The TCU Horned Frogs are less than 20 days from kicking off the 2025 football season with a nonconference road matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels and new head coach Bill Belichick. As we count down the days until kickoff, we’ll highlight a former (or current) Horned Frog whose jersey number represents the number of days left until the opener.
12 – Jeff Gladney (Cornerback – 2015-19)
A five-year member of the Horned Frogs, Gladney was named to the All-Big 12 team three times over the course
of his career. Gladney, who rose from an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (2017) to a Second Team (2018) and finally a First Team (2019) winner across three seasons, concluded his TCU career with 146 total tackles, six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks along with 43 pass breakups, five interceptions and one forced fumble. A native of New Boston, Texas, Gladney played in 49 games for the Horned Frogs, helping TCU score an Alamo Bowl win against Stanford in 2017 as well as a Cheez-It Bowl win over California in 2019.
Gladney received Senior Bowl and NFL Combine invites in 2020 and was picked by the Minnesota Vikings with the 31st overall selection in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. During his rookie season, Gladney played in 16 games and posted 63 total tackles, three pass breakups and one forced fumble. Although he was released in 2021 due to an indictment for domestic violence, Gladney was found not guilty in March 2022 and then signed with the Arizona Cardinals later that year. Tragically, Gladney lost his life in a car crash on May 30, 2022.
