Coltin Deery will be one of multiple upperclassmen departing.
After an up-and-down 2024 season in which the TCU offensive line allowed 16 sacks and led a rushing attack that averaged only 3.7 yards per game, the Horned Frogs reshuffled the rotation as the 2025 season progressed.
Two All-Big 12 Honorable Mentions, Bless Harris and James Brockermeyer, departed after last season. Harris declared for the NFL Draft, while Brockermeyer transferred to Miami, where he became the starting center for the national runner-up Hurricanes. TCU also lost veteran offensive tackle Mike Nichols to graduation, meaning the team would need two new starters at tackle, along with a new starting center, for the 2025 season.
Stepping into a captain’s role was senior Coltin Deery, who moved from left guard to his natural center position in 2025. A three-year member of the Horned Frogs, Deery totaled 812 snaps at center and started all 12 games this season. With Deery moving to center, TCU slotted Cade Bennett in at left guard. Bennett, who redshirted in 2024 because of a back injury, was a key transfer from San Diego State who had earned All-MWC honors with the Aztecs. Bennett held down the left guard position, making 11 appearances with 10 starts this season.
TCU rotated players at right guard and right tackle throughout the season. The Horned Frogs opened the season with fifth-year senior Carson Bruno at right guard and junior Ben Taylor-Whitfield at right tackle. But a key injury at left tackle forced changes, as TCU lost freshman Ryan Hughes to a season-ending knee injury. As a result, Taylor-Whitfield went to left tackle and Bruno, who started every game for the Horned Frogs, made nine starts at right guard before moving to right tackle for the final four games. Six-foot-8 redshirt junior Quinton Harris was the initial answer at right tackle, making four starts at the position before Bruno took over.
With Harris and Bruno playing at right tackle, fifth-year senior Remington Strickland and redshirt sophomore Cooper Powers each took on significant reps at right guard. Strickland played in every game and made five starts, while Powers started the final three regular season games. Altogether, TCU’s offensive line allowed 18 sacks and paved way for a slightly improved rushing attack that averaged 3.9 yards per carry in 2025. There will be more changes coming in 2026 as the Horned Frogs transition to new offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis.
Deery, Strickland and Bruno are all out of eligibility, meaning TCU will need a minimum of two new starters on the offensive line. Before the 2025 season concluded, Oklahoma State transfer Noah McKinney signed with the Horned Frogs, giving TCU a valuable interior option next season. Additionally, Bennett received a waiver from the NCAA to return for a seventh season. Lastly, TCU signed FIU redshirt freshman Jaheim Buchanon, an All-CUSA Second Teamer in 2025 and an All-CUSA Freshman Team recipient in 2024 through the transfer portal.
Between Bennett, Buchanon, Powers and McKinney, TCU should be locked in with depth and starting experience at the guard positions. At the tackle positions, Taylor-Whitfield and Hughes are the most notable players eligible to return. Hughes, a redshirt freshman who started in the New Mexico Bowl last season, showed promise before his knee injury. It’s been an up-and-down ride for Taylor-Whitfield, who has played multiple positions at TCU, but has struggled with penalties. Nevertheless, Taylor-Whitefield has roughly 1,800 snaps under his belt.
Harris and former Incarnate Word lineman Rasheed Jackson have each entered the transfer portal, but the Horned Frogs have a plethora of young linemen to develop. That group includes redshirt freshmen Wesley Harvey, Samir Camacho and Tobias Steppes along with true freshmen Kilian Registe, Jackson Jones, Creece Brister, Logan Schram and Witten Van Hoy. A key upperclassmen to watch will be former Abilene Christian transfer Dylan Kinney, a junior who has moved from tackle to center. Looking at the 2026 class, TCU has signed a trio of three-star offensive lineman in Devan Robison, Vincent Johnson Jr. and Jordan Burnett.
Category: General Sports
