TCU Football

The Kansas Jayhawks are 5-0 on the season following Saturday's win over the Iowa State Cyclones, and they're being rewarded with the College GameDay treatment.

ESPN announced Saturday night that its College GameDay broadcast is headed to Kansas for next weekend's game against the 4-0 TCU Horned Frogs. It marks the first time that College GameDay will be live from Lawrence, Kansas.

The Jayhawks are rolling with wins over Tennessee Tech, West Virginia, Houston, Duke and Iowa State. It is Kansas' first 5-0 start since 2009, when it finished 5-7 under head coach Mark Mangino.

Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels is having a solid start to the season, completing 71 percent of his passes for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns against one interception. He has also rushed for 320 yards and four scores.

As for TCU, the Horned Frogs are off to a 4-0 start following an upset of No. 18 Oklahoma on Saturday. They have also defeated Tarleton State and SMU.

Next weekend's matchup between Kansas and TCU will mark the 39th all-time meeting between the two teams. The Horned Frogs lead the series 25-9-4, and they last beat the Jayhawks 31-28 on Nov. 20, 2021.

TCU has reportedly found its next head football coach in SMU's Sonny Dykes.

ESPN's Ian Fitzsimmons broke the news and offered some insight on compensation:

Dykes is headed to Fort Worth after four years in charge of SMU. The 52-year-old has gone 30-17 (18-12 American Athletic Conference) during his tenure.

SMU has received two straight bowl bids and is slated to get a third after its 8-3 mark this season.

Dykes also had head coaching stops at Louisiana Tech (2010-2012) and Cal (2013-2016). he went 22-15 for the Bulldogs, but the Golden Bears went just 19-30 (10-26 in Pac-12) under Dykes' watch.

The former Texas Tech football and baseball player served as an offensive analyst for TCU during the 2017 season in between his Cal and SMU stops.

Dykes' resume also includes stints as Texas Tech's co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach (2005-2006) and Arizona's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2007-2009).

He will take over for Gary Patterson, who was fired on Oct. 31 after 21 seasons running the TCU program. Dykes has big shoes to fill in Fort Worth, as Patterson went 181-79 and led the Horned Frogs to 11 Top 25 poll finishes.

That includes a No. 2 ranking in 2010 for an undefeated TCU team that beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl and a No. 3 squad in 2014 that earned a Peach Bowl win over Ole Miss.

TCU hasn't fared well of late: After an 11-3 2017 season that ended with a No. 9 ranking and an Alamo Bowl win, the Horned Frogs went just 21-22 over Patterson's next three-plus seasons.

Now Dykes will look to bring the program back to being a perennial Big 12 and national power. As for SMU, ESPN's Dave Wilson reported that Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee "is the front-runner" to take over the job.

SMU head football coach Sonny Dykes is reportedly the "frontrunner" to become TCU's next head coach, according to Blake Brockermeyer, Jeremy Clark, Billy Embody and Chris Hummer of 247Sports.com.

Per that report, "Dykes has contract offers in front of him from both TCU and SMU with each deal valued at over $4 million a year, per sources."

TCU is reportedly looking to make a hire by Sunday to replace Gary Patterson, who was fired on Oct. 31 after 20 years leading the program. Jerry Kill has been serving as interim head coach.

Patterson was 181-79 during his time at the school and was an impressive 7-3 against Texas, helping put TCU's football program back on the map.

"The story of Gary Patterson and the rise in the fortunes of the TCU football program over the last 20 years is clearly one of the most remarkable in the history of college football," athletic director Jeremiah Donati said in a statement at the time. "We are grateful to Gary and Kelsey Patterson and appreciate everything they have meant to TCU and the Fort Worth community. Under his leadership, TCU has become a nationally recognized brand name in football and in collegiate athletics."

But the Horned Frogs are a disappointing 5-6 on the season, which included a 42-34 loss against SMU in September. That ushered in the end of Patterson's time at the helm, though replacing him will require filling some pretty big shoes.

Dykes would bring a solid resume to Fort Worth. He's gone 71-62 in his career, with head coaching stints at Louisiana Tech (2010-12), California (2013-16) and SMU (2017-present). Under his watch, the Mustangs have gone 30-17, including an 8-3 mark this year, and played in two bowl games.

It's unclear if Dykes would continue coaching SMU, which is bowl eligible, through the rest of the season or join TCU immediately if he chooses the Horned Frogs' offer.

Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders put an end to the rumors that he's a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at TCU.

"Well, TCU is not the only one interested in my services," Sanders said, per Khari Thompson of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger. "(Jackson State athletic director) Ashley Robinson is interested in my services and finishing out what I completed. Never believe rumors, especially when I’ve been in the hospital for darn near a month. So never just go out there and believe what you hear, my man."

Sanders was referring to the time he was away from his team while recovering from foot surgery.

The Horned Frogs parted ways with longtime head coach Gary Patterson on Oct. 31, ending his 22-year tenure with the team. Reports surfaced earlier this month that Sanders was among the top options the school intends to pursue. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that he had already interviewed for the position.

The rumors of Sanders' candidacy made sense, considering his strong ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He played five years for the Dallas Cowboys during his Hall of Fame playing career. He also spent time coaching at Texas high schools before landing his position at Jackson State.

The Tigers won all three games while Sanders was out and improved to 9-1 (7-0 in SWAC) with a comeback victory over rival Southern in his return this past Saturday. Sanders boasted that his team's success has generated interest from other schools besides TCU.

"Trust me, TCU and several others are not the only ones interested in what we do here at Jackson State," he said. "People are trying to figure out the formula; it ain’t no formula.

"It’s loving on these kids, challenging these kids, holding these kids accountable, making sure they maintain themselves to be smart, tough, fast, and disciplined. And that’s the secret—not everyone has this recipe."

Jackson State is riding a seven-game win streak and will close out the regular season against Alcorn State on Saturday. The Tigers have already clinched a spot in the SWAC championship game on Dec. 4.