TCU’s Defense Improves in Andy Avalos’ Second Year

Despite the statistics not explicitly showing it, the TCU Horned Frogs' defense showed real signs of progress in 2025.

Sep 26, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) celebrates with cornerback Vernon Glover (26) and defensive end Zach Chapman (0) against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the first half at Mountain America Stadium, Home of the ASU Sun Devils. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Reiner-Imagn Images | Jacob Reiner-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, it was not a fun time.

For the position groups of the TCU football program, that moment has finally arrived. Twelve games have come and gone, and the offense, defense, and special teams all contributed in their own special ways. All three had good moments, while there were others that didn’t quite meet the mark.

Dissecting exactly how each position group fared throughout the season is the point of this three-part exercise. Last time, it was all about the offense and how that unit performed. This go-around, it’s time to focus on the defense. 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.

Alright, without further ado, let’s see how the Horned Frogs’ defense got on its report card.

The Grade: B

Nov 29, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs defensive lineman Zachary Chapman (0) and safety Jamel Johnson (2) celebrates a defensive stop against the Cincinnati Bearcats during the second half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It’s hard to see the defense’s production this season as anything other than an improvement. In the unit’s second year under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, the Horned Frogs’ defense elevated in almost every single way. It went from a group that was consistently unreliable to one that regularly kept the team in games while the offense couldn’t stop getting in its own way.

That fact doesn’t necessarily show itself in the base stats that people usually use when analyzing a defense’s performance. For instance, TCU ranked 65th in the FBS in scoring defense at 25.5 points per game, 59th in opponent yards per game (370.7), 47th in opponent yards per play (5.3), and 80th in opponent red zone scoring percentage (85.71%).

For the most part, all the aforementioned statistics are either worse or similar to what the defense put up in 2024. The one noticeable difference comes with what the team was able to do against the run. Last season, teams ran for a whopping 160.5 yards per game. In 2025, that mark decreased to just 131, which ranked 34th in the country.

Anybody who watched Avalos’ defense operate knows that it played better than it did a season ago, even if the actual numbers don’t illustrate that fact. Still, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in Fort Worth, as there were several instances where the defense just laid an egg in crucial spots.

Sometimes Old Habits Die Hard

Nov 15, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars wide receiver Parker Kingston (11) makes a catch as Texas Christian University Horned Frogs safety Jamel Johnson (2) defends during the second quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Only one specific instance of defensive ineptitude comes to mind for TCU this season. The most glaring occurred just a couple of weeks ago in Provo against BYU. With the offense flailing — and the overall vibes around the program in the absolute toilet — the defense needed to have a good outing if the Frogs wanted to have any hope of pulling off the upset over the No. 12 Cougars. Alas, it was just not meant to be. TCU allowed 447 total yards of offense — 151 of which were on the ground — as BYU curb-stomped the Horned Frogs into submission all night long. The end result was a demoralizing 44-13 defeat that almost sent TCU’s season into the absolute gutter.

Other than that, there just wasn’t much to complain about. TCU’s defense consistently kept it in games — like in the narrow losses to Arizona State and Iowa State — and showed that it had some chops after two straight years of lackluster performance. Sure, there were moments when it couldn’t come up with a big play, or it started off a little slow, but overall, everything was pretty OK for the Frogs’ defense in 2025.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr Is a Beast

Sep 20, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr (3) rushes the line during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the SMU Mustangs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

If one player truly emerged as a defensive standout, it was linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr. He led the Big 12 in tackles with 119 and finished second in the conference with four sacks. His play earned him spots on both the All-Big 12 First Team Defense and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football First Team All-Texas.

There’s little doubt in the minds of those around TCU and the rest of the Big 12 that Elarms-Orr’s performance in 2025 warrants him being drafted fairly high in next year’s NFL Draft. While that’s obviously awesome for Elarms-Orr, it’s unfortunate for TCU that it’ll be losing one of its stalwart defenders heading into 2026.

Where Does the Defense Go Now?

Keeping Avalos in Fort Worth will be one of the main priorities for TCU this offseason. If the defense can improve this much just two years into his tenure, then there’s no telling what an additional season in his system will do for the whole operation moving forward.

But even then, not everything was perfect in 2025, which means it’s hard to give the defense anything higher than a B. And just like with the offense, the professor will not be rounding that grade up.