2024 TCU Football Season Recap: Linebackers

Namdi Obiazor and Johnny Hodges anchored the middle of the TCU defense, while newcomers Cooper McDonald and Deveal Deal shined on the edge.

The TCU Horned Frogs made a significant change on defense after the 2023 season, moving on from former defensive coordinator Joe Gillespie and hiring former Boise State head coach Andy Avalos to run the unit. With a greater emphasis on rushing the passer, TCU went into the portal for EDGE players and came away with two veterans in San Diego State’s Cooper McDonald and Tulane’s Devean Deal, the older brother of redshirt freshman defensive tackle Markis Deal. Both McDonald and Deal took on key roles at the linebacker position, combining for 8.5 sacks over 13 games to lead TCU’s outside pass rush.

Deal was the top pass rusher for the Horned Frogs, generating 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in his first season at TCU. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2024 after earning All-AAC honors with Tulane in 2023, Deal totaled 47 tackles and was a force over the second half of the season. Over TCU’s final seven contests, Deal recorded seven tackles for loss, five sacks, two quarterback hits and one pass breakup. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound junior was one of TCU’s best portal additions last offseason and should remain a key factor in 2025.

McDonald entered the season as the starting EDGE rusher before missing four games during November and December due to an injury. Despite losing some time, McDonald compiled 25 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble and three sacks over nine games. The former San Diego State linebacker, who declared for the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this month, recorded at least four total tackles in four of his nine appearances this season. McDonald, who began his career at Washington before transferring to the Aztecs and eventually the Horned Frogs, was one of four senior linebackers on the 2024 TCU roster.

With Deal and McDonald leading the linebackers on the edge, TCU leaned on two returning starters, seniors Namdi Obiazor and Johnny Hodges, to anchor the middle of the defense. Hodges struggled with injuries throughout the 2023 campaign, but the former Navy transfer and 2022 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year returned to his old ways in 2024, generating a team-high 89 total tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Obiazor, who was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in 2023, was a steady presence in the middle, collecting 81 tackles (second-most on the team) with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Obiazor was one of two TCU linebackers to force a fumble during the team’s game against Houston. The former JUCO defensive back also snagged an interception against LIU.

Also aiding the middle of the TCU defense was California transfer Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who arrived in Fort Worth after earning Second-Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2023. Elarms-Orr appeared in all 13 games and posted 54 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks during his junior season in 2024. Elarms-Orr finished his season with a strong showing against Louisiana, registering eight total tackles and one sack in TCU’s New Mexico Bowl win over the Ragin’ Cajuns. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder should take another step forward in his second season with the Horned Frogs and will be a player to watch for in 2025.

The Horned Frogs will move forward without two of its top EDGE rushers in McDonald and redshirt senior Marcel Brooks. The former five-star recruit and LSU transfer is no longer on the roster after he was limited to 2.5 sacks in three games this season. TCU will also move forward without redshirt freshman linebacker Keviyan Huddleston, who entered the transfer portal after two seasons with the Horned Frogs. Sophomore linebacker Jonathan Bax, who totaled five tackles in four games, is a candidate to take on a bigger role in 2025. Among TCU’s 2025 recruits are four-star EDGE linebackers Chad Woodfork and Jared Martin as well as three-star EDGE linebackers John Schobel and Anthony Williams.

Looking at the middle, TCU will have Obiazor back for one more season after he shared with HornedFrogBlitz’s Jamie Plunkett that he intends to acquire a JUCO waiver, which is now an option for collegiate athletes in light of the Diego Pavia lawsuit. Hodges, who’s a redshirt senior with five years of collegiate experience, began his career in 2020 and could use a COVID year to come back for the 2025 campaign. In addition to Elarms-Orr, one name to watch next season will be redshirt freshman and former four-star recruit Max Carroll. Carroll and Elarms-Orr were TCU’s second-string linebackers and Carroll beat out returning senior linebacker Shadrach Banks, who has entered the portal after four years in Fort Worth. Carroll posted 20 total tackles and two pass breakups for the Horned Frogs in 2024.

TCU’s depth chart at inside linebacker has taken a hit this offseason. In addition to Banks leaving, the Horned Frogs are also losing redshirt junior and former Texas transfer Terrence Cooks as well as redshirt freshman Kylan Salter. Reinforcements are on the way, however, as TCU’s 2025 recruiting class includes three-star linebackers Sam Haley, Dillon Arkansas and Keylan Abrams. Stopping the run should be the top priority for TCU’s defense, as the Horned Frogs struggled mightily against the run despite changing coordinators and schemes from 2023, when TCU was equally as bad against the run. The Horned Frogs allowed 160.5 rushing yards per game (12th in the Big 12 Conference) after giving up 154.7 rushing yards per game last season. TCU allowed 10.1 first-down rushes per game this season, which ranked 15th out of 16 Big 12 teams with only Oklahoma State trailing.