FORT WORTH, Texas — On the defensive side of the ball, the Horned Frogs have been one of the best units in America. The productivity in every category is off the charts. But you cannot write the story of this TCU football season without its defense. Specifically, one player who's been through the thick of it during his career in Fort Worth.

What You Need To Know

  • Dee Winters is one of TCU’s veteran, star defensive players and has helped lead the Horned Frogs to an undefeated regular season

  • Dee leads the TCU defense in sacks (6.5) and is the fourth leading tackler (57)

  • Dee was recruited to TCU as a wide receiver but former Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson switched him to linebacker, a position he’s now thriving in

The perception and identity of Big 12 football has been high-scoring, air-raid, juggernaut-type offenses. However, TCU is changing that narrative with the play of its defense led by star linebacker Dee Winters. 

“He’s obviously a great athlete, he can run and he’s got good size,” said head coach Sonny Dykes. “But I think for him, his instincts are what make him special.”

“I love hitting,” Dee Winters said with a smile. “You get tired of practicing against your teammates because you can’t hit them. So it’s exciting when you get the opportunity to face someone else. I think that’s why me, Johnny Hodges and Jamoi Hodge make those big plays.”

The huge hits turn heads. But the shutdown performance against Texas and the late heroics against Baylor has this TCU team on the brink of something special. 

“This season has been really crazy,” Dee said. “The guys definitely have a chip on their shoulder going into this season being picked to finish second to last in the Big 12. We use that as motivation to go out here and win it all.”

To have the playoff committee slot the Horned Frogs at No. 4, only to have TCU prove the committee right with back-to-back road wins, speaks volumes about this group.

“It means everything to us,” Dee said. “To go out there and play a very difficult game and come out with a win is huge. This team doesn’t worry about the outside stuff, though. We just take it one game at a time.”

That steady, methodical approach is what kept Dee at TCU after Gary Patterson’s departure. 

“It was kind of weird to be honest,” Dee admitted. “I was thrown off.”

That’s because Coach Patterson not only recruited Dee to TCU, he also switched him from wide receiver to linebacker, a position he is now thriving in.

“It was definitely a bumpy road at the time. But once I got the hang of it, it started to get a little easier,” he said. “Going from a 4-2 defense to a 3-5 defense has put more tools in my arsenal.”

When it comes to current head coach Sonny Dykes, however, Dee gives the ultimate compliment a coach can receive. 

“He’s a player’s coach,” Dee said. “He definitely cares about us on and off the field. He tries to do what’s best for us. You can’t go wrong with that. I just really love this team.”

The TCU Horned Frogs jumped to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. With a win over now-No. 10 Kansas State in the Big 12 title game, TCU can punch its ticket to the College Football Playoff.