The college football season has officially begun, and TCU fans are likely wishing we were still days away. Last season, TCU kicked off the season in thrilling fashion with a blowout victory in Bill Belichick's college football debut. This season, North Carolina got the last laugh, leaving Dublin, Ireland with a 15-10 victory over the Horned Frogs.
In the first game of the season, it became clear that this TCU offense will be taking a massive step back. While the group was playing their first game under a new offensive coordinator in wet conditions, it's also clear that the biggest difference is the quarterback play.
Sonny Dykes' shot at Josh Hoover looks ridiculous after Jaden Craig struggles
This offseason, TCU suffered a major setback when Curt Cignetti went into the Transfer Portal and landed Josh Hoover to replace Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. The loss seemed like it could be a massive setback for TCU as they pivoted to Harvard transfer Jaden Craig who'd be taking a major leap in competition.
The only person who seemingly believed that the offense could get better was Sonny Dykes, who took a parting shot at Josh Hoover, calling out his turnover stats.
NEW: TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes takes a SHOT at QB Josh Hoover, who left for Indiana…
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) March 25, 2026
“Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback, and (HE) turned the ball over 42 times.” 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wHFnv4gojK
Calling out Josh Hoover looks especially laughable when the offense performed the way that it did in the season opener. The Horned Frogs scored just 10 points, and Jaden Craig looked like a major downgrade compared to what the offense got out of Josh Hoover during his career.
Sonny Dykes called out Josh Hoover's turnovers, which amount to 1.35 turnovers per game, but Jaden Craig fumbled the ball away once, and then made a horrible decision to turn the ball over on downs when he could've easily ran for a first down, if not a touchdown, and it sealed the game for North Carolina.
Turnovers are always bad, but you can also live with them when the offense is scoring a ton of points. Josh Hoover threw plenty of interceptions, but he also lit the scoreboard up early and often keeping TCU in almost every game.
The comments are only going to look worse this season when Josh Hoover is throwing touchdowns to Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker, leading the Indiana offense, which will have a chance to be one of the most explosive in the country.
While Jaden Craig may be the safer passer, Sonny Dykes trying to pretend that Josh Hoover wasn't a major loss was crazy in the moment, and even crazier now. Craig wasn't aggressive at all in this game, and it likely hurt the Horned Frogs as they never found the explosive gains to make Bill Belichick adjust on defense.
You never want to overreact to the results in the first game of the season, but TCU looks like it could be in trouble this season. The staff is going to need to adjust a ton before the next game, and they'll need to find a way to get Craig more comfortable; otherwise, it could be a long season for the Horned Frogs.
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