Horned Frogs Get Important Update on Key Offensive Line Injury

With left tackle Ryan Hughes out for the season, what could the Frogs look like up front in the weeks to come?

Nov 11, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Texas Longhorns at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Even after TCU's 35-21 win over the Colorado Buffaloes, the Horned Frogs (4-1) have still gotten criticism for the team's offensive line play through the first stretch of games this season. With a season-ending injury for left tackle Ryan Hughes, TCU's offensive line depth will almost certainly be tested going forward.

Injury updates:

Ansel Din-Mbuh and Jeremy Payne are expected to be available this week. Dykes said Payne was dealing with turf toe.

However, starting tackle Ryan Hughes is out for the season.

— S. Johnson (@StevenMJohnson_) October 7, 2025

In their rematch against Coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes, TCU totaled 94 yards on the ground against a run defense that's allowed an average of 180 rushing yards per game this season. Kevorian Barnes led the way for the Frogs with only 48 yards on 16 rushing attempts.

With Hughes unavailable, TCU's efforts to find more consistent offensive line play could face new challenges. While it may not directly correlate to the difference between wins and losses.

A Reimagined Offensive Line for the Frogs

Josh Hoover gets ready to receive a snap in TCU's win over Abilene Christian. | Brian McLean/Killer Frogs/TCU On SI

During TCU's midweek press conference, Coach Dykes confirmed that Hughes' injury would be season-ending. Now the biggest question on everyone's mind is who will fill in at left tackle for the Frogs for the remainder of the season.

When asked about who might see action this weekend, Coach Dykes alluded to multiple freshmen seeing playing time against the Kansas State Wildcats.

"I think Wesley Harvey and Wit (Witten Van Hoy) both are getting close to being ready to play," Dykes said. "I think those are two guys that we've had really high expectations for, and you know, the only way we're going to find out if they can play is when we play them."

Van Hoy is a true freshman from Benton High School in Louisiana and was ranked the No.59 offensive tackle in the country by 247 Sports. Harvey, a redshirt freshman from Muskogee, Oklahoma, was ranked the country's No.65 offensive tackle in the 2024 recruiting class.

After Hughes went down with an injury, Quinton Harris filled in at left tackle for the remainder of the game against Colorado. Harris appeared in all 13 games for the Frogs in 2024 but was the backup to right tackle Mike Nichols.

"I thought Quinton (Quinton Harris) did an excellent job last week," Dykes said. "He played like we expected him to, and so we just have to get a little more production at the tackle spot. Ben Taylor-Whitfield, I think, is very, very athletic and probably hasn't played to his potential, but I think he'll have a great week this week and continue to get better."

Based on what Dykes has said during the week, it's expected that Harris will get the start at left tackle with either Van Hoy or Harvey being the No.2 option.