TCU Football

If TCU running back Zach Evans has any sway with the athletic department, Deion Sanders will be the school's next head football coach. 

The sophomore tweeted very matter-of-factly that he wants the Horned Frogs to hire the Pro Football Hall of Famer:

Evans' comment comes after Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported on Tuesday that Sanders is "squarely in the mix" for the TCU job after an "impressive" first interview with the school's selection committee. 

TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati announced on Sunday a parting of ways with Gary Patterson. Assistant coach Jerry Kill will take over as head coach on an interim basis for the rest of the season. 

The 61-year-old Patterson was in his 22nd season with the program. He finished 181-79 with six conference titles, including a Big 12 championship in 2014, in 260 games as TCU head coach. 

Sanders is in his second season as head coach at Jackson State. Primetime has led the Tigers to a 12-4 record overall, including an 8-1 mark through nine games this season. 

TCU was off to a 3-5 start under Patterson. The program is on track for its fourth losing season since 2013. 

Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders reportedly remains a candidate to fill the vacancy at TCU, according to Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram:

TCU is looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Gary Patterson last month. Jerry Kill has served as interim coach for the 4-5 squad.

Sanders is in his second season as head coach at Jackson State, leading the squad to an 8-1 record to start the 2021 campaign. 

A foot injury has kept Sanders off the sidelines, but his recruiting prowess has been especially notable for the FCS squad.

Jackson State had the No. 55 recruiting class in the country in 2021, per 247Sports, just two spots behind TCU. The class included Sanders' son, Shedeur Sanders, a 4-star prospect who has thrived for the HBCU program.

The quarterback has 2,414 passing yards with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions in nine games this season.

Deion Sanders' ability to turn Jackson State into an immediate winner could lead to more high-profile jobs. The former Hall of Fame player also has experience within Texas as a head coach at Trinity Christian School.

It could be a fit for TCU, which is looking to reestablish itself as a power in the Big 12 and nationally.

The Horned Frogs had 11 seasons with at least 10 wins under Patterson since 2002, but the team has struggled lately with just an 18-17 record from 2018-20.    

The TCU Horned Frogs football team has reportedly identified a handful of candidates to replace head coach Gary Patterson, who mutually agreed to part ways with the team on Sunday.

According to Chris Hummer of 247Sports, TCU is attempting to arrange interviews with Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders, Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and Nevada head coach Jay Norvell.

Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that TCU is also interested in Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

"Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as a candidate of interest for TCU in its head-coaching vacancy, a source confirmed Wednesday," Davison wrote. "Horned Frog Blitz publisher Jeremy Clark first reported of TCU's interest in Moore, and a source confirmed that 'there is some interest.'"

Hummer also noted that Moore's representatives have reached out to TCU.

Sanders' connection to the Dallas-Fort Worth area makes him an intriguing candidate. He starred for the Cowboys during his Hall-of-Fame playing career for five years and coached at Texas high schools before accepting the Jackson State job.

The Tigers are 7-1 under Sanders this season after going 4-3 in the spring. Sanders' status as a strong recruiter also boosts his chances. Jackson State had the No. 55 recruiting class in the nation in 2021, according to 247Sports.

Moore, 33, is a rising star in the NFL coaching ranks. He played his final three years in the league with the Cowboys from 2015-17 and immediately joined Dallas' staff as quarterbacks coach in 2018. He transitioned to offensive coordinator in 2019.

Under Moore's leadership, the Cowboys have the top-ranked offense in the NFL with an average of 454.9 yards per game. Dallas also had the No. 1 offense in Moore's first year as O-coordinator but fell off last year when quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

TCU and Patterson parted ways after 22 seasons. He's the winningest coach in program history with a record of 181-79 but declined the option to continue to lead the team for the rest of the season. Special assistant Jerry Kill was promoted to interim head coach.

The TCU Horned Frogs football team and head coach Gary Patterson have mutually agreed to part ways amid a three-game losing streak.

TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati noted the school asked Patterson to continue to lead the team for the rest of the season, but the coach declined:

Special assistant Jerry Kill was promoted to interim head coach.

Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram first reported the news of the coaching change.

Patterson stepping down represents the end of an era for TCU. He's the winningest coach in program history with a record of 181-79. The 61-year-old led the Horned Frogs to six conference titles and nine bowl game wins, including the 2011 Rose Bowl and 2014 Peach Bowl.

TCU won double-digit games 11 times under Patterson, including a 13-0 season in 2010 that culminated with a No. 2 ranking in the final AP poll. In the first year of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the Horned Frogs finished sixth in the final ranking after going 12-1.

Patterson started at TCU in 1998 as a defensive coordinator. He was promoted to head coach in December 2000 when Dennis Franchione left to take the head coaching position at Alabama. Patterson, who was in his 21st season as TCU head coach, was the second-longest tenured head coach in FBS.

TCU fell to Kansas State on Saturday 31-12 to fall to 3-5 and 1-4 in the Big 12 this year. The Horned Frogs offense is averaging just 20 points during its three-game skid.

Donati will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.     

To say TCU head coach Gary Patterson was upset about how the aftermath of Saturday's 42-34 loss to SMU unfolded would be quite the understatement.

As Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram reported, Patterson unleashed on the Mustangs' program, criticized counterpart Sonny Dykes and connected the dots from SMU's decision to plant its flag on TCU's field to assistant coach Jerry Kill's concussion.

"I cannot substantiate that it was a SMU or TCU person, but it did happen," Patterson said when discussing Kill's concussion he suffered when he was knocked over multiple times during the scuffle that happened when the Mustangs wanted to plant their flag. "If we wouldn't have had the flags, it wouldn't have happened. OK?"

Davison noted video showed Kill was knocked over by TCU players at one point.

Kill, who retired from head coaching in 2015 and was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2005, has returned to work since suffering the injury.

Patterson also suggested SMU planned the entire stunt with the flags because it had someone ready to film it:

You don't think it was planned? They had a media person from their office that was out filming the flag getting set in the middle of the field. It's OK. But don't tell me there wasn't a plan somewhere there.

A guy [Kill] got hurt. Why I'm upset about it, a guy got hurt that things like that usually cause seizures. A guy got hurt. He got pushed down by our kids once on film in the middle of it and he got hit because I've got the proof to show it.

At the end of the day, whether it's SMU, TCU, I can't substantiate it. But at the end of the day it wouldn't have happened if we didn't have the flag situation.

SMU athletic director Rick Hard said there was "unequivocally" no plan and any suggestion to the contrary is "a complete fabrication."

Patterson also took aim at Dykes and suggested the SMU head coach should have contacted him to discuss the entire incident instead of reaching out to TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati:

Sonny has been a good friend of mine. I was disappointed that the AD got a call, I never got a call about Jerry getting hit. When we couldn't play in COVID, I made the phone call to Sonny Dykes, not him (Donati). I made the phone call saying, 'All of our quarterbacks are out. We can't play.' That's what the head coach of programs do. Not have one of their assistants text me in the middle of the night, or call my AD.

I still consider him a friend. I'm going to go forward with it.

Dykes was an assistant coach with the Horned Frogs in 2017.

As for the actual game, the Mustangs seized the lead in the second quarter and never looked back. They extended it to as many as 15 in the fourth quarter behind a dominant rushing attack that featured two backs who went over 100 yards.

TCU had no answer for Ulysses Bentley IV (153 rushing yards) or Tre Siggers (110 rushing yards), while wide receiver Danny Gray took advantage of the additional space the rushing attack created with 130 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai overcame three interceptions with four touchdown passes, and SMU improved to 4-0 on the season.

The Horned Frogs are 2-1 and now start Big 12 play against the rival Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

The Texas Bowl scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. ET between the Arkansas Razorbacks and TCU Horned Frogs has been canceled.

Bowl officials reportedly reached out to a team in hopes that it would take TCU's place in the game, according to Otis Kirk of Pig Trail Nation, but the unnamed squad could not do so.

The Texas Bowl was established in 2006 and has been played every year since. Both Arkansas and TCU would have been making their second Texas Bowl appearances, as Arkansas beat Texas in 2014 and TCU beat Houston in 2007.

Because of the unique circumstances surrounding this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many teams to decline bowl invitations, the Razorbacks were set to play in a bowl game despite going just 3-7.

Although Arkansas' record wasn't impressive, it made strides in its first season under head coach Sam Pittman after going 2-10 in both 2018 and 2019.

Notably, the Razorbacks beat Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee, and lost by three points or fewer against Auburn, LSU and Missouri.

TCU went 6-4 this season, which was an improvement over last year's 5-7 mark that resulted in the Horned Frogs missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2013.

TCU's biggest wins came against the likes of Texas and Oklahoma State, and they lost to Iowa State by only three points.

With the Texas Bowl no longer on the table, the New Year's Eve bowl slate is down to the Armed Forces Bowl (Tulsa vs. Mississippi State), Arizona Bowl (Ball State vs. San Jose State) and Liberty Bowl (West Virginia vs. Army).

TCU head coach Gary Patterson issued an apology Tuesday after using the N-word during a confrontation with Horned Frogs linebacker Dylan Jordan.

Jordan posted a statement about the encounter Monday (Warning: post includes a racial slur), which led multiple players to boycott yesterday's practice.

TCU offensive lineman Kellton Hollins confirmed the leadership council's meeting with Patterson:

"As a leadership council, we have spoken with Coach P about the events of today. We have discussed ways to move forward while keeping in mind the mental health of the football team. Coach P understands the significance of what he said. Regardless of the context, the word is unacceptable to use but even more so in today's climate. As a team, we will continue to hold coaches and everyone accountable especially as it pertains to the injustices of America."

Free-agent NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, who played at TCU under Patterson, came to his former coach's defense.

"Can verify what you're hearing negatively is not the full story," Newhouse wrote on Twitter. "Don't let yourself get wrapped up in what sounds the most sensational. I will let Coach P speak for himself, but he has 30-plus years of a track record to stand on. Lets, for once, all be mature about it."

Another former player, who's also Black and spent five years playing for Patterson with the Horned Frogs, told Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram he "never heard Patterson use a racial slur."

The 60-year-old Kansas native has been TCU's head coach since 2000, guiding the program to a 172-70 record with 17 bowl appearances in 20 seasons. The team has gone 11-6 in those postseason games.

He ranked 17th in the country with a $4.9 million salary for the 2019 season, per USA Today.

Patterson and the Horned Frogs are scheduled to kick off the 2020 campaign Sept. 26 against SMU, though the situation remains fluid because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Multiple TCU players refused to practice Monday morning after head coach Gary Patterson allegedly used the N-word in front of a player, linebacker Dylan Jordan wrote Monday (warning: contains a racial slur):

Jordan said Patterson used the racial slur Sunday at practice after the coach called him out for an Instagram post.     

"This behavior is not okay now or ever and there needs to be repercussions to these actions," Jordan wrote.

Multiple players came to Patterson's defense, saying the coach did not use the slur against a player and was telling them not to use the N-word in meetings (warning: tweets contain a racial slur):

Tight end Artavius Lynn provided more detail about how the players reacted:

On Tuesday, Patterson posted an apology on his Twitter account, saying his use of the racial slur was "unacceptable."

Patterson is going into his 20th full season as the TCU head coach, producing a 172-70 career record with the program.

The Horned Frogs are coming off a disappointing 2019 season where they finished 5-7, marking only the third time a Patterson-led team failed to reach a bowl game.

Jordan joined TCU last year as a 3-star recruit out of Pittsburg, Kansas. After initially planning to start his career at junior college, he was able to gain eligibility in July before the start of the season.

He was redshirted during his first season while only seeing action in two games, both in September against SMU and Kansas. The linebacker said Monday he was promised early playing time during the recruiting process. 

Five-star running back Zachary Evans, who 247Sports ranks as the 16th overall prospect in the class of 2020, chose to attend TCU on Monday, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.  

The 5'11", 200-pound Evans helped lead North Shore High School (Houston, Texas) to 2018 and 2019 Texas state championships on the 6A, Division I level. He rushed for 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns on just 127 carries (12.6 yards per carry).

He signed a letter of intent with Georgia during the Early Signing Period, per Chris Hummer of 247Sports. However, Evans was expected to be released from that commitment.

EJ Holland of 247Sports wrote that "Evans may be the best running back to come out of the Lone Star State since [Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson]" and that he could "literally do it all."

Hunter Atkins of the Houston Chronicle also praised Evans, writing that he has "taut muscularity that evokes Iron Man's armor and seemingly the preternatural ability to quickly read the second line of defense on the run."

Head coach John Kay offered his glowing remarks: "You have a lot of great backs out there with great vision or great power or great speed, he told Atkins. "His combination of all of those is what's been on display the last few weeks."

Ultimately, TCU looks like they are getting a future NFL prospect who's ready to dominate Division I ball right now.

TCU head football coach Gary Patterson's passion for music has been widely reported over the years, but he revealed to reporters on Tuesday that he's planning to take it a step further and connect with an unnamed recording artist to make an album.  

"I've always wanted to be able to do it," he said, per ESPN's Sam Khan Jr. "They've already been in the studio, they've already put it on tracks, and we're going forward. That's something that I never thought I'd get to do because I always stayed so busy."

"You might be really surprised when we get done with this," the 60-year-old added. "The guy that helped [rewrite] it, he put it in the modern age. If it hits No. 1, I'm gonna make all you guys all go out to some country place and you're all going to have to dance to it."

The 20-year TCU head coach said he's written 15 songs over the years, some of which have been updated over time.

While it's not clear what genre Patterson will focus on, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported in 2016 that his all-time favorite recording artist is Fleetwood Mac.

Patterson also showed off his singing and guitar-playing skills to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2013:

Patterson has a 172-70 lifetime record with the Horned Frogs.