Early Life
Maxwell David Hesketh Duggan was born on march 12th, 2001, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is the youngest child of Jim and Debra Duggan and has two siblings who were adopted from Korea. As a child, Duggan’s interest in football showed early on as he enjoyed watching his favorite team Norte Dame on Saturdays.
High School Career
Max attended Lewis Central High School and was a three-sport athlete for the Titans. While Duggan shined on the basketball court and on the track, he garnished the most attention on the football team playing for his dad, who was the head coach. Max was a starter all four years and, in his senior season, eclipsed two thousand yards and 24 touchdowns en route to the Iowa State Gatorade Player Of The Year in 2018.
“My dad has been a football coach for about 35 years. He played college football. My uncles all played college football. So I kind of grew up in it. I enjoyed it. Ever since I was a little kid, I was on the sidelines and my dad’s games. I was a waterboy. I was always around the football.“-TCU Magazine
As A Recruit
In the class of 2019, Max ranked 229th nationally, the fourth-best QB, and the best football player in Iowa. Max held 24 offers from schools like Nebraska, TCU, Georgia, ND, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. During his recruitment, James Franklin and Penn State visited him along with Iowa State and Alex Golesh and took a visit to TCU. When it came to his commitment, Max chose TCU over Nebraska and others. After choosing TCU on April 15th, 2018, Max said this about the Horned Frogs.
“Outside of football, I wanted to go somewhere new. I wanted to meet new people from around the country, see new things, and gain new interests, and I wanted to go to a school that would set me up for the future. TCU is highly regarded around the country. It’s in the DFW area. And, since it’s a small school, you’re able to form relationships with people — students, alumni, and professors who will help you in the future.“- Duggan via TCU Magazine
Max was ready for his future with the Horned Frogs but was unaware of how good he would become.
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College Career
From the start of his career, Max was humble and showed solid leadership, despite not starting out of the gate.
“From high school to college is drastically different. There are a lot of kids who are very talented and maybe don’t make it, and there are a lot of kids who didn’t get recruited as a high schooler or aren’t as talented who go on to play 15 years in the NFL.”
“In college, everybody’s talented. Everybody’s good. Everybody works hard.“-TCU Magazine
His college debut came in the Frogs’ opener, a 39–7 home victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He came on in relief of starter Alex Delton late in the first quarter, scoring his first career rushing touchdown on his first possession. His first career touchdown pass came in the second half on a 37-yard strike to Jalen Reagor. Three weeks later, against SMU, he became the second true freshman to start at quarterback under longtime TCU coach Gary Patterson. Later in the season, he scored the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining as TCU upset 15th-ranked Texas, 37–27. He ended his first season having thrown for a school freshman-record 2,077 yards and 15 touchdowns.
After his freshman season, many thought Duggan would be the next big QB out of TCU, but the hype around him all came crashing down. Prior to his sophomore season in 2020, a medical screening that was part of enhanced safety protocols associated with the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that he had been born with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome, a condition that affects the electrical system of the heart. Two days after undergoing a nine-hour surgery to fix the issue, he returned to the hospital with a blood clot and underwent additional emergency surgery. Despite these medical troubles, he was ready to play in the Frogs’ 2020 opener, throwing for 241 yards and three touchdowns against Iowa State. Duggan ended the 10-game, shortened season with 1,795 yards and 10 touchdowns passing – and with 526 yards on the ground and 10 rushing touchdowns, became the first TCU quarterback to lead the team in rushing since Gil Bartosh in 1950.
Duggan’s junior campaign was a frustrating time for the TCU program and him personally. Over the course of the year, Duggan dealt with constant injuries and was benched for Oklahoma transfer Chandler Morris. Midway through the season Gary Patterson was fired as a head coach leaving Jeremy Kill in charge of the Horned Frogs. While Duggan was out, backup Chandler Morris threw for 461 yards in leading TCU to a 30–28 upset victory over 12th-ranked Baylor After TCU hired Sonny Dykes as their new head coach in November, speculation that Morris’ performance against Baylor could signal the end of Duggan’s time as the Frogs’ starting quarterback increased when Dykes told reporters that there would be open competition for the job going into 2022.
Going into his senior year, Duggan found himself as a backup to start the season. After learning he would back up Chandler Morris, Duggan chose to stay instead of entering the transfer portal. Chandler Morris unfortunately was injured in the season opener meaning Max Duggan was back to starting. What he did next was unreal. To everyone’s surprise, Max Duggan and Sonny Dykes continued to win and climb up the rankings. After a win against the Cyclones, Duggan became the first TCU QB since Andy Dalton to lead TCU to a perfect 12-0 regular season. Next up was the BIG 12 Down by 11 in the 4th quarter, Duggan led TCU on yet another comeback, scoring on an 8-yard touchdown run and connecting with tight end Jared Wiley on the two-point conversion to force overtime. The Wildcats prevailed in OT- but the next day, 12-1 TCU became the first team from Texas to be selected to play in the Playoffs. In the semi-final, Duggan led the Horned Frogs to a huge victory over Michigan to secure their first championship appearance since 1938.
MAX DUGGAN YOU ARE UNREALhttps://t.co/OdRtSuTJEP
— The Transfer Portal CFB (@TPortalCFB) December 31, 2022
Accolades
Duggan’s accolades for the season include becoming the first Horned Frog to be named Big 12 Offensive Player Of The Year since 2014 and the first TCU player to win the Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He became the first TCU player since 2000 to be named a Heisman Finalist. He would finish second in the Heisman voting, behind USC QB Caleb Williams. On December 18th, Duggan announced he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Season is not complete for TCU and Max Duggan still has the championship in mind. Tomorrow the star QB will play his last game for the Horned Frogs in what was an amazing career for Council Bluff Star.
