All-American and All-Big 12 honoree Eric McAlister had one of the best seasons for a pass catcher in team history.
After transferring in from Boise State last offseason, Eric McAlister made an immediate impact at TCU, posting 762 yards and five touchdowns on only 39 catches (19.5 yards per catch). Playing behind Savion Williams and Jack Bech, who each went on to be drafted to the NFL, McAlister bolstered the offense with his big-play ability.
Ascending into TCU’s No. 1 wide receiver role this season, McAlister turned in one of the best seasons for a pass catcher in team history. The Azle, Texas native caught 72 passes for 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns, which were career marks across the board. A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, an All-Big 12 First Team selection and an All-American selection, McAlister went over the 100-yard mark six times this season. His best performance came against SMU, when he reeled in eight passes for a career-high 254 yards and three scores in a TCU victory.
In his final game as a Horned Frog, McAlister caught eight passes for 69 yards as TCU knocked off ranked USC in the Alamo Bowl. The fifth-year senior has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and is practically a lock to be selected at some point. McAlister is one of two seniors leaving the team, as fifth-year senior and former Houston transfer Joseph Manjack IV won’t have eligibility to return either. Manjack IV ranked third on the team in receptions (44) and receiving yards (579) despite missing two games to injury. Manjack IV caught at least one pass in 11 games.
With McAlister and Manjack IV leaving, Idaho transfer Jordan Dwyer projects as the likely candidate to become TCU’s top target next season. One of the top FCS players in the transfer portal last offseason, Dwyer performed well in his first year with the Horned Frogs. After nearly 1,200 yards for the Vandals in 2024, Dwyer was TCU’s second-leading receiver in catches (54), receiving yards (730) and touchdowns (7). A fourth-year junior with one year of eligibility remaining, Dwyer went over the 100-yard mark twice and had at least two grabs in 12 games.
Dwyer will give the Horned Frogs a top weapon at wide receiver next season, but who else will step up in the absence of McAlister and Manjack IV? To start, TCU went into the transfer portal and signed South Alabama wideout Jeremy Scott, who had 24 catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. A redshirt freshman who went for 17.4 yards per catch, Scott is a bigger receiver at 6-foot-3 and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Two more freshmen to watch for will be Terry Shelton and Ed Small. Although he was limited to five games due to injury, Small made a big impact early on, catching 16 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Small had the confidence of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, who targeted him heavily during TCU’s game against KSU.
Shelton, a former four-star recruit like Small, played in the Alamo Bowl and caught two passes for 27 yards. While Shelton didn’t play as much as Small, Shelton is a bigger receiver who primarly works on the outside, whereas Small found a lot of work in the slot. Both players should be counted on to step up in 2026.
Redshirt junior Major Everhart, who’s been with the team for four years but has missed time due to injuries, is another player who could see a bigger role next year. Everhart started in the Alamo Bowl and played in seven games during the 2025 season, posting 14 catches for 149 yards. Injuries erased practically his entire 2024 campaign, but Everhart played a role in 2023, grabbing 20 catches for 197 yards. Expect Small and Everhart to be top targets in the slot, while Dwyer, Shelton and Scott command work at the X and Z positions on the perimeter.
TCU has lost three wide receivers to the transfer portal in Keagan Cunningham, Jordyn Bailey and Gekyle Baker. Baker, a redshirt freshman who was the team’s No. 1 overall recruit of the 2024 class, did not see game action in two years at TCU. Jordyn Bailey, a redshirt sophomore and the brother of former Horned Frog running back Emani Bailey, dealt with injuries in two of the last three years and finished his TCU career with 18 catches for 191 yards and three scores. Bailey played in 12 games last season, making a great one-handed grab against Baylor.
Transfer portal aside, the Horned Frogs will have a stable of underclassmen eligible to return. In addition to Shelton and Small, TCU’s young receiving group includes Dozie Ezukanma, a redshirt freshman with eight games played in two years, and Jacobe Hayes, who made a big impression in camp before missing most of 2025 due to injury. Dane Jones, a true freshman and former three-star, could be another young player to watch next year.
Braylon James, a redshirt sophomore and former Notre Dame transfer who arrived in Fort Worth last offseason, wasn’t able to break the depth chart in 2025. But his pedigree as a former four-star prospects suggests the talent is still there. Lastly, TCU will add four wide receivers to its roster through the 2026 recruiting class. The class includes three-star recruits Khamill Pruitt, Ayson Theus, James Scott and Cooper Reid.
As a team, the Horned Frogs finished 2025 with 30 receiving touchdowns and 3,771 receiving yards on 306 catches (12.3 yards per carry). Coached once again by longtime assistant Malcolm Kelly, who remains on staff at TCU, the Horned Frogs didn’t see their production taper off despite losing a trio of NFL players in Williams, Bech and JP Richardson. While the 2024 group slightly outgained the 2025 group (the 2024 group had 4,068 yards and 29 scores on 326 catches for a 12.5 yards per catch average), the Horned Frogs continue to develop talent.
Category: General Sports
