Inconsistency Defines TCU’s Special Teams Unit

Whether it was bad punts or missed field goals, the TCU Horned Frogs' special teams missed the mark in 2025.

Nov 15, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; Texas Christian University Horned Frogs kicker Nate McCashland (99) kicks a field goal held by Texas Christian University Horned Frogs kicker Easton Black (97) during the second quarter of the game against the BYU Cougars at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Remember in high school — or perhaps even in college — when you’d sit with bated breath waiting to find out what you got on a final? Remember how stressful a feeling that was? Yeah, that stunk big time.

For the position groups of the TCU football program, that moment has arrived. Twelve games have come and gone, and the offense, defense, and special teams all contributed in their own different ways. At times, all three units were operating at peak capacity, while in other instances, it was more of a mixed bag.

Determining exactly how each position group fared throughout the season is the point of this three-part exercise. In part one, it was all about the offense. Last time, it was the defense’s turn to go under the microscope. The final part will be an examination of just how well the forgotten group — special teams — fared over the past three months of college football action. It’ll be graded on a traditional A-F scale (no pluses or minuses because this is one of those no-nonsense college classes). And just like any good instructor, some constructive criticism will follow, no matter the grade.

Without wasting any more time, let’s see what the Horned Frogs’ special teams got on its final exam.

The Grade: D

Oct 25, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Texas Christian University Horned Frogs kicker Nate McCashland (99) kicks a field goal during the first quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

No joke, the only reason this isn’t an F is because backup kicker Nate McCashland was the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week following TCU’s narrow road victory at West Virginia in late October. Because if it weren’t for that, then there really isn’t a lot of positives to talk about. Maybe that's a bit harsh, but that's just the way this professor rolls.

To be fair, the kicking game was thrown into a tailspin after original starter Kyle Lemmermann was injured after the season opener against North Carolina and never returned. That put McCashland, a kicker who TCU clearly didn’t believe was going to play much of a role this season, into the starting role. And while it wasn’t a disaster by any means, he wasn’t cashing in kicks — TCU converted on just 78.6% of field goals this season — at the level that the Frogs would probably want.

But it’s not the field-goal kicking that drops this grade to a D; it’s the punting.

Oh, punting. It’s not something that any team desires to do, but it’s something that’s necessary. After all, football is a game that’s all about winning the field position battle, and TCU was frequently unable to do that for a variety of reasons, one of which was its inability to flip the field with a big punt.

That all falls on the shoulders of senior punter Ethan Craw. He had 41 punts for an average of 41.5 yards, which ranks 100th in the nation. Simply put, that’s not good enough.

The Iowa State Punt Return

Up 17-12 with a little under seven minutes to play against Iowa State, the Horned Frogs were in desperate need of a big-time punt from Craw. At first glance, it appeared they got just that. Craw’s punt soared through the air and into the hands of Aiden Flora — a freshman walk-on for the Cyclones — at the Iowa State 21-yard line. From there, Flora evaded multiple Frogs’ tacklers and scampered into the end zone for what ended up being a game-winning 79-yard punt-return touchdown.

AIDEN FLORA.

Are we back!? pic.twitter.com/5TnJ0zpYpW

— 𝙄𝙤𝙬𝙖 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (@IowaStateNation) November 8, 2025

Yeah, that wasn’t ideal — and it lost TCU a crucial game late in the season.

Where Does the Special Teams Go Now?

Forecasting how well a special teams unit will perform from year to year is a much more difficult endeavor than doing so for offense or defense. The immediate diagnosis is that the Frogs need to have a more reliable field-goal kicker and also need better punting. That’s probably easier said than done, but it’s what’s desired for 2026.

So that’s why the special teams get a D. And just like with the offense and defense, the professor will not be rounding that grade up.