TCU football is moving closer to its 2026 season opener against North Carolina in Dublin, Ireland on Aug. 29. As the Countdown to Kickoff continues, we’ll highlight a former Horned Frog whose jersey number coincided with the number of days remaining until the opener. At No. 15 is former TCU quarterback Max Duggan!
Over the course of his four-year career, Duggan amassed over 11,000 total yards and 101 touchdowns. A four-star recruit out of high school, Duggan made his first start during the 2019 season. Duggan appeared in 47 games as a Horned Frog, throwing for 9,618 yards and 73 touchdowns with 28 interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also ran for 1,856 yards and 28 touchdowns. Duggan completed 60 percent of his passes for the Horned Frogs.
After an up-and-down three years to start his TCU career, Duggan took an enormous step forward his senior year under head coach Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley. Duggan threw for a career-high 32 touchdown passes, one off the school record (33) set by Trevone Boykin. Duggan added a career-best 3,698 passing yards and had just eight interceptions. The 32:8 ratio was the best TD:INT ratio of his career.
Behind Duggan, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to USC quarterback Caleb Williams, TCU went 13-2, advanced to the Big 12 title game and defeated Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl to reach the CFP National Championship. Duggan was named the 2022 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Big 12 pick. His lengthy list of accolades included the Davey O’Brien Award, the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was named a Second-Team All-American by three outlets, a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.
Duggan was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft after attending the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine. After spending time with the Chargers, Duggan continued his career in the UFL as a member of the St. Louis Battlehawks. He threw for four touchdowns with four interceptions and logged 563 passing yards, 300 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. In 2025, Duggan signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL. In 2026, Duggan signed and was released by the Ottawa Redblacks.