I’ve only met Ken Seals a couple of times, but from all indications he’s a good dude.
So, it makes me happy to see him end his college career with TCU’s 30-27 overtime victory against USC in the Alamo Bowl - a game in which the winning score was a 35-yard touchdown pass from Seals, aided greatly by one of the greatest sideline balancing acts I’ve ever seen by Jeremy Payne.
Seals was named the Player of the Game, and deservedly so. Sure, part of the decision was based on emotion - and there’s nothing wrong with that - but Seals had a heck of a finish to his dream contest, leading the Horned Frogs to two TD and a field goal in the final four and a half minutes of regulation and overtime after they trailed by 10.
Seals, who quarterbacked Azle and Weatherford in high school, grew up dreaming of playing for TCU, but things didn’t work out that way. So he went to Vanderbilt - back when the Commodores were, well there is no kind way to put it, the worst program in America. They were so bad that it took an extension ladder to climb up to the bottom of the barrel.
Vandy, of course, didn’t win much while Seals was there - in fact, the Alamo Bowl was only his third victory as a college quarterback - but he enjoyed statistical success. He even set some records there that still stand, a career completion percentage of 60.5 and freshman passing yardage of 1,928.
It was enough to make one wonder what might have been had he landed elsewhere. You know, someplace like TCU.
While Seals saw limited action behind Josh Hoover, when he did play this season he completed 33 of 46 passes (72%). Hoover, remember, opened the door for the dramatic end to Seals’ career when he opted out of the bowl game and entered the transfer portal.
Good luck to Hoover as he chases more money elsewhere. Meanwhile, Seals and the Frogs gave their faithful their dollar’s worth and then some.
How could anyone outside of California not have been cheering for Seals? A nice guy living his dream in the final game of his college career? It was the perfect script.
And it had the perfect ending. Not only did the Frogs give Seals the win, but they did so in dramatic fashion, converting a third-and-20 into perhaps the most exciting touchdown in the college football postseason.
In a time when folks are consistently saying non-playoff games lack luster, the Frogs and Trojans gave us one of the most thrilling bowl games in years. Even without the emotion surrounding Seals, it was simply a heck of a game from start to finish.
The comeback doesn’t match that of Bram Kohlhausen, who led TCU from a 31-0 deficit to a 47-41 triple overtime victory against Oregon in the 2016 Alamo Bowl, but it is undoubtedly one Seals and Frogs fans won’t soon forget. That was also Kohlhausen’s only start for TCU, coming after Trevone Boykin was suspended following a fight.
Kohlhausen was in attendance for Seals’ heroics, providing additional inspiration. He has regained the ability to walk with prosthetic legs after having both amputated below the knee due to falling from a helicopter in a hunting accident in 2023.
Along with his football skills, Seals is a very smart young man (he has a degree from Vanderbilt, remember), so he likely has a great life ahead of him whatever the future holds. Hopefully, he’ll get a shot to play in the United Football League or such if he does want to continue to play.
One thing is certain, though. I don’t know if he drinks or not, but if he does, he won’t have to buy another in Fort Worth if there’s a Frogs fan nearby. Heck, if I’m in the room, it’s on me.
While this was Seals’ night, let’s not overlook the contributions of Ansel Din-Mbuh. The former Aledo Bearcat posted three tackles, including one for a loss.
Din-Mbuh, a junior, transferred to TCU from Washington State prior to the 2025 season. He was the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Line Top Performer in 2024.
Din-Mbuh ended his first season as a Frog with 24 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss and two sacks.
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