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Two years of hard work completed and two very hard weeks yet to go:

Posted on January 21, 2008

The recruiting of the class of 2008 is coming to a conclusion:

What we do know is eleven of the eighteen are firmly committed and a good idea of the options on the rest.  However, coaches from all over the country are in Texas recruiting hard and things can change drastically over these final two weeks.  But we are all like kids the night before Christmas and we want to know what presents we got, so here goes my best effort to date.  So settle down to a nice comfortable spot, get the fire going, grab a glass of warm milk (and don’t ask what is in my glass) and let Feisty tell you a story to help you sleep better at night (and reading this may just have you out like a light in no time)!

Some wishes come true!

Yes, we asked for QBs and RBs and big time receivers, pass rushers and blockers and long range kickers. 

QBs, RBs and big time receivers- this class had to have a QB and coaches got a good one in Yogi Gallegos.  Kid is smart, fast and has a strong arm.  He took Arlington Prep to a State Championship as a sophmore and then transferred his junior year to Irving High which had not seen a passing QB since the 70s.  It was a tough process, but the growth in the team and in Yogi was tremendous the last few years.

For RB they started with Edward Wesley, also from Irving (but MacArthur) who has shown rapid improvement in his game this past season.  Wesley has great speed and quickness and has improved his vision and learned to run in small spaces.

The receivers so far are the highlight of the group.  JUCO All-American Marques Parker is a smart, versatille player with talent.  He was the leader on the conferences best offense, played RB, QB, WR, DB and TE and should be able to step into his role quickly.  The 3 youngsters are the ones that will get Frog fans excited for years to come.  TE Walker Dille has size, speed and hands, Corey Fuller at 6-5 and 215 pounds with 4.5 speed will help add another dimension to the offense and speedster Sam Shutt from Tennessee will  excite the crowds.  All three of these kids can handle the ball in traffic and also make the difficult catches.  Look for this group to push the coaches in creativity and game planning.

Pass rushers, blockers and long range kickers: Jeremy Coleman is in a class by himself in this group.  Not only a dedicated, hard-working athlete, Coleman presents multiple options for the coaches either inside or on the corner of the defensive line.  Currently 6-3 and over 250 pounds of muscle, Coleman has the speed, strength and leaping ability to come at you from anywhere, including linebacker. 

On the offensive line Trevius Jones and JUCO Zack Roth continue the trend of going big on the line.  Both are 6-5 and around 300 pounds and very mobile.

Ross Evans is the long range kicker and he finished his high school careeer as the number 2 all-time kicker in Texas and in the nation.

To round out the class so far is linebacker Greg Burks.  Burks is a pure athlete and if coaches wanted they could move him to safety, wide receiver or running back and he would do well at any of those positions.  Burks will surely continue the recent tradition of strong linebackers at TCU.

So what is still under the tree (have to stay with the Christmas theme):

Eleven down and seven to go.  Having limited spots and trying to work out how these spots will be filled has been a struggle, especially with so many athletes wanting to come to TCU.  Of those committed coaches also do not necessarily have their final positions down which means the needs evalutions may be off.  Fuller has the talent and ability to move to TE or DE, Shutt and Wesley may move to the defensive backfield and as mentioned Parker & Burks can play numerous positions.  However, here is the final breakdown as I see it:

1 QB-look for one more in Riko Smalls of Plano East.  Smalls is the prototype TCU QB with a little more size at 6-2, 200.  He has 4.4 speed and is a great leader on the field.  Quiet but confident and if not for past injuries he would be very highly recruited.

2 RB- The running back situation is trickier, but probably the most talent laden.  Visiting soon will be Devin Thomas of San Antonio Madison and Lester Ward of Brenham.  Both are highly rated and very interested in TCU.  Coaches are confident they will get two solid backs and possible fallbacks include Marcus Jackson of Round Rock and Michael Connor from Frenship.  Thomas is the #21 RB in the country despite a severe ankle injury and #42 rated recruit in Texas per Rivals.

1 OL- One more offensive lineman had been expected in Jason Free from Louisiana, but that now appears to be a very slim chance.  Coaches may elect to pass on another or try for someone such as Brayden Burris or James Fry from Spring Branch.  Both are a little under-sized, but aggressive and hard workers.

1 DL- So far no big interior DL in this class (Coleman has the potential to move inside though).  The options are limited here and Tony Gillespie from Jenks appears to be the primary target.  Coaches out shaking the bushes hard on this one and if any position has a possible surprise I expect it to be this one.  Hector Negrete is another name at this position, but as mentioned coaches exploring all options.

1 S-This appears to be filled by hard-hitting Chris Scott from Baton Rouge, LA.  If Chris decides to stick with Baylor the spot will be given to Mike Littleton of Galveston.

1 ATh-the final spot and one with many options.  Also, coaches may elect to go with 2 here and skip the 3rd OL.  The leading candidates appear to be Bryce Beall from Tatum (S/LB/RB), Johnny Thomas (RB/DB) from Texas City or Jeff McVaney (QB/FB/LB) from Houston.  Both Beall & McVaney are very intriguing and my guess is they will opt for someone who can possibly fill the LB spot.

For stats, videos, etc on many of these recruits go to:

http://www.killerfrogs.com/blog/recruiting-pages/2008-recruit-list/

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