TCU Offensive Lineman Granted Extra Year of Eligibility

The Horned Frogs' offensive front gets a major boost with the news that a familiar face could be back in the trenches next season.

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; A view of the stadium and the field and the fans during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Iowa State Cyclones at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The TCU offensive line could potentially be getting a familiar face back in the lineup next season.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Horned Frogs offensive lineman Cade Bennett has been granted an additional year of eligibility. Bennett’s been a Frog since 2024, but he missed the entirety of that season because of a back injury. It was that missed year that enabled him to get a waiver from the NCAA to play one more season of college football.

TCU starting offensive guard Cade Bennett has been granted a waiver from the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility, a source tells @CBSSports.

Before TCU, Bennett was a two-time all-conference selection at San Diego State. Missed the 2024 at TCU due to an injury. pic.twitter.com/f2rhf7Lqa8

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 8, 2025

Players getting additional waivers due to missing time because of an injury is not something that's foreign to TCU. Women's basketball star Sedona Prince notoriously received multiple waivers for additional years of eligibility as a member of the Frogs.

Prior to arriving in Fort Worth, Bennett was a two-time all-conference selection at San Diego State. He was a three-star recruit coming out of Notre Dame Preparatory in Scottsdale, Arizona, and originally committed to Oklahoma State. After departing the Cowboys following the 2021 season, he landed at San Diego State, where he played two campaigns before finding his way to TCU. He quickly became one of the Frogs’ most reliable offensive linemen during what proved to be a turbulent season for that position group, starting all 10 games he appeared in during 2025.

Bennett Is an X-Factor

Oklahoma State offensive lineman Cade Bennett (62) runs to his drill areas as a downpour hits during a practice on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021, in Scottsdale. Oklahoma State will play Notre Dame for the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at the State Farm Stadium. | Antranik Tavitian/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Even though Bennett didn’t play a single snap last season, everybody knew he was going to play an integral role in TCU’s success in 2025. Before the start of the season, Bennett told TCU Horned Frogs On SI writer JD Andress that he was excited to jump into the action and help develop some of the younger players on the roster.

“I was able to see what we were efficient in and what we weren’t efficient in last year,” Bennett said before the start of the season. “I was also able to build a relationship and help out the younger guys. So I definitely think it helped with growth, and I got a lot out of it.”

Bennett also added that he believed TCU brought him to Fort Worth for a reason, and he wanted to prove that the program’s investment in him was a worthwhile one.

Luckily for the Frogs and Bennett, it appears that he’ll get another shot to do that in 2026. This development is massive for a team that’s struggled to maintain consistency on the offensive line over the past several seasons. Should Bennett continue to develop — and the rest of the position group take strides alongside him — the outlook for 2026 could be far brighter than it’s thought of right now.