For Dominic Minatel ’25, commencement weekend was not only a celebration of his accomplishments, it was a long-awaited reveal.
Walking the stage as an Honors Laureate from the John V. Roach Honors College and earning his degrees in religion from the AddRan College of Liberal Arts and communication studies from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication, he disclosed to a packed Schollmaier Arena that he is also known as SuperFrog.
It was curiosity and a desire to branch out that set him on this path.
“In my first year, I was looking to get more involved on campus,” he said. “One day, I decided to DM the SuperFrog Instagram account to ask how it worked and how I could become SuperFrog.”
After a summer of prep work, Minatel made the final cut and joined the exclusive group of students who represent the university in a unique way.
“It’s a one-of-a-kind experience the first time you run onto the field,” Minatel said. “The crowd is cheering, and even though they don’t know what’s going through your head, you’re all connected by that shared energy. You just have to push through the nerves, and fake it till you make it.”
Eventually he found his groove and spent season after season rallying the crowd, traveling the country and even attended a few birthday parties.
“People love SuperFrog,” he said. “Wherever it is that we’re requested, we show up and we try to make the moment unforgettable.”
Three years of memories through the lens of SuperFrog, thousands of high-fives and pictures with fans, Minatel ended his collegiate mascot career on a high note witnessing the iconic TCU women’s basketball March Madness run. A season that led them to their first ever Elite Eight.
“I was the guy in the suit for the entirety of the March Madness home games and for the game in Birmingham,” he said. “The energy in the stadium was electrifying.”
As the final buzzer sounded on both the season and his mascot career, Minatel put the SuperFrog suit away for the last time and turned toward a new calling — one rooted in faith and service as he begins his journey at Vanderbilt University Divinity School.
Looking back on his time in uniform at a university he describes as “wonderful and incredibly supportive,” Minatel offers this advice to the incoming class, “Don’t be afraid to branch out."
