While this is a new level for the Horned Frogs, this is far from the first time their roster has featured serious NFL talent. From a Rose Bowl win 12 years ago to four Cotton Bowl appearances in the 1950s, TCU has enjoyed national success across the decades thanks to some high-profile names.

TCU has a few NFL Draft prospects playing in Monday’s title game, namely WR Quentin Johnston. Here are some of the big names that Johnson could be joining at the next level.

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Best players from TCU

Have a look at some of the top players to come through the Horned Frogs program.

LaDainian Tomlinson

Tomlinson, a Hall of Fame running back who spent all but two seasons with the Chargers, was a star at TCU in 1999 and 2000. He rushed for 1,974 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1999 before exploding with 2,158 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns in 2000.

Tomlinson finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2000, one spot behind his future Chargers teammate Drew Brees, and he cemented himself as a TCU legend even before he became an NFL legend.

Andy Dalton

Dalton was the face of TCU’s peak under Gary Patterson. He led the Horned Frogs to a 13-0 season and Rose Bowl win in 2010, and TCU would go 36-3 from 2008-2010.

Like Max Duggan, Dalton was a bit of a late bloomer at TCU. A four-year starter, he threw for only 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions across his first two seasons combined, but he broke out in 2009 and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2010.

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Dalton has spent 12 seasons in the NFL, including nine as the Bengals’ starting quarterback. He finished out the 2022 season as the Saints’ starter and is 25th all-time in NFL passing yards.

Sammy Baugh

“Slingin’ Sammy” was TCU’s first star, earning All-America honors in 1935 and 1936 as he led the Horned Frogs to victories in the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl. Baugh also played baseball at TCU and spent time in the Cardinals’ farm system before moving to the NFL. Baugh was one of the league’s earliest superstars, leading Washington championships in 1937 and 1942 and earning All-Pro honors four times. His number has been retired by TCU (45) and Washington (33) and he is a member of the Pro and College Football halls of fame. 

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Davey O’Brien

O’Brien served as Baugh’s backup before taking over as TCU’s quarterback in 1937. The following year, he led TCU to an 11-0 record and a national championship while collecting the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award as the nation’s top player. The Eagles drafted him fourth overall in the 1939 NFL Draft but he spent only two years in the league before retiring to become an FBI agent. Since 1977, the Davey O’Brien Award has been presented to the best quarterback in college football, with TCU’s Max Duggan winning it for 2022. 

Bob Lilly

Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bob Lilly spent his college career at TCU. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and seven-time All-Pro in the NFL, Lilly spent his entire career with the Cowboys and totaled 95.5 sacks. Lilly was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jerry Hughes

Hughes has had an extremely productive 13-year NFL career despite being a late bloomer himself. He didn’t emerge as a regular starter until his fifth season despite being a first-round pick in 2010, but he has 62 sacks since 2013 and made his name as a major piece of the Bills’ front seven. Hughes had nine sacks on the Texans’ defense in 2022.

Hughes posted 36.5 sacks with the Horned Frogs from 2008-09 alone.

Jason Verrett

Verrett might have the worst injury luck of any player in NFL history, but he’s been a high-end cornerback when healthy.

A first-round pick of the Chargers in 2014, Verrett was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and reemerged as a key piece of the 49ers’ defense in 2020. Unfortunately, he’s played more than six games in just two of his nine NFL seasons due to numerous leg injuries.

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Marcus Cannon

Cannon has spent 12 seasons in the NFL, including 11 with the Patriots. While he’s also battled his share of serious injuries, Cannon was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams in New England and served as a key starter on two of them. 

Trevon Moehrig

Moehrig was a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2021 after entering the NFL Draft as arguably the top safety available. He’s made an instant impact in Las Vegas, starting all 17 games as a rookie and 12 more in his second NFL season. Moehrig had four interceptions and 11 pass deflections on TCU’s defense in 2019.

Norm Evans

Evans was a 12-year NFL starter and two-time Pro Bowler as a right tackle. He spent most of his career with the Dolphins after being selected 106th overall in the 1965 AFL Draft by the Oilers.

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Jalen Reagor

Reagor hasn’t come close to living up to his billing since he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he had a productive career with the Horned Frogs.

Reagor posted 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2018, and he averaged 15.2 yards per catch over three seasons at TCU.

Daryl Washington

Washington was a second-round pick out of TCU in 2010, but his NFL career is more of a what-could’ve-been.

The talented linebacker was a Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro with the Cardinals in 2012 before putting together a strong 2013 campaign. He was suspended due to a violation of the league’s substance policy in 2014 and wasn’t reinstated for three more years.

Washington recorded 11 tackles for loss in his senior season at TCU in 2009.