Sonny Dykes is Bringing a Top-Notch Staff to TCU: First in a Series
It’s a new era for TCU Horned Frogs football. Sonny Dykes was officially named the new head coach for the Frogs. The former head coach at SMU is assembling an impressive group of assistants as he moves crosstown to become the man at the helm in Fort Worth.
Several coaches leave the Hilltop at SMU and come with Dykes, including Garrett Riley, Ra’Shaad Samples, Chidera Uzo-Diribe, and Kaz Kazadi. Two current members of the TCU staff, Malcolm Kelly and Paul Gonzales, are expected to remain. Other coaches include Bryan Carrington and Mark Tommerdahl.
Several key positions still need to be determined, including a defensive coordinator. This will be a crucial role to fill, as for 20+ years, TCU has been known as a defense-oriented school, as that was Gary Patterson’s expertise.
In this article, meet Riley, and Samples. Future articles will introduce the other coaches joining the staff.
Garrett Riley, Offensive Coordinator
Riley has been on the Hilltop for the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under his leadership, both Shane Buechele and Tanner Mordecai had their best playing seasons. He is not the only one in his family making coaching moves this week, as his brother, Lincoln, has been named the new head coach at USC. He is 32 years old and played quarterback at both Texas Tech and Stephen F. Austin. Before joining the Mustangs, he was the running back coach for Appalachian State. The team went 13-1 in 2019 and won the Sun Belt Championship. Riley was poised to become their offensive coordinator before making the move to Dallas. Before App State, he spent time on the staff at both East Carolina and Kansas.
Ra’Shaad Samples, Running Backs Coach/Recruiting
Samples spent the last three seasons at SMU. In 2019, he served as an assistant to the offense. He transitioned to the role of running back coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2020 season. Prior to SMU, he spent a year at Texas as an on-campus recruiter and assistant wide receivers coach. His career started in 2016 at Houston as an offensive assistant for running backs and receivers. Samples is 26 years old and is on the 2021 Dave Campbell’s 40 under 40 list. He played in six games in 2014 at Oklahoma State as a redshirt freshman with three catches for 11 yards. In 2015, he transferred to Houston, where he sat out the year due to transfer requirements. In 2016, he did not play due to injury.
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