Posted on January 24, 2007
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As of now 21 of the 23 commits are in and with 2 slots left it appears that the coaches have met almost all of the primary goals for this class and will finish with another great group. To expand the 23 available slots the coaches may also pursue players with grade issues or that may grey shirt. Of the 2 to 4 slots left the key prospects appear to be Darr Nieuwoudt, DE, Alonzo Adams WR, Tekerrein Cuba S, Jarvis Carraway RB, and Brandon Robinson WR/S,.
Cornerbacks is the one area that appears to be short and the coaches either plan on moving a safety or running back to that position or may elect to use one of the last scholarships and a player such as Larry Johnson.
Posted on January 24, 2007
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Last category and probably the one that is foremost on many TCU fans minds. Will the coaches sign a QB and who are the most likely candidates? Going into the final months of the recruiting season it seemed likely that not only would the staff sign a JUCO QB but also one incoming freshman, then distractions caused by possible a possible transfer may have derailed the coaches enough that they lost out on several potential QBs. However, they may have also realized that with the current situation combined with some strong potentiall recruits in 2008 they do not need to be chasing recruits they are not really estatic about.
While I think it is highly likely the coaches pass on a QB this year, here are some of the better remaining recruits:
Cal Farley 6-2/187/4.7 Keller, TX 197-296-7, 66.5%, 2513, 22tds
Mike Foran 6-3/200/4.7 El Paso, TX 122 QB rating, 2291 Yds, 6 ints, 28 TDs
Kenny Greaves 6-4/205/4.8 Coppell, TX 220-322-12, 68.3%, 2,438 yds, 17TDs, Pole Vaulter and Decathalete, 6-5A Offensive MVP
Taylor Weidman 6-2/185/4.7 Sag. Boswell 212-359-14, 59% 2779yds, 27td
Eric Herbel 6-2/180/4.7 McKinney North 169-246-6, 69% 2544yds, 31tds
Marcus Jackson, Tyler Lee, 6-2, 180, 4.6 (had to throw that one in!)
Jeremy Springer Los Fresnos 6-4/190/4.7 117 QB rating 202-366-8 55.2% 3549yds, 42tds
Posted on January 23, 2007
Filed Under 2007 Recruiting | 2 Comments
TCU relies heavily on its running backs and while there isn’t an immediate need getting good players in each class is a must. Unless there is a last minute surprise the coaches have filled their needs with two extremely quick players. Jai Cavness is one of the fastest running backs TCU has recruited with 4.3 speed in the forty. From Fort Bend’s Thurgood Marshall High School Cavness is a 1st All-District selection, 2nd team All-Houston selection and played in the East Meets West All-American Game where he scored one touchdown for the West. Jai ran for 1209 yards in 2006 and scored 9 TDs and was nominated for the Houston Touchdown Club player of the year award. Jai is 5-9 and 170 pounds and should have an immediate impact on the Horned Frogs in 2007.
Joseph Banyard at 5-10 and 190 is a bigger back but has 4.4 speed in the forty and was a scoring machine in Sweetwater’s wishbone offense reaching the end zone a total of 45 times rushing his junior and senior years. In addition Banyard eclipsed the 1,200 yard mark rushing each of his last two seasons. Joseph was picked as the 2006 7-3A district MVP as well as a Region 1 1st team defensive back and was all-state in 2005. Banyard is known to run over defenders as much as run around them and will be an excellent compliment to Caveness in the TCU backfield.
Posted on January 22, 2007
Filed Under 2007 Recruiting | 6 Comments
About 2 weeks left in recruiting so I better wrap up this and get on to 2008. The wide receiver position for the Horned Frogs has a solid group returning for 2007, but needed a big possession receiver which came with the committment from Jonathan Jones of Everman. At 6-4, 195 pounds with a 4.6 in the forty and a 34″ vertical Jones has the tools to go a long way. He was a full-time player for Everman at the safety, wide receiver and special teams positions, but TCU wants his big play ability on the offense. In 2006 he had only 17 receptions but 7 were for TDs and he averaged 23.9 yards per catch and was named 1st team all-district as both a wide receiver and a defensive back.
Along with Jones, Jeremy Kerley of Hutto will get a shot at wide receiver for the Horned Frogs. Kerley is 5-10, 170 pounds with 4.47 speed in the forty, a 34″ vertical and has plenty of playmaking ability as demonstrated by his being named his district’s Offensive MVP. Kerley is one of those truly great athletes and is a former all-state defender, district defensive MVP and overall MVP, starting point guard on the basketball team, state qualifier in the triple jump, and a possible selection in the 2007 amateur baseball draft (90MPH fastball, .433 batting average and a tremendous center fielder). TCU fans are looking forward to seeing his talents displayed in the coming years in several sports.
While TCU appears to be complete at the WR position the staff will hold a scholarship open for another playmaker that may opt for TCU in the coming weeks, however it will be difficult to impossible to surpass to skills of these two fine recruits.
Posted on January 20, 2007
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Now on to the offensive side of the ball and will start with those who lead the way.
Offensive line:
Last year’s class of Marcus Cannon, Jacob Kirkpatrick, Marshall Newhouse, Ryan Sefton and Josh Vernon has already produced a regular on the OL and has lots of promise for the future. In addition, that class really took the pressure off the coaches in recruiting for linemen this year and they were able to go after a few good ones. Spencer Thompson (6-3/270) a two-time all-state OL and District 4-4A MVP will compete for the center position almost as soon as spring drills begin. Jeff Olson (6-5/240) has a body frame that could easily add 40 pounds or more was a solid blocker from the TE position at McKinney North and may also move to the OL. Do not look for any other recruits to the OL unless the coaches feel they have an extra spot and someone they cannot pss on to fill that spot.
Tight End:
As with most schools TCU uses the TE position for blocking and as a possession receiver, however they occasionally will go deep with the TE more than most and that has attracted the attention of several good recruits, including Olson. Logan Brock (6-4/232/4.68) of Copperas Cove is a former QB with a strong arm, but it was his speed and pass catching ability from the TE spot that earned him an offer from TCU.
Posted on January 18, 2007
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Okay, time to finish up the D.
Linebackers
With Ricky “Tank” Carder (6-2/210/4.6 3A Defensive Player of the Year, 24-3A MVP) apparently jumping on board and Luke Shivers (6-2/205/4.6) who can play multiple positions, including linebacker, it appears this class is complete at this position. Both players have excellent speed and size and should insure TCU will remain strong at this position for years to come. Carder was also a championship BMX rider nicknamed “Tank da Crank” (my nephew from the Woodlands told me that he followed him when he used to race).
Defensive Ends:
Oklahoma All-State Jason Fitch at 6-4/248 and with 4.8 speed in the 40 and Kelly Griffin at 6-1/278 and 4.68 speed add more size and power to the defensive end position. Potentially add Kris Gardner (6-1/230/4.74) to the mix and this position looks to be solid. Fitch and Gardner already have TCU connections to former players and coaches.
Defensive Tackles:
Most anticipation at this position centers on two players from previous classes. Braylon Broughton (6-6/260/4.8) from Dallas Hillcrest is a player who committed to Arizona last season but did not enroll. Expecations are that he will enroll at TCU as soon as he receives the okay from the NCAA clearinghouse and will bring tremendous size and strength to the line. The other potential tackle is Chris Weir (6-3/270/4.75) who grduated in 2003 from Miami Beach. Weir was highly recruited coming out of Miami but was forced to look at JUCO and lower division and finally enrolled at Independence Community College as a freshman two years ago and took a red shirt season after which he was named 1st team all-conference. A May graduate he will have three years left to play next season.
Sean Warren (6-3/315/5.0) of Texas City is a player who could tremendous size to the line. The 23-4A Co-Defensive MVP was also a 1st team selection on the offensive line despite playing most of the season with nagging injuries.
Lloyd Loggins (6-3/310) anchored a strong Dallas Carter defense last season after having played offensive line most of his high school days. 1st Team all-district and 1st Team Dallas Morning New All-Area he had 96 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries.
Posted on January 15, 2007
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Piority number one in this class are the defensive backs (DB), especially at the safety position. TCU will sign at least 6 players as DBs in this class and Coach Gary Pattereson has stated he would like to sign at least one JUCO at the safety position. Commitments from Chez Thomas, Johnny Fobbs and Tejay Johnson at safety & Greg McCoy at corner back leaves an opening for one more player at each position.
Safety:
I have previously discussed the options for a JUCO last week so will focus on the incoming freshman class. Christian Scott from Dallas Skyline is the biggest name on the board and at one time had expressed interest in TCU but appears he is headed elsewhere as does James Thomas of LaMarque. Either would be a very nice pick up for this staff, however one name still interested and one of my favorites is Sam Proctor of Pearland. At 6-0/194 and 4.40 speed Proctor has all the basic tools. Played as a junior at Pasadena Dobie but transferred in early 2006 to Pearland where he was a QB and was the team’s best athlete.
Others to watch:
Romeo Smith 6-0/180/4.4 Texas City. Played LBer and was All-Houston area.
Tekerrian Cuba 6-2/187/4.44 Tyler Lee-good hands and aggressive, 87-Tackles, 2-Interceptions, 1-Fumble Return-TD, 1-Blocked Punt, 1-Blocked FG in 2007.
Albert Rojas 6-2/185 Welasco. 80 tackles, 7 INTs, 2 FF, 2 blocked kicks.
LaDarylian Flowers 6-2/180 Arlington Lamar
Joseph Leary 6-1/180/4.55 Copperas Cove
Jerrell McKnight 6-1/190/4.5 Grand Prairie (played QB)
Quinn Ashley 6-0/186/4.59 Paris, TX (another QB)
Cornerback:
Greg McCoy really helps solidify this class and could possibly play right away as a corner and return specialist. Now to find the other spot coaches looking at Clifton Odom, Jr (5-11/175/4.58) of Arlington Martin but several Big XII schools appear to have the upper hand on him. Darnious Moore from Tatum is another top prospect, but he also appears to be headed elsewhere. Moses Ellis (5-11/165/4.5) of Everman is a player I really like. Great hands and quickness and likes to hit. One player who came on late and out of nowhere was Sherman Rosborough (5-8/150/4.35) of Longview. 1st team All-State and had 10 Interceptions, 47-Tackles, 2-Fumble Recoveries for the season.
Others:
Larry Williams 5-11/165/4.37 of West Mesquite. Williams played at Forney in 2006 excelled at the combines, emerging as one of the top cover corners in Texas due to his speed, quickness lockdown skills. As a junior, he registered 41 tackles and 15 PBUs but moved to RB his SR year where he was named 2nd team all-district.
Jeremy Stafford 6-3/180/4.5 Clarksville (Hobbs!). Big corner and 1st team all-district and HM all-state, had 11 picks & 62 tackles his SR season.
Phillip Ofili 5-11/189/4.45 of Houston Cypress Creek. Ofili made lots of noise on the summer combine circuits last year and played as a safety in 2006 where he made 2nd team all-district. Has good cover skills.
In addition RB commit Joseph Banyard or ATH commit Jeremy Kerley may be given a shot at one of the DB positions. Overall lots of talent (too many to list) still on the board as DBs and the coaching staff should finish up strong with this group.
Posted on January 13, 2007
Filed Under 2007 Recruiting | 5 Comments
I know it is late in the recruiting season to discuss a lot of this, but decided it needed to be done. The next week or so I will work up from my list by position to cover who may be left on the board for the Horned Frogs. Next season TCU will return punter Derek Wash and kicker Chris Manfredini, however both will be seniors. Kick-offs and long field goals had been handled by Peter LoCoco and this spring Garrett Milliken & Zach Walters will battle to see who replaces LoCoco for those duties. TCU has looked at several kickers at both positions and with the two graduating seniors next year it may be key to the future to bring someone on board early.
Punters: Anson Kelton of Aledo is a Rice commit, but with the coaching changes he may be available. Kelton is big at 6-4/250 and is trained by noted specialist Rocky Willingham. 2nd Team All-State as a punter as well as first team All-Region as both a punter and defensive end. In 2006 he averaged 47.3 yard per kick with a 42.6 net, a long of 70 yards and 11 of the 25 were inside the 20.
Others:
Gunter Elenburg of Jacksboro, 6-2/190 also played WR
Erick Fox, Edcouch-Elsa, 6-0, 265. 45.3 avg, long 59. 5 punts inside 20-yard line, 2nd team All-State 4A
Dustin Schulte 5-10/155 Nazareth Texas A First Team AP Class 1A All-State selection after averaging 45.2 yards on 15 punts, with five inside the 20.
Kickers: Justin Putnam from Westwood (5-11/165) is 1st Team Dave Campbell All-Texas, 5A 1st Team All-State and ranked 31st in the nation (all classes). 46 of 46 on PATs and 9 of 12 on Fgs with a long of 47 yards.
Jaime Fernandez (6-1/240) of Lufkin . 2005 First Team 5A All-State selection as a junior. kicks the ball high and gets kick-offs into the endzone, made 45 PATs and has a long of 48 yards.
Others:
Spencer Covey Coppell
Derek Depasquale The Woodlands
Marcus Reyes 6′2 190 Allen (made several game winning field goals)
Coach Gary Patterson rarely gives scholarships to incoming freshman kickers, however this may be a year where he goes against his past history, especially with 8 to 10 scholarships available for positions that are not immediate needs.
Posted on January 10, 2007
Filed Under 2007 Recruiting | 14 Comments
Over the next few days I will highlight potential recruits at each position and hopefully provide some insight as to how this class will shape up. Instead of a position, today I will look at potential junior College transfers, especially since the early signing date ends Monday (January 15th) and classes begin on that date also. If they are going to get a player in for Spring drills this is the final weekend.
Coach Gary Patterson has stated that the 3 positions they would most like to fill with JUCO players are QB, WR and S, in addition they have looked at bringing in a DT from the JUCO ranks. Players at other positions have expressed an interest in attending TCU, but I will focus on those 4 spots.
QB:
Three of the bigger names we have heard about, John David Weed from Tyler, Brian Savage from Coffeyville and Mike Greco from Pearl River have decided to attend other schools (BU, Hofstra & UCF) and that has narrowed the options. Of the more highly rated quaterbacks left, Billy Bob Orsagh has been mentioned with TCU. Orsagh at 6-1/185 is from Eastland, Texas and played at Highlands CC in Kansas last season where he was the KJCCC Offensive Player of the year. In nine game he threw 272 times completing 162 of those passes for 2100 yards and 13 TDs, he also rushed for 372 yards on 62 attempts. Overall Orsagh looks like a good fit for TCU except he also threw 12 interceptions to go with the 13 touchdowns. I think the coaches would have liked to see more of him in a Div I setting (walk-on) before commiting to an offer, but look for Orsagh to take his skills to a Div II team. So with all these names gone, what does that leave for TCU?
Brad Guidry-(6-7/235) played at Blinn College after graduating from Rusk High School. Helped lead Blinn to a National Championship with a 12-0 record. Guidry completed 62.4% of his passes (128 of 205) for 1525 yards, 17 TDs and only 4 interceptions. Coach Brad Franchione has called Guidry the best kept secret in junior college football.
Paul Eck of Butler County CC in Kansas. Eck is 6-4/200 with a 4.65 time in the 40. He completed 123 passes in 249 attempts for 1774 yds, 17 TDs and 9 ints.
Brice Beck 6-4/235/4.65 transferred from Iowa State to Northeast Mississippi College. Brice has a good arm but had a difficult season at NE Mississippi.
Jarred Wallace 6-3/210 played for Kilgore College and completed 53% of his passes in 9 games with 8 TDs, 3 ints and 1186 yards. Played sparringly to start the season and was the 4th starting QB for Kilgore when he finally took over the reigns. Finished strong and is a good looking prospect.
WR
Demetrious Byrd from Pearl River is probably the biggest name left on the board however TCU doesn’t appear to be in his plans. Lots of wide-outs left, but many are difficult to judge, kids such as John Knox and Wallace Franklin have committed elsewhere and of the leading receivers in the NJCAA only a few sophmores worth looking at are left. One name is:
Brandon Dixon 6-5/203 played at Highland CC with Orsagh. Good speed at 4.5 in the 40 and had 30 receptions for 503 yards and 5 TDs. 2nd Team all-conference and originally from Glynn Academy in Georgia.
Safety
Nevin McKenzie from Trinity Valley CC in Athens, TX is the name most mentioned. At 6-2, 201 pounds with 4.4 speed McKenzie is a highly coveted prospect. Gene Anderson from Pearl River is a strong safety with 4.5 speed to go with his 6-1 and 208 pound frame. Anderson is another prospect with lots of offers. Others in the mix include:
Derrick Raymer (6-1/215/4.65) Garden City athlete and all-american punter.
Scooter Rogers (6-1/190/4.5) Fort Scott CC
Walner Leandre (6-2/230/4.6) Blinn JC all-american
Javorris Jackson (6-4/210/4.5) Vermillion CC 1st Team all-american
Defensive Tackle
It appears that Nebraska decided to take all of the JUCO defensive tackles it could handle and what is left could be bare. Ben Gugler is a hard working interior lineman for Butler CC. At 6-3 and 290 pounds he has good size and was an all-state DT in Kansas (Salina). He was a 235 pound linebacker as a junior in high school so he has really grown, but has maintained good speed. Others to watch are:
Chris Weir (6-3/270/4.75) Independence CC-good strength & speed. 52 tackles, 10 TFL, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
Michael Jordan (6-6/280/4.8) DE from Eastern Arizona CC has the size and strength to move inside.
John Olie (6-3/320) from Navarro. Originally an OL in high school at LD Bell in Hurst.
I am sure the coaches have many others in mind but will be interesting to see if the will be able to fill some of the gaps this weekend and here’s hoping they do!
Posted on January 8, 2007
Filed Under 2007 Recruiting | 7 Comments
Always big questions each year is how many scholarships can TCU offer and what are the areas of most need. The number of available slots is generally easy to figure just by looking at the returning players. The Frogs have 62 or 63 returning players on scholarship based upon last year’s roster (the question being Robert Merrill). However, Coach Gary Patterson has said that they can offer between 23 to 25 recruits this year so there are possibly some players not returning due to injury or other circumstances. Not going to speculate on those players, but several on the roster have had chronic injuries and may decide they have had enough.The positions of need is a little trickier. I use a 3 deep roster and make adjustments in cases where there may be heavy experience or little experience at those positions. Her is my basic position analysis using those guidelines:
RB: require 3 and return 4 (Brown, James, Turner & Watts). Position is adequately filled by returning players, but is a position with high injury rates. Staff will take at least 2.
Fullback: Require 3 and return 2 (Smith & Jackson). Several of the RBs can be moved here and position is not used heavily in games. Would think they need 1 and may take an athlete who can play here or another position.
Quarterback: Require 3 and return 3 (Jackson, Dalton & Eskridge). Position appears to be adequately filled, but this is an extremely young group so a JUCO QB may help. Also another position with high injury rate so look for at least one QB recruit.
WR: Require 9 and return 9 (Christian, Johnson, Renfro, Young, Brock, Dickerson, Massey, Moore & Bryant). Again it looks like we are fine at WR, but 4 of the returning 9 are currently freshmen and 4 will be seniors next year. A JUCO WR would really help close the experience gap. Also the 4 freshman are all 6-0 and this being another high injury position look for at least one incoming freshman, a bigger body freshman.
TE: Require 3 and return 4 (Frosch, Englert, Cunigan & Reagan) Position is filled but insurance may be needed. Look for at least an athlete versatile enough to fill this position if needed.
OL: Require 15 and return 14 (Lindner, Montgomery, Phillips, Schlueter, Cannon, Kirkpatrick, Newhouse, Vernon, Sefton, Marrou, Richmond, Sisk, Clark, Raetz) In addition several walk-ons have added great support so look for only 1 OL in this class.
DL: Require 12 and return 10 (Blake, Ortiz, Leatch, Christopher, Hughes, Daniels, Grant, Niutei, Vess & Moore) Need 2 but because of the youth at DT look for possible support from a JUCO. Also this is a critical position with heavy rotation so they will bring in additional freshmen as available.
LB: Require 6 and return 6 (Henson, Hawthorne, Washington, Ingram, Panfil and Phillips) At least one Lber will be taken to add support.
CB: Need 6 and return 4 (Ibiloye, Sanders, Priest and Stewart) need 2 and should get at least 2.
S: Need 9 and return 6 (Jones, Roach, Hunter, Coleman, Hodge & Bonner) Need 3 and they cannot seem to catch up at this position. Look for at least 4 taken.
So the needs are most at safety (3), cornerback (2), defensive line (2), offensive line (1) and a big wide receiver. In addition support at safety, defensive line, linebacker, quarterback, wide receiver and running back bring the needs of this class to 15 players. This should allow the coaches to take 8 to 10 players who are versatile athletes and the best players available which is a luxury they have not had in the past to this degree.
Finally, how do the 13 announced commits fill the needs so far:
Safety (4): Thomas, Fobbs & Johnson
Cornerback (2): None
Defensive line (2): Fitch, Griffin & Gardner
Offensive line (1): Thompson
Big wide receiver (1): None
Linebacker (1): Shivers
Quarterback (1): None
Wide receiver (1): None
Running back (1): Caveness & Hunter
Of the missing pieces, Jeremey Kerley can play either WR or fill a S position, and Kendall Hunter & Joseph Banyard can move to CB. To fill the big wide receiver spot the coaches are looking at Jonathan Jones from Everman and Sam Roberson from Sommerville. The wide receivers available include Ron Brooks from Irving MacArthur, William Cole from Cedar Hill and Alonzo Adams from Houston Westside. The cornerbacks left are some of the best recruits still out there and include Marcus Ellis from Everman, Derrious Bell from Hillcrest, Greg McCoy from Woodrow Wilson and Tim Hayter from Tyler. Joseph Leary from Copperas Cove, Quinn Ashley from Paris are a few of the safeties still being considered. Don’t ask me who they want as a quarterback.
