TCU has reached the 10-day mark of its search to find Gary Patterson’s replacement as the program’s next football coach.
Progress is being made and candidates are separating themselves in the process. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati told the Star-Telegram that the school remains on target to name a new coach by early December with the early signing period starting Dec. 15.
“We continue to make progress daily,” Donati said. “We are still very much on target for the initial goals and timeline we set out at the start of the process.”
Donati has not discussed specific coaches but has said the school would prefer a sitting head coach with an offensive background.
Donati is expected to make the hire with significant input from a five-person internal search committee (Donati, deputy athletics director Mike Sinquefield, board of trustees members LaDainian Tomlinson, Eddie Clark and Hunter Enis). The school has also retained a coaching search firm.
Among the leading candidates for the position, according to sources, include Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Jackson State’s Deion Sanders, SMU’s Sonny Dykes, Louisiana’s Billy Napier and Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott.
Those five coaches have generated the most interest to date, although a source said “there are other candidates TCU is still vetting.”
With that being said, here’s a look at the five leading candidates to date.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State
As the Star-Telegram reported earlier this week, TCU is interested in Campbell, who has been at Iowa State since the 2016 season. Campbell addressed that report on Monday, saying he’s only focused on Iowa State’s program.
“We’ve got such a great fan base, such a great program right now at Iowa State and what we’re doing and what we’re building,” Campbell said. “Really, I’m just worried about our program and really nothing else outside of it.”
Campbell added that he hasn’t spoken with TCU since the job opened.
But a TCU source said Tuesday night that the school remains interested in Campbell, despite his comments on Monday.
“Nothing has changed,” the source said.
Campbell, 41, has turned down a number of opportunities in recent years, including at the NFL level. But TCU feels it’s one of the top jobs in the country and is in position to make a push for coaches of Campbell’s stature.
TCU checks a number of boxes that coaches covet such as being located in one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country; financial resources to pay top-of-the-line salaries to the head coach and his assistants; and top-notch facilities (TCU hosted the New Orleans Saints earlier this year amid Hurricane Ida).
With Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 in the coming years, there’s a belief by some that TCU could become the league’s top job.
Deion Sanders, Jackson State
As the Star-Telegram reported this week, the man known as “Prime Time” is a prime candidate for the position.
Sanders, 54, has turned heads with what he’s been able to do at Jackson State in a short time period, landing the best FCS and HBCU recruiting class in history in 2021.
Sanders interviewed for the job on Monday, sources said, and is expected to make it to the next round of interviews.
No candidate on TCU’s list would have a greater impact on recruiting or generate more national interest than Sanders.
Sonny Dykes, SMU
Dykes has been viewed as a front-runner since this position opened on Halloween night. Dykes spent time with TCU as an offensive analyst under Patterson in 2017, so he has familiarity with TCU brass.
Dykes, 52, has shown the ability to navigate the transfer portal and NIL era at SMU. However, the Mustangs have lost two straight games and a November slide could hurt Dykes’ chances.
But Dykes remains a strong candidate among TCU circles.
Billy Napier, Louisiana
Napier is considered a rising star in the industry. The Ragin’ Cajuns are No. 24 in the country right now, sitting at 8-1.
Napier, 42, has been courted by other schools in recent years, but has stayed at Louisiana. He could be drawn to TCU, though, for the reasons mentioned above for Campbell.
Napier is 36-12 in four seasons at Louisiana.
Tony Elliott, Clemson offensive coordinator
Elliott, 41, may be the candidate with the least buzz so far but he is under consideration.
Clemson is in the midst of a down year, but Elliott has been viewed as a future head coach for several years. He was OC when Clemson won the national championship in 2016 and 2018, and certainly has the necessary credentials to land this job even though he’s yet to be a head coach.
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