After
painstakingly navigating through the height of a global coronavirus pandemic
that shortened its 2020 season to 10 games and wiped out its hard-earned trip
to the Texas Bowl, TCU Football was looking forward to normalcy during the 2021
season.
But,
alas, the relentless, mutating coronavirus, the ability of college athletes to
be paid, and the deviousness, selfishness and greediness of ESPN, the
Southeastern Conference, the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma
will make this football season, and many more to come, anything but normal.
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Tom C. "Midnite" Burke
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After a
few “back-to-normal” months in the US when coronavirus vaccinations and
dwindling numbers of new cases and deaths dominated the news, COVID-19 concerns
have resurfaced over the last several weeks, as the now-dominant delta variant is
spreading among the unvaccinated and the vaccinated, with the unvaccinated more
susceptible to violent illness, hospitalization and death.
In the
last month, the country's seven-day average of new daily cases has more than
quintupled, from less than 12,500 to nearly 72,000.
Masking
again has been recommended for the unvaccinated and vaccinated, especially
indoors, and socially distancing again is being urged.
And, oh
yes, it still is a good idea to wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds
at a time.
Further
restrictions may be around the corner if the virus is not brought under
control.
But, of
course, not if Texas Governor Greg Abbott has his way.
During
the 2020 season, college football and other athletic teams played in empty
stadiums or stadiums with dramatically lowered capacities.
Some
conferences delayed their seasons.
Some
games were postponed.
Some
games were canceled.
Some
bowl games were canceled.
Some
coaches and members of athletic staffs, including at TCU, took temporary pay
cuts.
The
operating revenue and budgets of every athletic department in the country were
adversely affected.
The
2021 college football season is supposed to be when athletic departments again fatten
their wallets.
The
2021 collegiate season also is the first season when college athletes can make
money from endorsements and through a variety of other ventures. That’s because
of new legislation in some states and because the NCAA has suspended rules prohibiting
athletes from selling the rights to their name, image and likeness (NIL).
The new rules allow athletes to profit
by monetizing social media accounts, signing autographs, teaching camps or
lessons, starting their own businesses, and participating in advertising
campaigns, among many other potential ventures. Athletes will be allowed to
sign with agents or other representatives to help them acquire endorsement
deals.
Some opportunities will be restricted,
but the types of restrictions will vary based on state laws and policies
created by individual schools. For example, some but not all state laws
prohibit athletes from endorsing alcohol, tobacco or gambling products. Some
but not all laws prohibit athletes from using their school's logos or other
copyright material in endorsements.
Some noted athletes in some of the
country’s most preeminent collegiate athletic programs reportedly
already have entered into business arrangements that will pay them $1 million or more.
At least one highly recruited high school athlete has decided to forego his senior year of high school and enroll in college, so he can begin profiting from his name, image and likeness.
The heck with his teammates, parents, senior prom or mental and physical development. There's money to be made.
Remember when it used to be illegal for
collegiate athletes to receive laundry money, or even so much as a pizza, under the table?
On Friday, July 30, two of the
country’s largest public universities, the University of Texas and the
University of Oklahoma, voted to accept invitations to join the Southeastern
Conference (SEC) when the Big 12’s current grant-of-rights media agreements expire
following the 2024-25 school year.
Evidently, such actions were secretly in the works for maybe as long as a year.
Recent reports, whether accurate or not, indicate that within the past several days Clemson and Florida State may have reached out to the SEC about joining the conference.
Evidently, the SEC must be an acronym for a new aphrodisiac for athletic directors and university presidents.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has alleged that sEcSPN is behind the latest conference upheaval, and he and the Big 12 have demanded that sEcSPN "cease and desist" its destructive ways.
It’s a
sad time for many Big 12 fans. Supporters of the other eight Big 12 teams –
TCU, Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas and
Kansas State – are not going to forget or forgive the two flagships for bolting
to the SEC, leaving the Big 12 on life support.
TCU and
the other seven remaining Big 12 teams face uncertain futures. They will either
try to move the conference forward in one way or another or they will attempt
to join other conferences, either individually or as a group.
Reportedly, Bowlsby met with Pac-12 commissioner
George Kliavkoff within the last day or so to discuss the possibility of a scheduling
alliance, merger or other options for their conferences to strategically
work together.
The Big 12 reported
$253 million in annual television revenue on its 2019-20 tax return, most of
that from a pair of 13-year contracts it signed with sEcSPN and Fox in 2012. Last
year, the Big 12 distributed $37.7 million to each of its members.
Financial consultants
estimate that about 50 percent ($127 million) of the value of the Big 12’s
deals with sEcSPN and FOX were derived solely because of Texas and Oklahoma.
Thus, the other eight schools represented a combined value of about $127
million, or less than about $21 million each.
Not
only will UT and OU leaving the Big 12 adversely affect the remaining eight schools
financially, but also the cities in which the schools are located.
Within
Texas, Fort Worth (TCU), Lubbock (Texas Tech) and Waco (Baylor) face losing
hundreds of millions in economic impact.
Tech and Baylor especially are vulnerable because of their locations. TCU is located in the country's 12th largest city.
The
Perryman Group of Waco evaluated two scenarios in which the Big 12 remains
intact without the high-profile programs of UT and OU, or if the schools end up
in a non-power conference.
The Big
12 staying intact would result in a total annual loss in Fort Worth, Lubbock
and Waco of $397.7 million in gross product and 5,322 jobs. If the schools end
up in lesser conferences, the combined loss would be $569.1 million in annual
gross product and 7,615 jobs.
The
Texas Senate, which along with the Texas House is meeting during a special
session called by Governor Abbott, recently held a hearing on the future of
college sports for the state’s Big 12 schools.
Representatives
from TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas and the Big 12 attended and spoke during the hearing,
which Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) chaired.
Texas A&M declined to be represented at the hearing.
Also declining to attend the hearing was Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, who leveraged his time as athletic director at TCU during the Frogs' rise to eminence to a seat on the Bevo Gravy Train.
TCU was represented at the
Senate hearing by chancellor Victor Boschini and athletic director Jeremiah Donati.
At the hearing, Boschini said, "I see it as we’re going to try and make the Big 12 great again and stick together with these schools.”
Donati added that TCU has spent $500 million on athletics facilities since 2010,
which wouldn’t have been possible without being in a power conference.
He said the university received $5 million in revenue during its
final year in the Mountain West compared with a $35-40 million payout
from the Big 12.
The Senate can conduct hearings on the
future of college sports, but can’t take action unless Abbott, a UT ex, adds
the topic to the special session agenda.
It was the Texas Senate that engineered
Baylor and Texas Tech moving to the Big 12, along with Texas and A&M, when
the Southwest Conference broke up in 1996. Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob
Bullock, who presided over the Texas Senate, insisted on including Baylor and
Texas Tech in any move after A&M originally expressed interest in joining
the SEC and Texas discussed joining what is now the Pac-12.
TCU, which had competed with the other
schools in the Southwest Conference since 1923, was left out of the equation
and was not invited to join the Big 12. The Horned Frogs competed in the
Western Athletic Conference (1996-200), Conference USA (2001-2004) and the
Mountain West Conference (2005-2011) until they and West Virginia were invited
to join the Big 12 in 2012.
Texas and Oklahoma were two founding
members of the Big 12 in 1996.
The Longhorns have won three Big 12 football titles,
including the inaugural one in 1996.
The Sooners have won 14 Big 12 football
championships, including six straight going into 2021.
TCU has
held its own as a football program in the Big 12, winning a conference
championship in 2014, when the Horned Frogs also should have earned a berth in
the College Football Playoff. During that season, TCU finished 11-1 and in the
top 5 of polls, with wins over No. 4 Oklahoma, Minnesota and No. 7 Kansas State,
and scoring 82 points against Texas Tech.
TCU
played in the Big 12 championship game in 2017, losing to Oklahoma, 38-20, in
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Under head coach Gary Patterson, TCU,
which is located in the country’s 12th largest country, has produced seven
top-10 teams.
Over the last 13 years, the Frogs own
six AP top-10 finishes, twice as many as Texas and two more than USC and
Washington combined.
During Patterson’s 23 years on campus (20 seasons
as head coach), TCU has earned 20 bowl trips. TCU is 13-6 in bowl games played
(the 2020 Texas Bowl was canceled).
The Horned Frogs received the first Rose Bowl invitation offered to a
team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference during the Bowl Championship
Series (BCS) era. The Horned Frogs won the 2011 Rose Bowl, 21–19, over
Wisconsin. The win climaxed an undefeated and untied season that earned TCU a
No. 2 national ranking.
TCU Athletics, as a whole, is coming off a banner
year in the Big 12 in 2020-21. TCU won three Big 12 championships last
year, in baseball, women’s soccer and men’s tennis. Ten of 21 sports appeared in the national top 25. Thirteen sports earned postseason bids.
Despite normalcy not returning, during the 2021
season, TCU will seek to add to its impressive football history and position
itself for its future, either in the Big 12 or in yet another conference.
TCU
this season is scheduled to host seven games at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort
Worth.
There
are nonconference home matchups against Duquesne (September 4, at 7 pm Central
Time), Cal (September 11, at 2:30 pm Central Time) and SMU (September 25).
TCU
will host four Big 12 home games, against Texas (October 2), West Virginia
(October 23), Baylor (November 6) and Kansas (November 20).
The
Frogs will play five Big 12 away games, at Texas Tech (October 9), Oklahoma
(October 16), Kansas State (October 30), Oklahoma State (November 13) and Iowa
State (November 26).
No doubt, TCU and its fans will most be interested
in the October 2 home game against traitor Texas and the October 16 away game
in Norman against traitor Oklahoma.
The message to Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs for those two games?
Have no mercy!
Last year was supposed to be a big year for Max
Duggan. Unfortunately, Duggan
missed the majority of the 2020 preseason camp due to surgery to correct
Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a heart condition he was born with.
There were reports that Duggan’s
sophomore season was in jeopardy because of the condition and surgery.
Duggan didn’t start the Frogs’ delayed
season-opener to Iowa State on September 26, but he courageously played the
second half of the 33-31 loss.
Remarkably, Duggan started TCU’s final
nine games of the season. The Frogs won six of them to finish the 2010 season
at 6-4.
TCU earned a trip to the Texas Bowl. The
Frogs were supposed to face former Southwest Conference foe Arkansas on New
Year’s Eve. However, the Frogs had to cancel their appearance due "to an increased
number of positive COVID-19 tests and other circumstances within the TCU
football program."
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Quarterback Max Duggan (#15) will lead TCU's offense in 2021.
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2021 TCU Offense
Now, 2021 needs to be an even bigger year for
Duggan.
Doug Meacham and Kenny Hill also need to have big
years.
Meacham is TCU’s new offensive coordinator. He
replaces Sonny Cumbie, who was TCU’s co-offensive coordinator (with Meacham)
and quarterbacks coach. Cumbie left TCU to rejoin Texas Tech, his alma mater,
as offensive coordinator.
Hill, a former successful TCU quarterback, is the
Frogs’ new quarterbacks coach.
Tim Beck, who was a volunteer assistant for TCU in
2020, is a new offensive analyst for the Frogs. Beck is an experienced
offensive coach who before he joined TCU last season spent his entire coaching
career (1987-2019) at Pittsburg State (Pittsburgh, Kansas). He was head coach
of the Gorillas from 2010-2019 (Patterson coached linebackers at Pittsburgh State
in 1988).
Jerry Kill, former head football coach
at the University of Minnesota and best friend of Patterson, remains a special
assistant to Patterson. He continues overseeing all aspects of the Frogs’ offense.
TCU returns 10 offensive starters in
2021.
TCU’s offense averaged 30.8 points per game last
season. That number was inflated by a combined 111 points against Kansas and LA
Tech. The Frogs did not surpass 14 points in three of their four losses.
Against Big 12 teams not named Kansas, TCU averaged just under 24.4 points per
game in 2020.
Duggan, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound Iowa native who is a
junior,
will be the Frogs’ on-the-field offensive leader in 2021.
Duggan ran for a team-best 526 yards
last season, making him the first quarterback to lead TCU in rushing since
Gil Bartosh in 1950 (710 yards).
Duggan topped the Horned Frogs with 10 rushing
touchdowns, the most by a TCU signal caller since Kenny Hill had 10 in
2016.
Duggan also became the first TCU quarterback
with multiple 100-yard rushing games in a season in the Patterson head-coaching
era. He rushed for a career-high and team-best 154 yards and three
touchdowns in a 34-18 win over Texas Tech, including an 81-yard
scoring run that was the longest by a quarterback in TCU history
and tied for 10th-bestoverall.
In 2020, Duggan threw the football 240 times. He
completed 146 of the passes, with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He
averaged 180 passing yards per game.
Duggan has been named to the watch list for the Maxwell
Award, presented annually to the outstanding player in college football.
Duggan also has been named to the watch list for the Davey
O'Brien Award, which is presented to the nation's top quarterback.
Former TCU standout quarterback Davey O'Brien was the 1938 recipient of the
Maxwell Award and, of course, the Davey O'Brien Award is named after him.
O'Brien won the 1938 Heisman Trophy en route to leading the Horned Frogs to
their second national championship in four seasons.
Duggan’s backup is expected to be either Matthew Downing or Chandler Morris.
Downing returns for his junior year as a
quarterback. He has been Duggan’s backup the past two years. Downing started TCU's opening game against Iowa State last season. He played the first half. Duggan started and played the second half of the loss.
Morris is a redshirt freshman transfer from the University of Oklahoma. Morris, of Highland Park, Texas, will wear jersey
number 14, which was worn by TCU’s Rose Bowl-winning quarterback, Andy Dalton.
Other quarterbacks on the roster are redshirt
freshman Luke Pardee, freshman Alex Honig of Bavaria, Germany, freshman Sam
Jackson and freshman Trent Battle.
TCU led
the Big 12 in rushing offense last season.
In
2020, the Horned Frogs ran for more than 200 yards six times, and they went
6-0. They didn’t run for 200 yards four times, and they went 0-4.
When TCU
runs for at least 200 yards, it is 10-2 over the last two season, and 1-9 when
it doesn’t.
The
Horned Frogs will look to duplicate their running success this season, thanks
to the running ability of Duggan and a talented group of running backs.
After
only carrying the ball four times in TCU’s first four games of 2020, true
freshman Zach Evans, the former five-star recruit, came to life with 81 yards
on 7 carries at Baylor. He had two games with 100 or more rushing yards (at
Kansas and vs Louisiana Tech) to finish the season with 415 yards on 54 carries
– 7.7 yards per attempt – and four touchdowns.
Also
returning in the backfield with Evans are senior Emari Demercado, redshirt
sophomore Daimarqua Foster (returning from injury) and sophomore Kendre Miller.
Miller led the trio with 388 yards and two touchdowns.
The
Frogs lost running back Darwin Barlow, who transferred to USC. Barlow was one
of three players from Newton High to sign with TCU in 2019.
When
Duggan throws, can target several talented receivers, despite the Frogs losing
a couple of receivers (Pro Wells and Artayvious Lynn) to the National Football
League.
Quentin
Johnson, a 6-4 wideout, was one of the best freshmen in college football last
season, averaging 22 yards per catch and finishing with back-to-back 100-yard
games against Oklahoma State and Louisiana Tech. He had 487 receiving yards and
caught four touchdown passes during the season.
Johnston’s
22.1 yards-per-reception average last season was the highest for a freshman in
Big 12 Conference history and the second-highest for any Power 5 freshman
receiver since 2008.
Receivers
Taye Barber, JD Spielman, Derius Davis, Mikel Barkley, Savion Williams and
Blair Conwright also return.
Johnston and Spielman
have been named first-team receivers on Pro Football Focus' Preseason All-Big
12 team. Pro Football Focus is a website that focuses on thorough analysis of
the National Football League and NCAA Division-I football in the United States.
Barber has recorded at least 300
receiving yards in each of the last three seasons.
Davis recorded a career-high 207
receiving yards in 2020.
In 2020, Conwright enjoyed a
career-best season with 207 receiving yards.
TCU has
added Marcel Brooks, Geor’Quarius Spivey and Quincy Brown to its receiving
corps.
Brooks,
at 6-foot-3, was a linebacker last year for the Frogs, after beginning his
career as an edge rusher at LSU.
Spivey
is a 6-6, 240-pound tight end who transferred from Mississippi State.
Brown
is four-star recruit whom Patterson praised after spring practices.
Redshirt junior
center Steve Avila and redshirt senior right guard Wes Harris return to anchor
the Horned Frogs’ offensive line, which in 2020 helped the TCU offense average
5.2 yards per carry and compile 101 first downs on the ground.
A 2020 Honorable Mention All-Big 12
honoree, Avila has been named to the watch list for the 2021 Rimington Trophy,
which is given to the nation's top center.
A junior from
Arlington, Texas, Avila, 6-foot-4, was an Honorable-Mention All-Big
12 recipient last season. He started all nine games he played and was the only
Horned Frog to start at three different positions on the offensive line.
He made six starts at center, two at right tackle and one at right guard.
Harris, 6-foot-4, is a former four-star prospect.
On the opposite side
of the line, redshirt junior John Lanz started at left guard for TCU’s final
seven games of the 2020 season.
Other offensive line returnees include
6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore Andrew Coker, redshirt sophomore Brandon Coleman,
who missed the second half of 2020 with an injury, redshirt freshman and
four-star recruit Garrett Hayes, redshirt senior center Coy McMillon, redshirt
senior Blake Hickey and tackles Marcus Williams, Michael Nichols and Tyler
Guyton.
A big (literally) addition to the
offensive line will be left tackle Obinna Eze, a junior transfer from Memphis. Eze,
6-foot-8, 315 pounds, started 25 games over his last two seasons at Memphis, including the 2019 team
that won the American Athletic Conference Championship and earned a Cotton Bowl
berth.
Eze has been named to the watch list for
the Wuerffel Trophy, presented annually to the FBS player who best
combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the
field.
Eze has been involved in a myriad of community work and volunteerism throughout
his time at Davidson Academy in Nashville and at Memphis, including assisting
at juvenile centers and working with Under the Bridge Ministries
in helping feed the homeless. He was also active with Memphis Athletics
for Diversity & Equality (UMADE) to eradicate systemic racism and
promote social justice.
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Defensive end Ochuan Mathis (#32) will be one of TCU's defensive leaders in 2021.
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2021 TCU Defense
TCU
this season returns eight starters from a defense that allowed just 351 yards
and 24 points per game, averaged 2.7 sacks per game, was tenth in
the nation in tackles for loss, forced multiple takeaways seven times, held opponents
to just nine rushing touchdowns, held opponents to a 54.2 percent pass completion
percentage, which ranked first in the Big 12, and allowed 223.4 yards per game
through the air.
The three defensive starters who are not
returning this season were stars: safety Trevon Moehrig, linebacker Garret
Wallow and safety Ar’Darius Washington.
Moehrig was drafted in the second round
of the 2021 National Football League (NFL) Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Wallow was drafted in the fifth round
of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
Washington signed a free-agent contract
with the Baltimore Ravens.
Patterson has produced 55 NFL Draft picks, while
sending 134 players to NFL camps.
TCU has 32 active NFL players, with 21 teams having at least one Horned
Frog. The Green Bay Packers (Innis Gaines, Vernon Scott, Ty
Summers), Houston Texans (Ross Blacklock, Marcus Cannon, Wallow) and
Indianapolis Colts (Darius Anderson, Ben Banogu, Joey Hunt) are tied for
the most Horned Frogs on the roster with three.
Moehrig, Washington and Wallow are big losses for
the Horned Frogs’ defense, but one thing has remained constant over the past
two decades: Patterson annually plugs holes in his 4-2-5 scheme and produces
outstanding defenses.
TCU’s 2021
defense should be led by junior
cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and junior defensive end Ochuan Mathis.
Hodges-Tomlinson was
2020 First-Team All-Big 12 and received All-America honors last season from the
Associated Press and Pro Football Focus (PFF).
PFF rated Hodges-Tomlinson
as the nation's highest-graded cornerback in coverage at
89.1, allowing just 12 catches on 45 targets over the final nine games of
the season. His 13 pass breakups led the Big 12 and were second nationally. The
junior had 26 stops on the season.
Last season, Mathis
led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in sacks per game at 0.9. A
second-team all-conference selection last season, he recorded a team-best
nine sacks for the most by a Horned Frog since Mat Boesen had 11.5 in
2017. Mathis placed second on TCU with 14 tackles for loss (TFL), which ranked
third in the Big 12 and tied for 12th in the FBS. The junior had at least one
TFL in nine of 10 games and placed fourth on TCU with 46 tackles. Mathis
started all 10 games, marking his second straight season of starting every
contest.
Hodges-Tomlinson has
been named to the Preseason All-Big 12 defensive team, as chosen by media
representatives who cover the league, has been named a second-team preseason
All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, and has been named a
Preseason All-American by Pro Football Focus.
Hodges-Tomlinson has been named to the
watch list for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the nation's
top defensive back.
Moehrig was the 2020 recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award.
Hodges-Tomlinson also has been named to
the watch list for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. Named after Pro Football Hall of
Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott IMPACT Trophy recognizes the nation's top defensive
player in terms of his impact on and off the field.
TCU two-time
consensus first-team All-America defensive end Jerry Hughes of the Buffalo
Bills was the 2009 Lott IMPACT Trophy recipient.
Hodges-Tomlinson is
the nephew of TCU Board of Trustees member and Pro Football Hall of
Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.
Mathis has been named
to the Preseason All-Big 12 defensive team, and he was named second team edge
rusher, Pro Football Focus Preseason All-Big 12 team.
Hodges-Tomlinson and Mathis have been
named to the watch list for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award, presented to
the nation's top defensive player.
The duo also has been named to the
watch list for the 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy, recognizing college
football's defensive player of the year.
The Frogs could also be elite at the other
cornerback position, which should be occupied by redshirt senior Noah
Daniels, if he can remain healthy and on the field.
In 2020, Daniels totaled 13 tackles and
four pass breakups over his first four starts before suffering a season-ending
injury. Daniels, who missed all of the 2019 season with an injury, had been
graded as one of the top corners in college football before going down in 2020.
Others in the mix for playing time at
cornerback are junior Kee’yon Stewart, who underwent knee surgery in March and
will miss the start of the season, redshirt junior C.J. Ceasar, who nabbed
three interceptions over the final three games of the 2020 season, redshirt
freshman Keontae Jenkins, who is a consensus four-star prospect from Virginia, and
redshirt sophomore Donavann Collins.
One of the safety positions could be
plugged by newcomer T.J.
Carter, a Memphis senior transfer whom Patterson said has emerged as a leader
during his short tenure as a Horned Frog.
Carter
was ranked as the top defensive back from the state of Tennessee in the 2017
recruiting cycle and was a Top 50 defensive back nationally coming out of high
school.
Carter’s
career got off to a successful start at Memphis. He was named a Freshman
All-American in 2017. In 2018, he was third on the team in tackles, first in
pass break ups and interceptions, and sixth in the conference in passes
defended. In 2019, a foot injury slowed him down. Last season, Carter had 11
tackles in seven games.
Analysts say a reboot under one of the best
defensive minds in college football (Patterson) is exactly what Carter needs to
end his collegiate career on a high note and position him to be playing at the
next level.
Other safety candidates include junior Nook Bradford, who
emerged late last year and ended up finishing fifth on the team with 44 tackles,
senior La’Kendrick Van Zandt, sophomore DeShawn McCuin and sophomore Abraham Camara.
On the defensive line, Mathis probably will be
joined on the other edge by sophomore Khari Coleman. Last season, the Mathis-Coleman
combination produced
12 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.
Coleman compiled 15 tackles for loss to
lead TCU and rank second in the Big 12. He earned multiple freshman honors,
including Big 12 Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year, ESPN True Freshman
All-American, and Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic and FWAA.
Joining Mathis and Coleman on the edges
are junior Colt Ellison and former New Mexico defensive end Dylan Horton, who
recorded eight tackles in his first season at TCU. The Horned Frogs have two
incoming freshmen at the position -- four-star prospect Landyn Watson and
three-star Chris Murray, both of whom signed with TCU’s 2021 recruiting class.
The defensive line also features seniors
Terrell Cooper, Corey Bethley and George Ellis. They will be joined by Kenny
Turnier, a senior transfer from the University of Central Florida (UCF), who in
2020 had four sacks in five games for the Golden Knights before suffering a
season-ending injury.
Redshirt sophomore Earl Barquet and
sophomore Patrick Jenkins, combined for 17 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 2020 for
the Frogs’ defensive front.
Four-star prospect Jaquaze Sorrells,
who redshirted his 2020 season, redshirt senior George Ellis III and junior
Soni Misi also could make an impact in the trenches this fall.
In his linebacker position, Wallow
anchored the middle of the Horned Frogs’ defense over the last three seasons. He
compiled 287 total tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, five passes
defended, three forced fumbles and one interception during that span.
That’s a lot of defensive production to
replace, but the Frogs do return their other 2020 starting linebacker, junior
Dee Winters.
In 2020, Winters totaled 65 tackles and
9.5 tackles for loss. He had two sacks, two passes defended and a fumble
recovery. In 2019, as a freshman, Winters recorded 28 tackles, 4.5 tackles for
loss and two sacks.
Flanking Winters could be junior Wyatt
Harris, younger brother of offensive lineman Wes Harris. Wyatt started six
games in 2019 and appeared in nine games last season.
TCU also returns sophomore Jamoi Hodge,
a former three-star prospect and JUCO standout who missed most of the 2020
season with an injury. Plus, there are sophomores Thomas Armstrong and Zach
Marcheselli and two highly regarded recruits -- four-star transfer Shadrach
Banks and three-star Jayhvion Gipson.
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TCU kicker Griffin Kell (#39) returns in 2021.
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2021 TCU Special Teams
TCU returns punter Jordy Sandy, who has been named to the
watch list for the Ray Guy Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate punter.
Sandy, from Traralgon, Australia, was Second-Team All-Big 12 last season.
His 41.0 punting average, which placed second in the Big 12, was the
highest by a Horned Frog since Ethan Perry's 44.5 mark in 2012. He had eight
punts of at least 50 yards.
Sandy was instrumental in TCU placing second in the Big 12 in net punting
(38.9). He also serves as the holder on PATs and field goals.
TCU returns placekicker Griffin Kell, a junior who
kicks field goals and handles kickoffs. Last year, Kell made 12-of-17 field
goal attempts. His longest field goal was a 49-yarder. He had three field goal
attempts blocked.
The Frogs return Derius Davis, an electrifying
kick returner who has
been named a Preseason All-American by Pro Football Focus, and a Preseason
All-American punt returner by Phil Steele's College Football Preview.
Davis has been
named to the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award, recognizing the
nation's most versatile player. TCU All-American Jeremy Kerley, who played
eight seasons in the NFL, was a 2010 finalist for the Paul Hornung
Award.
Davis led the Big 12
and ranked fifth nationally last season in punt return average at 14.5 yards. He
was one of only three players in the FBS with two punt returns for touchdowns,
reaching the end zone from 67 and 37 yards against Baylor and Kansas,
respectively. He is tied for second in TCU history with three career punt
return touchdowns on 17 attempts.
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Head coach Gary Patterson strives to return the Horned Frogs to glory in 2021.
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2021 TCU Head Coach
Gary Patterson is the
dean of Big 12 coaches, and TCU football is what it is today because of
Patterson.
But this is a
critical year for Patterson and the Frogs, especially with the future of the
Big 12 in doubt and conference realignment certain to take place in the coming
year and/or years.
It’s
been four years since TCU finished a season ranked in the Top 25. It’s the
longest rankings drought of any point in Patterson’s 21 years as the Horned
Frogs head coach.
Since going 12-1
overall and 8-1 in conference games in 2014, when TCU won its only Big 12
title, Patterson and the Frogs are 46-29 overall and 30-24 in the Big 12.
That span includes
the 2015 season, when the Frogs went 11-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12, and
the 2017 season, when TCU went 7-2 in conference play, and lost to Oklahoma in
the Big 12 Championship game, before defeating Stanford in the Alamo Bowl and
ending the season with an 11-3 record and No. 9 national ranking.
Remove the 2015 and
2017 seasons and TCU is 24-24 overall and 16-20 in the Big 12 for the 2016,
2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons.
TCU
hasn’t produced an offense that ranked better than No. 7 in the Big 12 since
2017, the season it last cracked the Top 25.
In 2014
and 2015, when Patterson’s teams ranked No. 3 (2014) and No. 7 (2015) in the
final polls, TCU ranked second and third in the Big 12 in total offense.
Patterson
is TCU Football’s overall winningest coach with a record of 178-74.
His 178 victories are the most by
an active head coach nationally at his current school. His .706 winning
percentage ranks fourth among active FBS coaches (minimum 10 years).
Patterson is tied for second nationally among active FBS head coaches in most
AP Top-10 finishes with six (2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017). He's also
second among active head coaches in most top-25 finishes with 11.
TCU has won six conference championships,
in three different leagues, under Patterson. He has also been the coach of the
year in each conference.
The Horned Frogs have won at least 10 games in 11 seasons under
Patterson. Prior to his arrival on campus in 1998, TCU had just four
10-win seasons in its history.
During his 23 years on campus,
including three seasons as defensive coordinator (1998-00), Patterson has seen
TCU earn 20 bowl trips. TCU is 13-6 in bowl games with Patterson on its
coaching staff and 11-6 with him as head coach. Before the Patterson era, the
Horned Frogs had only four bowl wins in their history.
Of course, TCU’s biggest bowl win, and
perhaps its biggest win overall, during Patterson’s tenure was the 20-19
victory over Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl.
Recently,
Patterson compared the chemistry of the 2021 Horned Frogs to the chemistry of
the 2010 team that went 13-0 and won the Rose Bowl.
“This
is the best chemistry we’ve had since the 2010 group,” said Patterson.
“Chemistry gives you a better chance for good things to happen to you.
“We
feel like we have a nucleus, but you’ve got to stay healthy, you’ve got to have
chemistry and you have to have a little luck.”
Patterson
and TCU football fans are hoping that all of those elements come together and that glory, if not also normalcy, returns to the Horned Frogs in 2021.
