![]() Players have welcomed the accountability that he demands. ![]() His role was crucial in earning the buy-in that first-year coaches need. He sees every bit of time in the weight room as an opportunity to build the team." But he's got an element of sports psychology in every single workout. He's trying to get the guys bigger, faster, stronger, like everybody is. At some point I got to where I completely 100% trusted his instincts. "You know how Matthew McConaughey is Texas' Minister of Culture? I think Kaz is our Minister of Culture. "He is so different than most strength coaches," Dykes said. If they don't, they hit the ground for push-ups.įor Dykes, Kazadi, who has a Master's degree from Missouri in counseling psychology, is a trusted voice who spends more time with the players than anyone. He is always watching, asking players, "You holding?" to make sure they have a bottle of water on them to stay hydrated. Kazadi is an intimidating presence, a 6-foot-2 former linebacker who was a Butkus Award semifinalist at Tulsa before playing five years of pro football. "That is the last time you will ever look at me and question what I'm doing," he told the team in that first meeting. Steve Avila, the Frogs' Outland Trophy semifinalist at left guard, said Kazadi didn't waste any time setting the tone. But I'll tell you what, dude, it brought everybody together and kind of made everybody realize you know, we've always had the dudes to do it." workouts, be here early at 5 o'clock,'" offensive lineman Wes Harris said. "The very first day - I don't even think we'd gotten back in school yet - we get a text from Coach Kaz saying, '5:30 a.m. ![]() It was that same day Dykes arrived in the helicopter, when they heard from him and strength coach Kaz Kazadi. Here are 12 that tell the tale of TCU's 12-0 season.Īsk any player on TCU's team when they had a sense this year was going to be different, and you'll get the same answer. It's been a surreal season for the Horned Frogs, full of memorable moments and storylines. Six seasons after Cal fired him, he has TCU on the cusp of being the first Texas team to land a spot in the playoff since it began eight years ago. That's a Beverly Hillbillies reference, but Dykes isn't up and moving back to California anytime soon. Are you undefeated?' He said yeah, and I said, "Well get your ass in there.' Now he looks like Jethro Bodine driving an S-Class." "I said, 'Dykes, lemme ask you a question. "I brought him a Mercedes, and he said he didn't want anything that fancy," Ewing said. Fin Ewing III, a Dallas car dealer and TCU grad who furnishes the coach's car, came and picked up Dykes' GMC Sierra (the Texas Edition, naturally) to swap it with a loaner befitting the coach's lofty new status. If he didn't feel like taking the bus, he could do that in style, too, thanks to a booster and longtime friend. The creative team's bizarre postgame videos are puzzling, yet mesmerizing.Īnd now Dykes gets to travel all of 18 miles to play for a Big 12 title. There's an animated psychedelic amphibian that has captivated fans and inspired the team ("The Hypnotoad is powerful stuff," Dykes said in an actual postgame news conference). His team's frantic, chaotic season of destiny, augmented with quite a bit of weirdness, has made the Horned Frogs a national curiosity. 10 Kansas State in the conference championship game on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (noon ET, ABC/ESPN App). 3 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and are playing for a Big 12 championship against No. It was a flashy introduction for the decidedly unflashy West Texan making a 40-mile trip to Fort Worth all the way from Dallas.īut 366 days later, Dykes is still adjusting to being the center of attention, because he still hasn't lost a game in his career as TCU's coach. Carter Stadium, awash in purple lights, for his arrival as the new head coach at TCU. ![]() 30, 2021, Sonny Dykes landed in a helicopter at midfield of Amon G. The 12 stories behind TCU football's run to 12-0 You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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