TCU expected to hire former Big 12 rival as defensive assistant

TCU is expected to hire former Oklahoma player JaMarkus McFarland as its defensive line coach, according to On3’s Matt Zenitz. The 31-year old former top recruit played 47 gamed with the Sooners from 2009-2012 before a stint on the San Diego Chargers training camp roster.

After playing professionally in the CFL in 2015, McFarland got into coaching as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma from 2016-2019. He then went on to coach the defensive line at Stephen F. Austin in his home state of Texas before recently accepted a similar role at Louisiana Tech.

After just a short time at Louisiana Tech, JaMarkus McFarland has opted to leave for the opportunity to jump to the Big 12, coaching the defensive line at TCU under Sonny Dykes and the new coaching staff.

TCU replaces Gary Patterson

The TCU Horned Frogs hired SMU head coach Sonny Dykes to replace long-time head coach Gary Patterson.

Dykes, 52, has led SMU to a 30-18 record in his four seasons at the helm on the Hilltop. The Mustangs achieved rankings in the AP top 25 in each of his last three seasons since taking over for former Arkansas head coach Chad Morris. They ascended as high as No. 15 in 2019 before finishing the season unranked with a loss in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Four Mustangs coaches — running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples, wide receiver coach David Gru, defensive line coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe and strength and conditioning coach Kaz Kazada — are following Dykes to TCU.

SMU is 8-4 on the year, a record that includes a win over Gary Patterson’s TCU squad in Week 4. Since losing their undefeated record to Houston four weeks ago, the Mustangs have lost three of four games. The No. 2-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats held Sonny Dykes’ high-powered offense to 14 points this past weekend.

Despite the recent losses, SMU’s offense ranks in the top-10 in points per game, thanks to junior quarterback Tanner Mordecai. The offense has finished in the top 15 in scoring in each of the last three years under Dykes.

To try to hold on to Sonny Dykes, late last season, the Mustangs reportedly offered the fourth-year head coach a $4 million salary with a five-year extension. Also allegedly on the table: a larger pool of money for assistant coaches and plans to build a new football-only facility. However, he made the Big 12 move and continues building his TCU staff.