Following a lackluster debut with the Horned Frogs, TCU quarterback Jaden Craig has shined in his past two starts and has begun to emerge as the serious threat that was touted in the offseason.
TCU put much of its stake in Harvard transfer quarterback Jaden Craig heading in to the latest season for the Horned Frogs.
Not only to fill the obvious gap left behind by longtime starter Josh Hoover, who left for Indiana, but to serve as a veteran leader on a team looking to finally break through again in the Big 12.
In his debut with TCU, it appeared that these hopes in Craig may have been misguided, as he seemed dazed and confused in Dublin in a loss to North Carolina.
The Tar Heels defense commanded by Bill Belichick swarmed Craig and held him to 175 passing yards without a touchdown in the 15-10 defeat.
With worries about the potential of Craig at the helm of the Horned Frogs offense, he has since showcased what made him such an alluring prospect for the program in the offseason.
In the past two outings, Craig has completely flipped a switch and looked like a totally different person under center.
He has thrown for nearly 750 yards and a whopping seven touchdowns in the matchups with Grambling State and Arkansas State.
Arguably most important of all, Craig has been especially great at protecting the football, with only one interception on the year thus far.
That is something that could not be said about his predecessor in Hoover, despite all the success he had with the Horned Frogs.
Craig's recent turnaround is not just reassuring for the immediate future of TCU, it also marked a historic stretch for the Horned Frogs.
According to those with TCU football, Craig is the first Horned Frog quarterback since Trevone Boykin 2015 to record a rating of 195 or better in back to back starts.
While Boykin tossed for more yards and touchdowns in that span over a decade ago, Craig claimed the better completion rate and won the interception battle.
Craig has undoubtedly showcased the skills that brought him to Fort Worth but there is still plenty to prove, especially with the gauntlet of Big 12 play looming.
The Horned Frogs conference slate gets underway out in the Sunshine State against UCF.
This clash with the Knights serves as a make-or-break game for not only TCU but also Craig in their first evenly matched showdown since North Carolina.
With a decisive win in Orlando where Craig has another commanding performance, it could signal the arrival of the Horned Frogs as a serious force within the Big 12.
The preseason goals are still very much intact for TCU and have been shown to rely strongly on the efforts of Craig, who appears to be only improving as the year rolls along.
