Being a starting quarterback in the SEC normally is viewed as being the top of the top regarding positions to play in college football, but Vanderbilt starting quarterback Ken Seals saw a better opportunity, leaving Vanderbilt and playing for TCU in 2024.
When asked about why he thought leaving the SEC for the Big 12 was a good idea for him and his future, he shared the following:
“I grew up in the area, I’ve always been a TCU fan my whole life. I have a pictures of me from middle school wearing TCU shirts and hoodies, I had a TCU lanyard in high school. So it’s always been my hometown school, so when the opportunity came and Coach Briles reached out to me in the portal, I was like ‘Man, that’d be pretty cool to end up back home.’”
It is unclear what Seals’s NIL opportunity was at Vanderbilt. However, he would have almost definitely been the starting quarterback for the Commodores in 2024. For him, being able to go back home to play for his childhood team was worth more than all that.
TCU Football Looking to Bounce Back From 2023
In 2023, TCU Football had one of the most upsetting seasons in the country, finishing with a 5-7 overall record, just a season after playing in the National Championship game. With the seat already starting to get warm for Sonny Dykes, the team is looking for more stability in quite a few areas, particularly from the quarterback position.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t get 5-star transfers or recruits out of high school. Instead, they will rely on Josh Hoover, who started as a third-stringer last season, a true freshman in Haus Hejny, or Ken Seals, who brings the most experience to the team.
Hoover had some nice moments in 2023, but again, if he had been an amazing quarterback, TCU would have won more than five games. Henjy may be the program’s future, but if the Horned Frogs want to be an eight-win team or better next year, they may need to rely on Seals as their starter.
Ken Seals May Be a Diamond in the Rough
Playing quarterback for Vanderbilt doesn’t bring the same prestige or interest as a player who plays for Georgia, Alabama, or, quite honestly, any other SEC school, but there is still plenty of reason for TCU fans to be excited about having Seals as the signal caller next year.
Ken Seals has experience playing against SEC schools and in SEC stadiums. There will not be a single stadium that TCU plays in this upcoming season that will come close to the noise or crowd size of Neyland Stadium (Tennessee) or the Swamp (Florida).
Additionally, sadly but also a reality, Seals has found success despite playing in front of a home crowd that has more visiting fans than home fans. The fact that Seals had 13 total touchdowns to only four interceptions last season shows that there is potential to be a good quarterback for the Horned Frogs next season.
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