TCU is gearing up for its opening matchup in Ireland with North Carolina and head coach Sonny Dykes is continuing to sing the praises of his latest group of Horned Frogs.
With its opening affair with North Carolina just weeks away, TCU is suiting up and putting the finishing touches on its preseason preparations at fall camp.
After eight practices went in the books, Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes provided an update on his squad and his remarks were overwhelmingly glowing.
One of the biggest tidbits dropped by the incoming fifth-year leader was his reaffirmation that this most recent group at TCU is actually the most complete.
"There's a maturity and an expectation to go out and to perform at a high level. We say it all time, don't worry about the outcome," remarked Dykes. "Focus on the process and keep your head down and do things the right way."
"I just think we're disciplined. I think there's a lot of accountability, which is a very positive thing."
Kep in mind, this is a program that made it all the way to the national championship under Dykes and had quite the impressive team that season to accomplish that historic feat.
He did stop short of labelling this the "best" group he has coached in Fort Worth, which would undoubtedly remain the aforementioned national runner-up team.
Nonetheless, it appears that he is feeling confident with the pieces he has at his disposal this go-around.
And it is understandable why. TCU is arguably the oldest group in the Big 12 and one of the most experienced nationally.
Add onto that the fact that the Horned Frogs have racked up one of the highest win totals under Dykes and the foundation is there for another memorable outing.
The biggest remaining question for the Horned Frogs is if that experience will turn into wins in the pivotal moments, which has eluded Dykes since the run in his debut.
"Our talent is going to be close enough to our opponent to give us an opportunity to win the football game. It boils down to which team is going to be the most disciplined," said Dykes.
Serving as the leader and embodiment of this older group, graduate transfer quarterback Jaden Craig was one Horned Frog that Dykes mentioned by name in his assessment.
"A quarterback has to have reps and he [Craig] has had a ton of reps in college football. He's played a lot of football, which is a good thing," said Dykes.
"He understands how to play the game. He needed to learn how to play our system. He's made a huge jump and I'm very encouraged by what I've seen."
With Craig starting to round into form and the rest of the Horned Frogs leaving a strong impression on their coach, TCU is setting up for a strong opening statement against Bill Belichick-led North Carolina in a few short weeks.
In the meantime, Dykes will continue to tighten up any loose screws he does find on the team that he finds so strong ahead of a tough schedule that lasts far beyond the debut showdown in Ireland.
If the Horned Frogs live up to the strong words from Dykes, this squad could easily shift from the deepest to one of the most successful in recent history for TCU.
