TCU Football Recruiting Capitalizes On 2011 Rose Bowl Success

OVERALL CLASS RATING - (A-) That might sound way too high for some, leaving me open to accusations of being drunken on the Frogs recent success (besides my new favorite cheap wine Arrogant Frog), but I have never been a huge fan of the star ratings and will build my case here in a bit.

THE BEST OF BUNCH - I think it says a great deal about how far Pat has taken the program when you look at the best of this class and see that it compares favorably with any school in the Big East and almost any school in the state of Texas.

Trevone Boykin - Very good quarterback prospect who is a great athlete. Biggest knock is his height which might be closer to 6' than 6'1", but he has one of the strongest arms in the state this year, runs very well, amassed over 9,000 yards and 80 touchdowns at West Mesquite, and most importantly wants to be the guy with the ball in his hands with the game on the line. Boykin can help the Frogs at more than one position and they have more talent athletic talent at the quarterback position with Paschall, Brown, Carter, Boykin, and Merka since the days of Gulley, Ankrom, and Rascoe, but this is a guy who could be special a the quarterback position.

LaDarius Brown - The best athlete in a very athletic TCU class and maybe the best athlete in the State this year. Brown is legitimately over 6'1", has a big frame that can easily carry more weight, good natural strength, a 40" vertical, good quickness, and is very physical on both sides of the ball. The only knock is he hasn't posted a great 40 title, but with above average football speed he could be a star on either side of the ball.

Brandon Carter - I have no problem with the idea of students walking around campus with t-shirts featuring Carter. When a Sooner tries to tell me that a guy they consider to be a real steal isn't that big a loss my ears are open. Carter has great vision, has the time of quickness you want in a slot receiver, and runs fearlessly.

Jamelle Neff - Committed in the summer and while he didn't draw much fanfare, he has a very good offer list. He has a big frame that can carry more good weight and is physical, which has been the hallmark of the TCU offensive line.

Kolby Griffin - A huge early commit last February, Griffin was thought by many to be one of the top 5 corners in the state coming into the season and has long arms, solid build, and good speed.

Chuck Hunter - Possibly the steal of the class. Hunter is only 17 and has a soft body that doesn't look impressive at first glance. Once the ball is snapped you see the quick hands, great first step and pursuit that you find in many of the defensive tackles you see in the SEC. Hunter is from a high school program that demands toughness and hard work and this is a guy that could be a fixture in the TCU defensive front for multiple years.

Cameron White - Tall, good frame, very good quickness and above average acceleration for a tall receiver. He does need to get stronger and work on routes, but he has the physical traits that can't be taught and could see early time for TCU.

MOST LIKELY EARLY CONTRIBUTORS - LaDarius Brown has the tools and physical style of play that projects to early time at wide receiver. He will be a bit raw, but with a combination of size-above average quickness-great leaping ability it is easy to see him playing early.

Jason Verrett is a Juco signee already on campus who should push for a starting position at cornerback.

TOP CLASS SLEEPER - Travosky Garrett and not just for the name. He is a legit 6'1" and 190, ran a 24.4 200 and triple jumped over 47' as a junior. Garrett hasn't played a great deal of football so he still is learning the intuitive side of the game, but he has the size-speed-agility that TCU has molded into a physical safety with speed and coverage skills.

Jon Lewis is another player to keep an eye on for the future. He is a bit undersized at defensive tackle right now, but he has the frame to gain weight, has a good quick feet and hands, and was effective against some very good high school competition. Lewis is one to watch after he gains some more weight, strength, and refines his technique.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY - Greg Townsend, Jr. of USC. Dad was a Frog, but he only was in Ft. Worth for a year and a half, wasn't exactly properly used in Bob Junko's defensive scheme, and I don't recall any player say that playing for F.A. Dry was an endearing experience. Junior would have given the Frogs an above average pass rushing prospect of which you never can have too many on your roster and a bit of recognition nationally to close this recruiting season.

HEY, JEALOUSY - I'd rather look at who I want the Frogs to sign in 2012 and that list begins and ends with Jonathan Gray. Far fetched? So was the idea of TCU winning the Rose Bowl a few years back.

I'M FROM MIZZOURAH - This is a tough category for any of Pat's classes because no team has done a better job of finding gems than the Frogs. Dominic Merka was recruited as quarterback, but has the size, frame, and athleticism to play elsewhere on the roster. I am just not convinced he is capable of playing quarterback at the level TCU will need in the Big East.

STRONGEST POSTION GROUP - Split between two groups. The Frogs reloaded in the secondary with prospects Aldridge, Bailey, Garrett, Griffin, Hackett, and Verrett. All fit the physical mold TCU has had great success in recent seasons, Griffin and Verrett could see early time at cornerback and the other four project to grow into big, fast, physical safeties that make Pats's 4-2-5 so effective.

Losing three four of its leading receivers from the 2010 TCU landed a receiver group of Brown, Carter, Porter, and White not only combines with two tall, fast receivers with two smaller, more explosive slot players, but it would not be surprising if 3 of the 4 see significant snaps by mid-week.

WEAKEST POSITION GROUP - Running back. While TCU did sign a couple of players in Bush and Carter who can fill the utility roll that Jeremy Kerley was so effective for the Frogs, there is no true running back in the 2011. That isn't an issue with the returning talent at running back and Jonathan Gray in the 2012 class.

DID THE CLASS ADDRESS THE FROGS' NEEDS?- The 2010 team was a senior-dominated one and that class rightfully got a great deal of credit for elevating the program's national profile. What has gotten overlooked by many is that while TCU will lose some big names this is a program that has a great deal of young talent spread across the roster. The Frogs are especially deep in the lines and Patterson went out and landed three good prospects at defensive tackle, an early entry defensive end prospect in Terry who is the type of player they have had great success developing, and three offensive line prospects who fit the mold they used to create this year's line. TCU losses three of its four most productive receivers, but landed four great prospects to compete with returners Boyce, Hicks, and Dawson. Finally the loss of six of the ten defensive backs from their two-deep will be replaced with six defensive back prospects that seem to be mirror images of the players that are leaving Fort Worth. As mentioned above, it would have been great to land Townsend, Jr. to give the Frogs not only an above average pass rushing prospect, but also so late recruiting season fanfare. Overall the class meets all of the Frogs needs and when you consider the job Pat and his staff have done not only finding recruits but fitting them into the TCU style of play, you have to like the 2010 class.

CLOSING THOUGHTS - When Jim Wacker's team in 1984 went to the Astro-Blue Bonnet bowl it was followed up by what might be the best TCU modern day recruiting class with Houston Madison's Ronald Giles and Jerod Delaney, Jasper's Reggie Davis, Eastern Hills Mitchell Benson, and O.D. Wyatt's Falanda Newton. What happened afterward is an ugly chapter in TCU, but I mention that class for a specific reason. In focusing specifically on the 2011 class being Patterson's best overall class on paper what gets missed is the great job Pat and his staff have done improving the quality of players found on both lines currently in the TCU program, the speed and athleticism in the skill positions on offense and back seven defensively, and the fact that TCU signed multiple prospects that were widely sought and not just a collection of cast-offs and undiscovered gems. I am not a huge fan of recruiting rankings, but using it as a comparative tool with other schools in the Big East you see that in 2007 and 2008 TCU was not ranked in the 50 classes in the nation while the Big East was represented by WVU, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Louisville. In the 2009, 2010, and 2011 TCU has moved up in the rankings and I think it will be bore out in the Frogs being able to compete for the Big East title from the start in 2012.