Tens of thousands at the AlamoDome watched as TCU sophomore running back Jeremy Payne tiptoed down the line and raced into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown during the team’s Alamo Bowl victory over USC.
Payne’s overtime heroics capped a comeback victory for the Horned Frogs, who beat the ranked Trojans 30-27 despite being without starting quarterback Josh Hoover. Payne was stellar for TCU, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while catching six passes for 50 yards and the game-winning score.
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Payne, a former four-star recruit who showed flashes as a freshman in 2024, closed his sophomore season in dominant fashion. Payne eclipsed the 100-yard mark twice in TCU’s last three games, rushing for 103 yards in a win over Houston before posting a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns against Cincinnati.
Payne finished the season as TCU’s leading rusher, recording 623 yards and five touchdowns on 110 carries (5.7 yards per carry) along with 207 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 22 receptions. Not only did Payne admirably fill in for starting running back Kevorian Barnes, who missed most of the second half of the season due to injury, but it appears Payne has finally broken out of his shell and will be the team’s RB1 heading into the 2026 season.
But who will the Horned Frogs have to support him in the backfield? Barnes, who transferred after four years at UTSA, rushed for 443 yards and six touchdowns on 97 carries (4.6 yards per carry). Unfortunately, Barnes was limited to seven games due to injuries and will have no eligibility remaining, meaning his time at TCU is over.
The loss of fifth-year senior Trent Battle, a converted quarterback and valuable reserve in recent seasons, will further deplete the backfield. Battle, who is out of eligibility, rushed 64 times for 349 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, ranking third on the team in carries and rushing yards. It was a career season for Battle, who played in 48 games over the past four years and proved useful as a receiver, catching 10 passes this year.
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The Horned Frogs also lost redshirt freshman and former three-star prospect Nate Palmer to the transfer portal. Palmer, who had 30 carries for 139 yards this season, played in six games and rotated with true freshman Jon Denman. Denman, also a former three-star player, had 50 carries for 178 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.
Denman projects to be the team’s No. 2 running back behind Payne next season. TCU will welcome a pair of highly recruited high school seniors from the class of 2026: four-star prospect Amante Martin and three-star prospect G’Ivori Graham. Martin, whose older brother Kam was a running back at Auburn, signed with the Horned Frogs in Kentucky, Houston, California and more. Graham chose TCU over San Diego State and others.
Overall, the 2025 season wasn’t much better handling the ball for the Horned Frogs, whose best option last year was the Wildfrog formation with wide receiver Savion Williams. Williams, a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, led the team in yards per carry. Cam Cook, a former four-star recruit and TCU’s 2024 starting running back, struggled mightily with turnovers and poor efficiency before transferring to Jacksonville State.
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TCU finished with 1,708 rushing yards, an improvement from 1,481 rushing yards in 2024, but efficiency barely improved. The Horned Frogs averaged 3.9 yards per carry in 2025 after averaging 3.7 yards per carry in 2024. With Sammis and a new offensive staff taking over, more emphasis will be placed on running the ball. Jimmy Smith, TCU’s running backs coach in 2024 and 2025, is leaving for Georgia Tech. He will be replaced by Antonio Wilcox, who worked alongside Sammis as running backs coach at UConn.