Spring Questions

TCU’s football spring drills are right around the corner. What questions need answering for the Horned Frogs? Graham Watson thinks finding Jason Phillips’s replacement is key. She’s on to something there—sophomore Tank Carder and early-enrolled true freshman Tanner Brock likely will battle for the first-team linebacker spot next to Darryl Washington. Kris Gardner, Greg Burks, and the other touted freshmen—Isadore and Cain-- will make themselves heard, too.

Mercedes Meyer highlights offensive coaching by committee (and says Cannon starts ahead of Richmond at RT).

The Wimple thinks the right half of the defensive line is a bigger question. Cody Moore and Matt Panfill graduate in May, and it remains unclear who’ll lead to replace them. Henry Nuitei made waves on the scout team at DT, and everyone’s waiting for Braylon Broughton, now a sophomore, to break out at DE. RSFreshman Jeremy Coleman is expected to figure prominently in the mix, at either spot, also.

Senior Zach Roth is expected to challenge junior Jake Kirkpatrick for the first team spot at center, but the rest of the line appears set with returning starters, albeit not all at the same position. If the line isn’t Newhouse-Dooley-Kirkpatrick-Vernon-Richmond/Cannon going into fall, then there’ve been surprises.

The Wimple is particularly excited to see two new guys: Ed Wesley, RSF at tailback, whom the scuttlebutt says is going to make waves; and the early-enrolled freshman phenom at QB, Casey Pachall. It seems the coaches are pleased with his early progress (and RSF Yogi Gallegos’s as well) because they moved senior QB Marcus Jackson to safety.

Some Frog faithful are concerned about TCU’s lineup at safety. The Wimple is not concerned. Bledsoe and Cuba played a lot in ‘08 (Cuba started at least one game), and did well. Behind them are a gaggle of recruits and young players who’ve had time in the system, and from whom he fully expects playmakers to emerge. Chris Scott, Johnny Fobbs, Malcolm Williams, and Jurrell Thompson are his guesses.

Here's MM at practices #2, 3

Frogs ink twenty

Here they are: the 2009 true freshmen Horned Frogs-- if they all qualify. The one who's got an asterisk by his name that we know of is Dwight Smith, the do-it-all back from Carthage. (He told Smoaky he's good to go if he scores high enough on this weekend's ACT; here's to that!) Ten players in the group played tailback at least some in high school-- indicating the speed of the class generally. CGP said this is the fastest overall group he's ever signed.

By leaps and bounds, this is TCU's best recruiting class since Reagan's first term. It's impossible to narrow the list to a few headliners. Pachall is the only QB in the group; Brock and Boyce are enrolled with the signal caller already. Cain and Smith were last minute and welcome surprises. The Maud Squad probably have the biggest learning curve, coming from 1A ball, but CGP says they're all very talented. Rivals' Jeremiah says Boyce might be the biggest difference-maker in the group, but I suspect that honor will go to one of the tailbacks when it's all over-- unless Pachall does in college what he did in high school: dominate. Reports put Ty Horn most ready to contribute on the line.

The line players: Maponga, Burns, Dunbar, House, Horn, Tausch, Wooldridge, and Yendry, will keep the Frogs well stocked for years. 2009's wealth in the trenches won't fade quickly. Here's Feisty's (weird) take, DCTF's, and J/J's ($).

And, adding the cherry on top, the Frogs picked up their first 2010 commit- a very highly sought defensive tackle from Aledo.