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.
13 – Dee Winters (Linebacker – 2019-23)
Winters made an immediate impact with the TCU defense as a true freshman, recording his first collegiate sack
and finishing ninth on the team in tackles during the 2019 season in which he played 11 games. Over four seasons at TCU, the Brenham, Texas native compiled 246 total tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks while adding 10 pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Winters made one of the highlight plays during the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl win against Michigan during the 2022 season, intercepting quarterback JJ McCarthy and returning the ball for a score. Winters, who played in 48 games for the Horned Frogs, notched a career-high 7.5 sacks as a senior in 2022, when he received All-Big 12 First Team honors.
Winters was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Over two seasons in San Francisco, Winters has played in 29 games and totaled 29 tackles with five pass breakups. Winters earned nine starts during the 2024 season and is back with the 49ers for his third NFL season in 2025.