023 Grade: 75.5
Key Stat: Earned the two highest single-game passing grades in Big 12 — 92.1 and 91.4 in Weeks 7 and 12, respectively (minimum of 20 attempts)

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