TCU's Offense Faces a Tough Report Card

Despite explosive moments from some star players, inconsistency kept the TCU Horned Frogs' offense from reaching its full potential.

Nov 22, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Eric McAlister (1) celebrates after a touchdown reception during the first quarter against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-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 different ways. All three were firing on all cylinders at times, while in other instances it was more of a mixed bag.

Dissecting exactly how each position group fared throughout the season is the point of this three-part exercise. Today, it’s all about the offense — the unit that Sonny Dykes and the rest of the coaching staff have built this team around. 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 further ado, let’s see how TCU’s offense did on its exam.

The Grade: C

Oct 18, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) talks with associate head coach Kendal Briles during the first half of a game against the Baylor Bears at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

This grade might seem harsh, but it’s simply too difficult to ignore the glaring deficiencies of the unit throughout the season, especially given that this is a team that’s supposed to be built around its offense. Sure, the numbers on paper exhibit that the offense — called by Kendal Briles — was a machine that put the Horned Frogs in a position to succeed. After all, the team finished 39th in the country in points per game at 29.7, 26th in yards per game at 419.5 and 33rd in yards per play at 5.9.

Those figures are worse than what the squad posted last season, however, which signals that the unit regressed a fair margin in 2025. In 2024, TCU averaged 33.6 points per game, put up 426.8 yards per contest and averaged 6.2 yards per play.

What didn’t change from 2024 — and 2023, for that matter — was the Frogs’ inability to put teams away after taking leads. TCU blew a 17–0 lead against Arizona State, almost fumbled away what should’ve been a multiple-score win against Baylor and couldn’t maintain a 17–6 fourth-quarter advantage against Iowa State. Most of that was because the offense was unable to keep the pedal to the metal and salt away the game.

TCU? More Like Wide Receiver U!

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Jordan Dwyer (7) and wide receiver Eric McAlister (1) point to the replay screen during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Eric McAlister and Jordan Dwyer are studs. There's just simply no other way of putting it. That duo — which just both happen to be transfers from schools in Idaho — posted fantastic seasons that will live in the annals of TCU history for years to come.

McAlister especially made his mark with a 1,121-yard campaign that saw him haul in 10 touchdowns. He became just the fifth player in program history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Only Josh Doctson, Jalen Reagor, Quentin Johnston and Jack Bech can say the same. And just like that foursome — all of whom continued their football careers in the NFL — McAlister will surely hear his name called in next year’s draft.

Then there’s Dwyer, who blazed out of the gate with a nine-catch, 136-yard performance in the season opener against North Carolina. He slowed down at times throughout the campaign but still showed flashes of greatness — especially against Baylor (111 receiving yards and a touchdown) and Iowa State (108 and one touchdown). He ultimately finished with 730 yards through the air and seven touchdowns.

Hoover’s Regression Was Not a Good Sign

Nov 15, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; Texas Christian University Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover (10) is pressured by BYU Cougars defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa (57) during the second quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Turnovers were also an issue, especially with quarterback Josh Hoover. The redshirt junior from Heath, Texas, threw 13 interceptions — compared to 11 a year ago — and also lost multiple fumbles. The latter weeks of the campaign saw the turnover trend ramp up, as Hoover threw two picks against Iowa State, two at BYU and then a whopping three at Houston. Admittedly, he saved face with a four-touchdown, zero-interception performance against Cincinnati in the regular season’s final game, but that still doesn’t mask the unfortunate way he was loose with the football in November.

The blame doesn’t all fall on Hoover for the turnover problem, though. The Frogs had a propensity — especially late in the season — for fumbling the football at inopportune moments. Jeremy Payne’s giveaway deep in the red zone during what could’ve been the game-winning drive against Iowa State comes to mind. There was also the fumble by Jordyn Bailey against Houston that could’ve resulted in a TCU loss had some other scenarios played out differently.

Where Does the Offense Go Now?

With the inconsistencies that have plagued the offense for the better part of three seasons, there is reason to want some changes on that side of the ball. Whether that’s coaching, personnel or something entirely different is a question that Dykes and company are going to have to ask themselves this offseason.

Because for all the points TCU scored, there were countless moments when fans at home were scratching their heads at what the offense was doing. That’ll have to be figured out for 2026.

For all the above reasons, the offense gets a C. And no — the professor will not be rounding that up to a B.