TCU had five players drafted last week for the second time in three seasons. The Horned Frogs have developed into a veritable football factory. Consider: TCU had the most picks of any school in the state of Texas for the second time in three years, while its five draft picks tied for ninth among all schools. The Horned Frogs were one of just 13 teams to have at least five players drafted. TCU has had at least one player drafted in 10 of the past 11 seasons. In 10 seasons, coach Gary Patterson has had 29 players drafted. Patterson discussed his success at getting players drafted at a news conference on campus earlier this week. Patterson said NFL clubs are looking for team players . “There’s a reason why we’ve won ballgames,” he said. “You’ve got to have good players and they have to be disciplined. We’ve built a reputation where if it comes down to two guys they’re going to take a TCU guy.” Case in point — the Patriots took defensive back Malcolm Williams in the seventh round. Williams was a backup his entire TCU career. Quarterback Andy Dalton , a second-round pick of the Bengals, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the Horned Frogs have built a good reputation in NFL circles . “It doesn’t really matter if you’re the starting quarterback or if you’re playing special teams, there’s still an opportunity there,” he said. Three of the players drafted — Dalton, Jeremy Kerley and Marcus Cannon came from the offensive side of the ball. So what does that say about a team known for its defense? Clearly Patterson has done a good job getting talent on his team at every position. With the impending move to the Big East, he should do even better.
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TCU = NFL factory?
Filed under Football, News by on May 6th, 2011. Comment. 
TCU has not had to worry about its kickoff and punt return game in recent years, not with Jeremy Kerley returning kicks. Kerley became on of the most dynamic return men in college football, winning Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year honors twice — just the second player to accomplish that feat. He ranked second in the league in punt returns and third in kickoff returns. His speed always made him a threat to return a kick for a touchdown, though many teams kicked away from him last season and his opportunities dwindled. Still, he leaves a big hole in the TCU special teams game. Kerley had 30 of the team’s 36 punt returns last season and 19 of the team’s 31 kickoff returns. Coach Gary Patterson still is undecided about who will replace Kerley when the season begins Sept. 3 against Baylor. There are some players on the team with punt and kickoff return experience, but not many. Among the candidates: Cornerback Greg McCoy. Perhaps the most experienced of those on the team with kickoff returns, McCoy returned one for an 81-yard touchdown in 2009. He had five kickoff returns last season for 167 yards, a 33.4-yard average that could make him the front-runner to take over for Kerley. Receiver Skye Dawson. He had one punt return and three kickoff returns last season and is one of the fastest players on the team. Safety Elisha Olabode. He played as a true freshman last season but reurned no kicks.
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TCU looking for special teams ace
Filed under Football by on Apr 15th, 2011. Comment.
Four of the Top six players on this list are quarterbacks. I am sure you can figure out the Top 3. This fourth one had an outstanding season, and so did his team. Perhaps you are scratching your head because two Tulsa players are in the Top 8, but both are well deserving after posting career seasons. Do I believe G.J. Kinne was the fourth-best non-AQ quarterback in 2010? Absolutely. No. 6 G.J. Kinne, QB, Tulsa Kinne began his career as a highly touted prospect at Texas, only to transfer to Tulsa. He became the starter in 2009, but did not feel truly comfortable in the spread offense. The time for comfort was 2010. Thanks to new coach Chad Morris, Kinne emerged as one of the best quarterbacks among the non-AQs. He could run the ball, and he could throw the ball, and he took special leadership of this team. When things looked bleak early on, he helped rally them. The turning point came in a win at Notre Dame. Tulsa ended up reeling off seven straight wins, including an impressive performance in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl that got them to 10 wins and a final ranking of No. 24 in the AP poll. The Golden Hurricane wouldn’t have done it without Kinne, who ranked No. 4 in the nation in total offense, having led the team with 561 yards rushing and 3,650 yards passing. His touchdown-to-interception ratio was much improved (from 22-10 to 31-10) and his sacks were way down (from 44 to 28). That shows the sign of maturity and growth. Tulsa ended up ranking No. 5 in the nation in total offense, averaging 505.6 yards a game. His performance won him Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors. This season holds plenty of promise, but he is going to be working with yet another offensive coordinator and a new head coach after the departures of Morris and Todd Graham. New coach Bill Blankenship said he wouldn’t change anything about the offense, but how Kinne responds with yet another change in leadership remains to be seen. No. 7 Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State No. 8 Damaris Johnson, WR/KR/PR, Tulsa No. 9 Chris Carter, DE, Fresno State No. 10 Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State No. 11 Greg Salas, WR, Hawaii No. 12 Jeremy Kerley, WR/KR/PR, TCU No. 13 Vai Taua, RB, Nevada No. 14 Titus Young, WR, Boise State No. 15 Bryant Moniz, QB, Hawaii No. 16 Dontay Moch, DE, Nevada No. 17 Dwayne Harris, WR/KR, East Carolina No. 18 Chad Spann, RB, Northern Illinois No. 19 Reggie Rembert, CB, Air Force No. 20 T.Y. Hilton, WR/KR, FIU No. 21 Eric Page, WR/KR, Toledo No. 22 Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU No. 23 Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple No. 24 Bobby Rainey, RB, Western Kentucky No. 25 Roosevelt Nix, DT, Kent State
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Non-AQ Top 25 Players: No. 6
Filed under Football by on Mar 14th, 2011. Comment.
TCU HORNED FROGS The class Recruits: 24 Top prospects: TCU got one player on the ESPNU 150, receiver LaDarius Brown from Waxahachie, Texas. The Horned Frogs got another prized receiver in Brandon Carter , who switched allegiances from Oklahoma. They also got top prospect in Deryck Gildon , a top-10 outside linebacker who could play as a true freshman. Needs met: TCU signed seven defensive backs, a huge area of need with Tejay Johnson, Alex Ibiloye, Jason Teague Colin Jones and Tyler Luttrell all gone. The Horned Frogs also got in the dynamic playmakers they rely on offensively with Jeremy Kerley’s departure. The only thing missing was adding players to provide depth on the offensive and defensive lines — though OT Jamelle Naff was a good pickup. Analysis: Gary Patterson put together the best class in school history off one of the best seasons in school history. The Horned Frogs finished just outside ESPN Recruiting’s top 25 class rankings. Not only that, TCU has been buoyed by the momentum of its impending departure to the Big East. The Horned Frogs didn’t change much in their recruiting strategy, focusing on Texas and the surrounding states. But they certainly had access to more living rooms with the knowledge they would now be in an automatic qualifying conference.
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TCU recruiting analysis
Filed under Football by on Feb 3rd, 2011. Comment.
ARLINGTON, Texas — TCU leads Oregon State 21-14 at the half. A well-played first half. This one feels like it might be in question until the fourth quarter. Turning point : Oregon State went three-and-out and punted from its 22 late in the second quarter. A short punt from Johnny Hekker and a 35-yard return from Jeremy Kerley gave the Horned Frogs the ball on the Beavers 23. Four plays later, TCU took its first lead. Stat of the half : Oregon State has just 33 yards rushing. TCU has 125. Best call : On a fourth and 1 from its 43, Oregon State ran a fake punt, and Hekker threw for 23 yards to Jordan Poyer. The next play, Ryan Katz connected with Jordan Bishop for a 34-yard TD and a 14-7 lead. What Oregon State needs to do : It’s all about the running game. Oregon State needs one, and it needs to stop the Horned Frogs on the ground. It particularly needs to spy on Dalton, whose scrambles for much of the half were the Horned Frogs best play.
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Halftime: TCU 21, Oregon State 14
Filed under Football by on Sep 5th, 2010. Comment.
