2026 TCU Football Season Preview: Safeties
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Although TCU is losing a cornerstone of its secondary, one individual is ready to step in and fill the void.
The Horned Frogs will need to replace Bud Clark, a second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Clark spent six years at TCU and played 61 games for the Horned Frogs, totaling 214 tackles along with 35 pass breakups and 15 interceptions. A three-time All-Big 12 selection, Clark leaves massive shoes to fill. However, TCU welcomes back strong safety Jamel Johnson, an excellent candidate to take over Clark’s leadership role. Johnson, who returns for his senior season, led the Big 12 with five interceptions in 2025. He also had 96 tackles and eight pass breakups to earn All-Big 12 Second Team honors. He was also a Thorpe Award semifinalist.
Johnson shores up one of TCU’s three safety positions in the secondary, but who will take the other two? At free safety, the Horned Frogs return redshirt junior Jordan Lester and welcome in Louisiana Tech transfer Jacob Fields. Lester has made 21 appearances over his last three seasons at TCU, compiling 16 tackles and two pass breakups in 2025. Fields, the 2025 Conference USA Co-Defensive Player of the Year, was a regular over his three years as a Bulldog. Over 36 games and 21 starts, Fields made 146 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, nine pass breakups and five interceptions. Lester and Fields are expected to compete for the starting free safety slot.
At nickel, the Horned Frogs need to replace departing senior Austin Jordan. Two players to watch here are returning redshirt junior Kylin Jackson and true sophomore Julius Simms, who’re both back from last season. Jackson, a former LSU transfer entering his second season with the Horned Frogs, made 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks over 12 games in 2025. Simms, who earned considerable playing time as a true freshman, made 12 appearances and collected 12 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception.
A newcomer to the safety group will be true freshman and three-star recruit Zach Taylor. Returning from last season are underclassmen Joseph Albright (redshirt freshman), Devyn Hidrogo (redshirt sophomore) and Sebastian Peterson (redshirt sophomore). Upperclassmen returning to the mix are Kaden McFadden (junior) and former Cal transfer Ryan Yaites (senior). McFadden played in all 13 games last season, recording 10 total tackles. Yaites primarily served a special teams role, while Albright and Hidrogo did not make any appearances in 2025.
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