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 |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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.
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