TCU football is within weeks of taking on the North Carolina Tar Heels and new head coach Bill Belichick in a nationally televised Monday night contest on Sept 1. Three days after the Horned Frogs take the field, the first week of the 2025 NFL regular season kicks off with a Thursday Night Football matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. With the college football and NFL seasons on the horizon, we take a look at a few of the TCU Horned Frogs who could play their way onto scouting radars for the 2026 NFL Draft next April.
TCU saw two players drafted earlier this year, with Jack Bech going to the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round while Savion Williams went to the Green Bay Packers in the third round. The Horned Frogs had three draft picks in 2024 (Brandon Coleman, Josh Newton and Jared Wiley) and an astounding eight draftees in 2023 (Quentin Johnston, Steve Avila, Kendre Miller, Dylan Horton, Derius Davis, Tre Tomlinson, Dee Winters and Max Duggan). Here are six TCU players back in action this fall who could be drafted by NFL teams in 2026.
FORT WORTH, TX - NOVEMBER 11: Josh Hoover #10 of the TCU Horned Frogs looks to throw against the Texas Longhorns during the 2nd half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - NOVEMBER 11: Josh Hoover #10 of the TCU Horned Frogs looks to throw against the Texas Longhorns during the 2nd half at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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Josh Hoover (Quarterback - RS Jr. - 6 feet 2 inches, 200 pounds)
A former three-star prospect from Rockwall Heath, Hoover redshirted in 2022 and served as TCU’s backup quarterback at the start of the 2023 season, playing behind starter Chandler Morris. The Horned Frogs returned in 2023 with massive expectations after advancing to the national championship, but the 2023 season proved to be a struggle on both sides of the ball. Morris, who threw five interceptions in seven games started, suffered a knee injury halfway through the season, thrusting Hoover into the starting lineup. Despite mistakes in games against Nicholls and Iowa State, Hoover turned in a breakout performance against BYU, completing 37 of 58 passes for a season-best 439 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions. TCU won the game 44-11.
Hoover proved capable of commanding TCU’s Air Raid offense, averaging 46 pass attempts per game over TCU’s final six games of the season, all of which were started by Hoover. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder concluded his redshirt freshman season with a 344-yard, four-touchdown performance at Oklahoma to end his season with 2,206 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 62.9 percent completion rate. As the full-time starter in 2024, Hoover established new career-bests in several categories, throwing for 27 touchdowns and a new TCU single-season record of 3,949 passing yards. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2024, Hoover ranked among the nation’s leaders in pass attempts (471), completions (313) and he raised his completion rate to 66.5 percent. Turnovers were an issue, though, as Hoover threw 11 picks and fumbled six times, which tied with South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers for the most among Power 4 quarterbacks.
Cutting down on turnovers and raising his completion rate a second time are two ways Hoover can plant himself on NFL radars in 2025. Making plays off schedule, including using his legs to pick up first downs and avoid the pressure, will be another area of Hoover’s game to watch for as the Horned Frogs gear up for the 2025 season.
WACO, TX - NOVEMBER 2: Eric McAlister #88 of the TCU Horned Frogs carries the ball against the Baylor Bears during the game at McLane Stadium on November 2, 2024 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
WACO, TX - NOVEMBER 2: Eric McAlister #88 of the TCU Horned Frogs carries the ball against the Baylor Bears during the game at McLane Stadium on November 2, 2024 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
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Eric McAlister (Wide Receiver - Sr. - 6 feet 3 inches, 205 pounds)
McAlister was the ultimate Sixth Man at wide receiver last season, his first in Fort Worth, posting 39 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 19.5 yards per catch, which ranked 12th in college football. McAlister’s 19.5 average outranked multiple 2025 NFL Draft choices including Arkansas’s Isaac TeSlaa, Ole Miss’s Jordan Watkins, Ole Miss’s Tre Harris and Illinois’s Pat Bryant. A transfer from Boise State, McAlister showed an ability to make great runs after the catch, sprinting for an 84-yard touchdown against Texas Tech as well as a 59-yard touchdown against Kansas. With Savion Williams and Jack Bech sidelined for the New Mexico Bowl, McAlister went for 87 yards and a touchdown on eight grabs in TCU’s 34-3 victory against Louisiana.
McAlister’s big-play ability stems back to his time at Boise State, where over two seasons he averaged 19.5 yards per catch and went for over 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns on fewer than 60 receptions. With Williams, Bech and J.P. Richardson off the TCU roster and in the NFL, McAlister is the clear No. 1 receiver of the Horned Frog offense, which accumulated over 4,000 passing yards in 2024. Should McAlister be able to consistently post catches and yards while maintaining his high yards-per-reception average, the Azle, Texas native should have no trouble planting himself on NFL radars before the start of the 2026 draft next spring.
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 28: TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) during a Big 12 football game between the TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas Jayhawks on September 28, 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 28: TCU Horned Frogs safety Bud Clark (21) during a Big 12 football game between the TCU Horned Frogs and Kansas Jayhawks on September 28, 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Bud Clark (Free Safety - RS Sr. - 6 feet 2 inches, 185 pounds)
One of only a few starters remaining from TCU’s national championship run in 2022-23, Clark opted to return for a sixth season in Fort Worth despite earning All-Big 12 Second Team honors last year. A fixture of the Horned Frog secondary since 2022, Clark has posted 24 pass breakups and 11 interceptions over the last three seasons and has gained a reputation of being a ball hawk in the defensive backfield. Clark stepped up a tackler in 2024, notching a career-high 66 total tackles including 43 solo stops, also a career high. Moreover, Clark anchored a TCU secondary that was one of the best in the Big 12 against the pass last season, as the Horned Frogs allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game (185.2) and the fourth-lowest completion percentage (57.6). TCU’s 14 passing touchdowns allowed, an average of only 1.07 per game, ranked second-best in the conference.
The Horned Frogs have sent several defensive backs to the NFL over the last few seasons, with cornerbacks Tre Tomlinson (2023), Josh Newton (2024) and Jeff Gladney (2020) as well as safeties Tre’von Moehrig (2021) and Vernon Scott (2020) seeing their names called. Undrafted players like Ar’Darius Washington, Mark Perry, Millard Bradford and Innis Gaines also made their way onto NFL rosters. After earning an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2022 and Second-Team honors in 2024, an ascension to First-Team status would be a tremendous resume builder for Clark, who has played in 50 games over his five years with the Horned Frogs.
FORT WORTH, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Devean Deal (#11) runs up field during the Big 12 college football game between the UCF Knights and TCU Horned Frogs on September 14, 2024 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - SEPTEMBER 14: TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Devean Deal (#11) runs up field during the Big 12 college football game between the UCF Knights and TCU Horned Frogs on September 14, 2024 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Devean Deal (EDGE - Sr. - 6 feet 4 inches, 250 pounds)
The older brother of TCU defensive lineman Markis Deal, Devean arrived from Tulane and provided a punch as a pass rusher for the Horned Frogs, whose defensive scheme changed under then first-year defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, who enters his second year with the program. Named both an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the New Mexico Bowl, Deal led TCU in both tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (5.5) in 2024. While Deal wasn’t named a starter at the beginning of the season, he earned his opportunity when Cooper McDonald sustained an injury. Deal, who started seven of the final eight games in 2024, finished seventh on the team with 46 tackles and posted at least one tackle for loss in six of the team’s last seven outings.
Deal was a top transfer portal addition after a breakout 2023 campaign with the Green Wave, when he compiled 43 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles. Deal’s 5.5 sacks showed an ability to make the leap from AAC to Big 12 football. Should the senior EDGE rusher turn in another strong season in 2025, he’ll have a great opportunity to place himself on NFL scouting reports entering 2026.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 19: Kaleb Elarms-Orr #3 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrates after a sack in the first half against the Utah Utes at Rice Eccles Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 19: Kaleb Elarms-Orr #3 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrates after a sack in the first half against the Utah Utes at Rice Eccles Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images
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Kaleb Elarms-Orr (Linebacker - RS Sr. 6 feet 2 inches, 235 pounds)
Similar to how Eric McAlister played a Sixth Man role for the TCU offense, Elarms-Orr was a Sixth Man of the defense, finishing sixth on the team with 54 total tackles despite not starting a single game. A transfer from Cal, Elarms-Orr made his mark in the Pac-12, earning Second Team honors before transferring to TCU for the 2024 season. After the departure of three-year starter Johnny Hodges to the NFL, Elarms-Orr is primed for both a starting role and a breakout senior season with the Horned Frogs. Fans got a taste of what Elarms-Orr could do during the New Mexico Bowl, when he recorded eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the 34-3 win.
MANHATTAN, KS - OCTOBER 21: Linebacker Namdi Obiazor #4 of the TCU Horned Frogs tackles quarterback Avery Johnson #5 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
MANHATTAN, KS - OCTOBER 21: Linebacker Namdi Obiazor #4 of the TCU Horned Frogs tackles quarterback Avery Johnson #5 of the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium on October 21, 2023 in Manhattan, Kansas. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
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Namdi Obiazor (Linebacker - 5th Yr Sr. - 6 feet 3 inches, 220 pounds)
Once a defensive back at the junior college level, Obiazor converted from safety to linebacker at TCU and has made an impact as both a run and pass defender. A two-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, Obiazor returns for the 2025 season as one of the most experienced players on the roster. Obiazor, who gained additional eligibility after the injunction filed in the Diego Pavia lawsuit, has started 25 games over the last two years and has played in 40 games since arriving from Iowa Western Community College, where he was named an NJCAA First-Team All-American in 2021. A sure tackler who has exceeded 80 total tackles over each of the last two seasons, Obiazor has broken up six passes at TCU and snagged his first career interception against LIU during the 2024 campaign.