2024 TCU Football Season Recap: Defensive Line

Markis Deal, Zachary Chapman and Travis Jackson are three young freshmen to watch as the Horned Frogs move into 2025.

TCU football rostered a mixture of new transfers, returning veterans and rising young players on the defensive line during the 2024 season. The Horned Frogs suffered a notable loss after a lackluster 2023 season, with star nose tackle Damonic Williams entering the transfer portal before eventually signing with Oklahoma. With Williams leaving the team and TCU in need of a talent boost after its defensive struggles last season, the Horned Frogs dove into the transfer portal, signing former Notre Dame defensive lineman NaNa Osafo-Mensah as well as former Houston nose tackle Hakeem Ajijolaiya to replace Williams.

Osafo-Mensah was a plug-and-play started for the Horned Frogs this season, earning an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after posting 38 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder, who appeared in 39 games with the Fighting Irish, was a big playmaker during TCU’s home win over Arizona, notching six total tackles and two tackles for loss with one sack. Osafo-Mensah, who concluded his collegiate career with 85 total tackles and eight sacks, announced last week that he has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Ajijolaiya was less of a factor on the defensive line, missing roughly half of the season with an injury and finishing the 2024 campaign with just nine total tackles in five games. The former Cougar’s biggest highlight came during TCU’s home win over Texas Tech, when he forced the game-clinching fumble late in the game to help the Horned Frogs seal their victory. Unfortunately for TCU, Ajijolaiya wasn’t the only interior defensive lineman who struggled to produce during the 2024 season. Returning senior nose tackle Tymon Mitchell logged only six total tackles in 13 games, while another returning senior defensive lineman, Caleb Fox, registered only 15 total tackles, his lowest in his three seasons with TCU.

Fox did recover two fumbles, including the game-winner against Texas Tech, while Mitchell snagged an interception in TCU’s road win over Stanford. But the Horned Frogs will need more from their interior, particularly when it comes to stopping the run. TCU allowed an average of 160.5 rushing yards per game (12th in the Big 12) and conceded 10.1 first down runs per game (15th in the Big 12). Alijolaiya, Mitchell and Fox also failed to record a single sack this season. That said, TCU does have a potential rising star on the interior in redshirt freshman nose tackle and former four-star recruit Markis Deal, who posted career-highs in total tackles (21) and tackles for loss (5.5) with one sack and one fumble recovery. The 6-foot-5, 325-pounder is an early candidate to be TCU’s starting nose tackle in 2025.

Moving outside, TCU has another breakout player to watch in redshirt freshman defensive lineman Zachary Chapman, who recorded career-highs in total tackles (24), tackles for loss (3) and sacks (3) to earn Second-Team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic. Chapman appeared in all 13 games and could emerge as a starter to replace the departing Osafo-Mensah in 2025. The Horned Frogs have reinforcements coming next season, as TCU signed former Washington State defensive lineman Ansel Din-Mbuh from the transfer portal. The former Aledo star registered a career-high 24 total tackles and six sacks for the Cougars in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 291-pounder has the ideal size to replace Fox up front in 2025.

TCU will also have redshirt sophomore defensive linemen Paul Oyewale and Michael Ibukun-Okeyode back next season. Both players missed the entire 2024 campaign due to injuries after showing promise during the 2023 season. Two more names to keep an eye on are freshmen Avion Carter, Tristan Johnson and Travis Jackson. A former four-star recruit, Jackson was an immediate contributor as a reserve in 2024, totaling 14 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception. Additional reinforcements will arrive via the 2025 recruiting class, which includes two JUCO defensive linemen (Perry Cole and Kelten Mickell) as well as three-star high-schoolers Floyd Guidry III, Brody Whatley and Blake Robinett.