After spending four years rebuilding the football program at SMU, Sonny Dykes decided to make the jump to a Power 5 school. He headed West, finding a new opportunity with rival TCU after longtime leader Gary Patterson agreed to part ways with the school.
Dykes has wasted no time putting the Horned Frogs in a position to succeed, leading the program to the College Football Playoff in 2022. After a down season in 2023, Dykes led TCU back to a bowl game last year, and will hope to capitalize on a 9-4 season that saw the Horned Frogs finish strong. Here are some things to know about Dykes:
1. The basics
Dykes’ move to TCU took place in 2021 after he led SMU to a 30-18 record. The move from one Iron Skillet rival to another wasn’t easy for Dykes, but it provided him a chance to revive a program at the highest level of college football.
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Before he was hired at SMU, Dykes was an offensive analyst at TCU in 2017. He also had stints as head football coach at Cal from 2013-16 and Louisiana Tech from 2010-12.
2. Taking the Iron Skillet to Fort Worth
Dykes, heading into last season, had won four straight editions of the Battle for the Iron Skillet. He won two of them with SMU and two of them with TCU.
However, Dykes’ streak of victories came to an end last season when Rhett Lashlee’s SMU blew past the Horned Frogs 66-42 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in University Park. The win would be a part of what turned out to be a banner year for SMU that resulted in a berth in the College Football Playoff.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against SMU, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
Smiley N. Pool / AP
3. Texas roots
Dykes was born in Big Spring, Texas, and went to high school in Lubbock. His first coaching job was a local one at Richardson Pearce before spending two years at Navarro Junior College in Corsicana.
4. Take me out to the ballgame
Dykes got an athletic scholarship to attend Texas Tech, only not as a football player. Dykes played first base on the Red Raiders’ baseball team, lettering for three seasons in Lubbock.
5. Not rocket science
Dykes had an interesting choice of major when he attended Texas Tech. He chose to study nuclear engineering, graduating with his degree in 1993. He also received a master’s degree from Kentucky while serving as a graduate assistant and tight ends coach under former SMU offensive coordinator Hal Mumme.
6. Coaching bloodlines
Dykes comes from a well-respected coaching family in the state of Texas. His late father, Spike, is the all-time winningest football coach in Texas Tech history, having won three Southwest Conference coach of the year awards in 14 seasons at the helm of the Red Raiders.
7. Pro quarterbacks
Dykes has seen two of his former Cal quarterbacks make it to the NFL in recent seasons. The bigger name is Jared Goff, who was a part of Dykes’ first recruiting class at Cal and went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Then Dykes picked up Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb before the 2016 season. Webb is currently a backup for the New York Giants.
One more recent example of a QB under Dykes to spend time in the NFL is Max Duggan. After leading the Horned Frogs to a national title game appearance in 2022, he went on to spend time with the Los Angeles Chargers.
8. Musical tastes
In a survey completed by ESPN, Dykes chose Dave Matthews Band as his favorite musical act.
9. Former teacher
While at Richardson Pearce, Dykes was an English teacher at the school, teaching students about Shakespeare and more.
10. He could have ended up at Texas
In an alternate universe, Dykes would have found himself leading another Texas-based Big 12 program to the College Football Playoff. In November, a report from The Austin American-Statesman revealed that a deal was almost complete between Dykes and Texas AD Chris Del Conte.
The deal was reportedly all but done in December 2020, with things escalating to the point where Dykes’ introduction at the university was discussed. Texas boosters played a large role in shifting the hiring process toward Steve Sarkisian instead of Dykes.
Dykes went on to be a big difference maker at TCU.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian and TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes meet at midfield and chat before their game at DKR Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, November 12, 2022.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
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