Sonny Dykes reveals how different TCU's offense could look under new OC Kendal Briles
Sonny Dykes recognizes TCU‘s offense will look different under Kendal Briles, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Speaking with the ESPN crew at Big 12 Media Days, the Horned Frogs leader explained how Briles is adjusting to his new gig, as he has big shoes to fill in replacing freshly-minted Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
“Well it’ll be different,” Dykes responded, asked how different the TCU offense will look under Briles’ direction. “I don’t know how different it’s going to look. Maybe to the casual fan. It’s kind of came from two different places.
“You know what we were doing in the past was more of an air raid based offense, where Kendal’s stuff is, really honestly came from Stephenville High School, and kind of his dad Art, and the evolution of what they were doing.”
Continuing, Dykes elaborated on what’s new that Briles will bring to the table for the Horned Frogs, and how nicely he’s fitting into TCU’s program at the moment.
“It starts there, and it’s kind of branched out to grab some air raid concepts. But the thing that Kendal believes in, it’s what I believe in as well, is that you’ve got to run the ball. You’ve got to be physical up front. You’ve got to run the football. And you’re going to have a good offense if you can do those things,” added Dykes. “I think that the strength of our offense really is the offensive line, and the guys that are coming back. We lost a couple of really good starters last year, but I think the guys that are returning are very good players. I think we’ve added some really good players. That’s where it begins. I mean, there’s no such thing as a good college football team that doesn’t have a good offensive line, and that’s just the way it is. So I think this group’s got a chance to be really good, and I’m excited about adding Kendal.
“I think he’s going to bring some fresh ideas and some new ways of doing things to our program. You know, he’s a great leader. He does a tremendous job with our players. He’s got a lot of confidence. Our players believe in him and what we’re doing. So I think it’s going to be a great addition to our program”
Continuing, TCU tight end Jared Wiley also spoke with ESPN regarding Briles as the Horned Frogs’ new offensive coordinator, and explained what he brings to the table for the team.
“He brings a whole different dynamic to our offense,” responded Wiley. “You know, we’re going to be very fast-paced, very explosive this year. Kind of bring that SEC mindset, so to speak, to the Big 12. So we’re all very excited for it.”
Additionally, Wiley added that he’s excited to see the way Briles’ utilizes all of TCU’s impact transfers, and believes the Horned Frogs will be spreading the ball around a ton this season.
Alas, TCU has big expectations to fill in 2023, and Kendal Briles will be an important part of either why they don’t get the job done, or if they do. Either way, the Horned Frogs believe in their new offensive coordinator.