When Bill Belichick puts on a college headset for the first time this season, it won’t be a sleepy afternoon. It’ll be under the full glare of Labor Day’s national spotlight. And waiting for him is none other than Sonny Dyke and a TCU program still finishing from the burn scars of Coach Prime’s Colorado heartbreak two years ago. Are the Horned Frogs about to live deja vu all over again?
In a sitdown with 365 Sports on July 9, Sonny Dykes dropped his stance on what he expects from Bill Belichick and the North Carolina opener. “To put it bluntly, I think we have an idea defensively,” he said of the first threat. “I mean his son (Steve Belichick) was the defensive coordinator last year at Washington. And Bill’s a defensive guy, so you have an idea.” Then there’s the offensive threat. “Freddy Kitchens is the offensive coordinator,” he added. “Freddy’s been an NFL guy, but they’ve got more of a kind of a running quarterback that’s probably going to be the starter. And so, how are they going to mesh those two things? You know, we don’t know.” And that uncertainty is scary.
Sonny Dykes understands the game of Bill Belichick. “Bill does what Bill does on both sides of the b— to an extent. So, there’s been a lot of prep that’s already taken place,” he said. “But it’s going to be kind of a moving target as we get more information about what’s going on up there.” He also added that worrying and over analysis do more harm than good to a team that’s already feeling low mentally. “You’ve got to get your team ready to play and just have those guys go out and play at a high level,” he added. “And if you do that, then that should be enough. And that’s really all you can do at the end of the day.”
Sonny Dykes didn’t sugarcoat it. “The thing that is hard is there’s going to be a lot of attention on this game. You know, it’s the only game on Labor Day. It’s prime time. There’s going to be a lot of eyeballs on this,” he said. Then he recounted the chaotic shootout loss to Colorado when Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter upset the reigning CFP runners up. “The last time this happened for us was ‘23 with Deion Sanders, first game. And we did not handle that situation particularly well.” Now, here comes Belichick, arguably the most accomplished football coach alive, trading in Gillette Stadium for Kenan Memorial. And Sonny Dykes knows the stakes are just as high this time.
Sonny Dykes is haunted by Prime and hunted by Bill Belichick
This time, TCU has a bit more certainty at QB. Josh Hoover returns after throwing for 3,949 yards last season, a lone silver lining in a forgettable 2024 campaign. With 27 touchdowns to 11 picks, he gives Sonny Dykes the kind of offensive consistency that was sorely lacking when Colorado stole the headlines in 2023. And while the national attention will be on Bill Belichick, the Frogs’ HC wants his guys to own the moment.
“Our guys, mentally I don’t think we’re in a good spot,” he said. “And my job is to get those guys in a good spot mentally.” And if you ask CBSSports’ Chip Patterson, he’s already tipping his hat to TCU in Round 1. “Sonny Dykes, the Frogs come in very aware of the spotlight they will get, being opposite Bill Belichick in the opener,” he said. Awareness wasn’t their strong suit the last time the cameras were this bright. But this time, it’s a different story.
This opener isn’t just about fireworks on September 1. It kicks off a two-year home-and-home, with a return bout already set for 2026 in Dublin, Ireland, as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
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