FORT WORTH, Texas — The TCU Horned Frogs have reportedly found their new head football coach following the departure of longtime coach Gary Patterson.
The search didn't take them very far either -- just east on Interstate 30 and up U.S. 75 a bit.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN that SMU head coach Sonny Dykes will replace Patterson as TCU's next top dog.
Dykes, the son of former Texas Tech coach Spike Dykes, joined SMU in 2018 and led the program through three successful seasons in which the team was eligible for bowl games in 2019 (10-2) and 2020 (7-3).
SMU is currently 8-3 as they head into their final game of the 2021 season against Tulsa on Saturday.
Before SMU, Sonny Dykes had head coaching stints at Louisiana Tech and California.
TCU and Patterson parted ways on Oct. 31 following a loss to Kansas State that put the Horned Frogs at 3-5 at that point of the season, and just 1-4 in Big 12 play.
Patterson's storied tenure as head coach of the Horned Frogs began in 2001, and he led them to 17 bowl games, including three New Year's Six bowls. He also has a statue sitting outside TCU's football stadium.
The news of Dykes' expected arrival in TCU puts more weight into the yearly rivalry game known as the Iron Skillet between the two North Texas schools.
Sources also told ESPN that Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee is the likely choice to win the now-open head coaching position at SMU.
The Dallas Morning News reported earlier this week that SMU lost five top recruits on Wednesday afternoon alone for the classes of 2022 and 2023 as speculation over Dykes' departure began growing.
