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Dave Wilson, ESPN Staff Writer
TCU coach Sonny Dykes confirmed reports that he’s planning to add former Houston coach Dana Holgorsen to his staff, adding on Tuesday that he’s also creating a spot for former Hawai’i and Arizona State coach Todd Graham.
Dykes said the two coaches will serve as analysts and advanced scouts. Graham, who has a defensive background, will work with the offense. Holgorsen, an offensive mind, will work with the defense, with each trying to find weaknesses they’d attack from their point of view.
“They’re talented people that I have known for more than 20 years, who both have been very successful and have a unique perspective,” Dykes said. “They can help us win.”
Graham, 59, is a Dallas/Fort Worth native who was 106-72 as a head coach at Rice, Tulsa, Pitt, Arizona State and Hawaii. He resigned at Hawaii in 2021 amid complaints from players about his demanding coaching style. Graham said he was not asked to step down but did so to “do what is best for me and my family and my health.”
He has been an informal adviser for Dykes in previous years, including visiting Dykes and offering suggestions in his first season at SMU and again two years ago before TCU’s run to the national championship game.
“I love talking to people that see things differently than I do,” Dykes told ESPN in 2022. “Todd is very direct.”
Holgorsen, 53, has worked at four Big 12 schools, including working alongside Dykes at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2006 under Mike Leach. Holgorsen and Dykes coached the Red Raiders’ wide receivers and shared offensive coordinator duties in 2005 and 2006. Holgorsen spent the past five years as Houston’s coach, going 31-28 with a 12-2 mark in 2021, and was fired following a 4-8 season last fall. He went 61-41 in eight seasons at West Virginia, recording three AP top-20 finishes.
After a 13-2 season in 2022, TCU finished a disappointing 5-7 last year. Prior to Graham and Holgorsen joining the staff, Dykes adding two more former head coaches this offseason including former Boise State coach Andy Avalos as defensive coordinator and former Nevada coach Ken Wilson as linebackers coach.
TCU was picked 10th in the preseason media poll in the new 16-team Big 12 lineup. The Horned Frogs kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 30 at Stanford.