After falling short of winning a national championship last season, the TCU Horned Frogs mostly bring back the same coaching staff as they look to build upon their runner-up status from 2022.
Second-year head coach Sonny Dykes found quick success in his first season as he takes his coaching staff and looks to keep the program growing.
TCU Horned Frogs Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Sonny Dykes
Dykes enters his second season with the program as their head coach leading them to a 13-2 record in the process. Dykes helped TCU make their first national championship appearance in program history before losing to the Georgia Bulldogs.
He won multiple Coach of the Year awards from numerous organizations, including CFN, the AP, Walter Camp, Sporting News, and AFCA.
Dykes has been a head coach for four different programs since 2010, when he started at Louisiana Tech. After a 22-15 record in three seasons, Dykes moved on to the Cal Golden Bears, where he recorded a 19-30 record in four seasons.
In 2017, he moved on to SMU, where he flipped the script, having a 30-18 record and winning records on three of the four seasons there.
He previously held offensive coordinator jobs at Arizona and Texas Tech from 2005 until 2009. Dykes has also been an assistant coach at Kentucky, Northeast Louisiana, Navarro Junior College, and J.J. Pearce High School.
Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/QB Coach, Kendal Briles
Kendal Briles is in his first season as the offensive coordinator for TCU. He has been an offensive coordinator since 2015 for five different schools. Briles had spent the last three seasons with Arkansas helping with the development of quarterbacks Feleipe Franks and KJ Jefferson, as well as leading the Razorbacks to winning records the last two seasons.
He had one-year stints with Florida State, Houston, and FA,U moving up each year with the level of competition.
In one season at Florida State, Briles had his offense improve on points per game (21.9 in 2018 to 29.1 in 2019), total offense (361.2 in 2018 to 403.2 in 2019), and rush offense (91.1 in 2018 to 133.8 in 2019). There were similar successes at Houston and Florida Atlantic, where he led both offenses to be top ten in the country in total offense.
Briles started coaching with the Baylor Bears, working under his father Art Briles. He moved up the rankings from wide receiver coach to offensive coordinator in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
- Baylor (Inside WR Coach/Offensive Recruiting Coordinator from 2008-2011, WR Coach/Passing Game Coordinator from 2012-2014, Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach from 2015-2016)
- Florida Atlantic (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach, 2017)
- Houston (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach, 2018)
- Florida State (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach, 2019)
- Arkansas (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach, 2020-2022)
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach, A.J. Ricker
This is A.J. Ricker’s third season with TCU as their co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Ricker played a key role in the offense scoring big numbers en route to a national title appearance, with four offensive linemen earning postseason honors either on All-American or All-Big 12.
He served the same role at SMU in 2020 and was the only offensive line coach in 2019. SMU was able to be ranked in the top 10 in scoring (41.8) and total offense (489.8) under Ricker’s direction in 2020.
Ricker was previously an offensive assistant at multiple Power Five conference teams, including Kansas, Oklahoma State, Houston, Missouri, and Illinois.
- Western Michigan (Graduate Assistant from 2006-2007 & Offensive Line Coach in 2008)
- Joseph’s College (Offensive Line Coach in 2009 and Head Coach in 2010)
- Western Michigan (Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach, 2011-2012)
- Illinois (Offensive Line Coach, 2013)
- Missouri (Offensive Line Coach, 2014-2015)
- Houston (Offensive Analyst, 2016)
- Oklahoma State (Offensive Analyst, 2017)
- Kansas (Offensive Line Coach, 2018)
- SMU (Offensive Line Coach in 2019 and Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach in 2020)
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach, Joe Gillespie
Joe Gillespie returns to TCU after a successful first season as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Gillespie helped improve the defense in yards per game and points per game.
All three of his starting linebackers were named All-Big 12 at the end of the season.
His previous stop in college was at Tulsa, where he started as linebackers coach for the first four years there before taking over as defensive coordinator. In 2018, he was a part of the defense that was ranked eighth in the country in pass defense.
His first stop was serving under Art Briles at Stephenville High School as an assistant for the first 13 seasons there. From 2008 until 2014, he was the head coach of the school, leading to a state title in 2012.
- Stephenville High School (Assistant from 1995 through 2007 and Head Coach from 2008 through 2014)
- Tulsa (Linebackers Coach from 2015 through 2018 and Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach from 2019 through 2021)
Special Teams Coordinator, Mark Tommerdahl
Mark Tommerdahl is in his third season leading the special teams for the Horned Frogs. Tommerdahl was previously with TCU from 1998 until 2000, where he led the special teams and coached tight ends as well.
His special teams in 2022 saw kicker Griffin Kell make the All-Big 12 team and returner Derius Davis earned the Jet Award as the nation’s top returner.
He has a long history of being a special teams coordinator for multiple schools, including his last stop being three seasons at Texas Tech. Tommerdahl has also led the special teams for Purdue, Utah State, California, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas A&M
- Wyoming (Graduate Assistant)
- Minnesota (Special Teams Coordinator, 1995-1996)
- New Mexico (Special Teams Coordinator, 1997)
- Alabama (Special Teams Coordinator, 2001-2002)
- Texas A&M (Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach)
- Louisiana-Monroe (Special Teams Coordinator)
- Louisiana Tech (Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach, 2008)
- California (Special Teams Coordinator, 2014-2016)
- Utah State (Special Teams Coordinator, 2017)
- Purdue (Special Teams Coordinator, 2018)
- Texas Tech (Special Teams Coordinator/Associate Head Coach, 2019-2021)
Cornerbacks Coach, Carlton Buckels
Carlton Buckels is entering his second season with the cornerbacks coaching that unit. Last season, he coached Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson to a Jim Thorpe Award, and Josh Newton was named First-Team All-Big 12. He also coached with Tulsa, Baylor, North Texas, New Mexico State, Southeastern Louisiana, and Delta State.
Safeties Coach, Paul Gonzales
Paul Gonzales is one of the more tenured coaches on the staff, being with the program since 2012 as he currently coaches the safeties. Two of his safeties in 2022 were named Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 selections. He has previously coached at Pacific, UC Davis, and Pioneer High School.
Running Backs Coach/Run Game Coordinator, Anthony Jones Jr.
This is season two for Anthony Jones Jr. as he coaches the running backs. Jones helped running back Kendre Miller earn a semifinalist spot for the Doak Walker Award and was later drafted into the NFL by the New Orleans Saints. He previously coached at Memphis in FBS and was a one-time head coach for Westwood High School in 2010.
Assistant Head Coach/Outside Receivers Coach, Malcolm Kelly
Malcolm Kelly is in his fifth season with TCU, starting as an outside receivers coach and was promoted to assistant head coach last year. Kelly has helped two receivers get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, Quentin Johnson and Jalen Reagor. He also coached for Houston and Texas A&M Commerce.
Defensive Line Coach, JaMarkus McFarland
JaMarkus McFarland is entering his second season with TCU, coaching their defensive line. One of his defensive linemen, Dylan Horton, played well enough to get drafted in the NFL by the Houston Texans back in April. McFarland has previously been an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma.
Inside Receivers Coach, Doug Meacham
Doug Meacham has been a long-time assistant coach in the college ranks since 1988. This is his second stint with TCU as he was co-offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach from 2014 until 2016. He returned to the program in 2020, where he has held multiple roles, including offensive coordinator, tight ends coach, and currently inside wide receivers coach.