TCU safety Jamel Johnson earned 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 honors after a monster season with 96 tackles and five interceptions.
FORT WORTH - TCU football has a clear defensive tone-setter heading into 2026, and the Big 12 just put his name in bold.
Horned Frogs safety Jamel Johnson was named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team on Monday, giving TCU one of the conference’s most respected defensive backs before the season even kicks off.
Johnson was the only Horned Frog selected, which makes the honor hit even harder.
If TCU’s defense is going to punch back in the Big 12 this fall, Johnson is expected to be right in the middle of it.
The Arlington native earned it.
As a junior in 2025, Johnson started every game at safety and stacked up 96 tackles, becoming one of the most reliable defenders on the roster.
He also grabbed five interceptions, tying for the Big 12 lead and proving he wasn’t just a cleanup tackler sitting deep in coverage. He was a problem for quarterbacks, too.
That kind of production is exactly why Johnson enters 2026 with serious attention. Safeties who can tackle, cover and flip momentum don’t stay quiet for long.
His rise also wasn’t some one-year accident. In 2024, Johnson finished third on the TCU roster with 73 tackles, showing he already had the physical edge and consistency needed to become a defensive leader.
Then he leveled up in 2025.
Now comes the next challenge ... carrying those expectations into a new season.
Johnson will represent TCU at Big 12 Football Media Days in Frisco on Wednesday, where the spotlight will get even brighter.
And for the Horned Frogs, that’s not a bad thing. Every team needs a player who sets the temperature before the first snap.
For TCU, Jamel Johnson looks like that guy. The Big 12 already knows his name. In 2026, opposing offenses may feel it even more.
