TCU down star playmaker vs. North Carolina

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Week 0 is here, and the first game of the day will feature North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin, Ireland. Both programs will be down a few players, while the Tar Heels are without defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.

But the Horned Frogs will be without their star playmaker. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, WR Jordan Dwyer made the trip to Dublin, but he will be inactive for the game against the Tar Heels.

Dwyer, a former Idaho standout, transferred to TCU ahead of the 2025 season. With Josh Hoover throwing the football, who is now at Indiana, Dwyer was the No. 2 WR on TCU last season. He caught 54 passes for 730 yards and seven touchdowns.

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More pressure on Jaden Craig’s shoulders

With Josh Hoover at Indiana, TCU went out and landed Harvard sensation Jaden Craig at QB. Craig was dominant at Harvard and is a true dual-threat signal caller, but he will have to impress in his FBS debut without his WR1.

Craig is looking to enter the conversation as one of the top QBs in the Big 12 Conference, and if he’s able to shine without Dwyer, that would be a good start.

TCU will lean on Craig’s experience, along with him using his legs to keep the Horned Frogs’ offense rolling on Saturday. Without Dwyer, expect both Ed Small and South Alabama transfer Jeremy Scott to emerge. Small was on the team a year ago and caught for 207 yards, which was No. 6 on the team.

Scott comes from South Alabama, where he caught for a little over 400 yards. It’s certainly a big gap between Dwyer and both Smalls and Scott, which will put more pressure on Craig’s shoulders to shine.

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