TCU 2012 Recruiting

2012 TCU Horned Frogs ... Head Coach: Gary Patterson

TCU Horned Frogs

2011 Record: 11-2

Sep. 3 at Baylor L 50-48
Sep. 10 at Air Force W 35-19
Sep. 17 ULM W 38-17
Sep. 24 Portland State W 55-13
Oct. 1 SMU L 40-33 OT
Oct. 8 at San Diego St W 27-14
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 New Mexico W 69-0
Oct. 28 BYU W 38-28
Nov. 5 at Wyoming W 31-20
Nov. 12 at Boise State W 36-35
Nov. 19 Colorado State W 34-10
Nov. 26 OPEN DATE
Dec. 3 UNLV W 56-9
Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 21 Louisiana Tech W 31-24

2010 CFN Prediction: 11-1
2010 Record: 13-0

Sept. 4 Oregon St W 30-21 (in Arl.)
Sept. 11 Tenn Tech W 62-7
Sept. 18 Baylor W 45-10
Sept. 24 at SMU W 41-24
Oct. 2 at Colorado St W 27-0
Oct. 9 Wyoming W 45-0
Oct. 16 BYU W 31-3
Oct. 23 Air Force W 38-7
Oct. 30 at UNLV W 48-6
Nov. 6 at Utah W 47-7
Nov. 13 San Diego St W 40-35
Nov. 20 OPEN DATE
Nov. 27 at New Mexico W 66-17
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1 Wisconsin W 21-19
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 TCU Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. TE Griffin Gilbert
6-5, 200, Scout.com 6th ranked, four-star tight end. Griffin was born to be a flexed out tight end. He can make a living with the intermediate routes, but the deep out and the dig routes were where he is most impressive. The times the ball is thrown deep, he makes the over-the-shoulder grabs with relative ease. With his 6-foot-5 height, it makes it difficult for any defender to defend him when the ball is thrown high. Great route runner with soft hands and a knack for big plays.

2. DE Devonte Fields
6-4, 225, Scout.com 16th ranked, four-star defensive end. Fields seemed to get better game by game as a junior. He is a versatile end who could probably put his hand on the ground or possibly even stand up as an edge rusher in college. He can really get after the quarterback and he also has the ability to get out and cover the flats. The size/speed combo is impressive.

3. OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai
6-5, 270, Scout.com 21st ranked, four-star tackle. Vaitai's arms are extremely long which he uses to his advantage to keep defenders at bay. His athleticism and speed allow him to get to the second level in a hurry while run blocking. When he plays controlled and with leverage you almost always see his defender picking themselves up off the turf. He is the leader on his team. With added weight, strength and better technique he could be a dominating left tackle at the next level.

4. RB Benjamin Catalon
5-8, 185, Scout.com 30th ranked, three-star running back. Catalon finished his junior season with 115 carries for 1,116 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had 12 receptions for 245 yards and one touchdown. He says he can bench 350-pounds, squat 525 and has a 33-inch vertical jump. Catalon plans to graduate early and hopes to be available for spring ball in 2012.

5. QB Tyler Matthews
6-3, 195, Scout.com 34th ranked, three-star quarterback.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Time to develop. It’s a positive that the big question mark around TCU is whether or not it can keep on winning after bringing in several top talents, after years of cranking out big seasons by developing prospects no one else wanted. TCU isn’t getting a Texas-like class of players, but it’s getting more of the four-star types than normal and it’s paying off in the passing game. This year, Gary Patterson is able to look towards the future rather than fill in a ton of holes, and now he gets to sell the idea of playing in the Big 12.

Team Concerns For 2012: Safety. The passing game will be as effective as any in the Big 12, and the backfield is beyond loaded with terrific rushing options to help keep pace in shootouts. However, a leader of a linebacker has to step up in place of Tank Carder, and safeties need to emerge to replace Johnny Fobbs and Tekerrein Cuba. Finding another good corner to replace Greg McCoy is a must.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: TCU will be entering the Big 12 world with an offense built to keep up the pace with any high-octane passing game. Casey Pachall will be one of the league’s most talented bombers, and his receivers Brandon Carter, Skye Dawson, and Josh Boyce are special. Throw in the running back trio of Ed Wesley, Matthew Tucker, and Waymon James, and the attack should explode once the line jells. After taking a year off, the defense has the potential to be back up to TCU’s normal standards with seven starters returning. The front four should be devastating, however, heart-and-soul linebacker Tank Carder is gone along with key safeties Johnny Fobbs and Tekerrein Cuba.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … The passing game. Call this a training year before going to the Big East, and the fantastic prospects for the passing attack will get time to work. The Horned Frogs went heavy on quarterback last year, but they still got three interesting passers this year with runner Trevone Boykin and 6-5 bomber Dominic Merka to get their chances. This class is loaded, loaded at receiver with Ladarius Brown, Brandon Carter, Cameron White, and David Porter all good enough to play anywhere in the Big 12. This is a big class good enough to rank with anyone in the new league … next season.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 61. That Class Was Heavy On ... Quarterback. Andy Dalton isn't going to be around forever, and Gary Patterson and his staff have brought in three interesting quarterback prospects to wage a battle for the starting job, possibly, in 2011. Sam Carter is the best of the three with excellent all-around skills, while Matt Brown and Antonio Graves are also good athletes who'll get their shot to shine. Linebackers Marcus Mallett and Blake Roberts fit the Horned Frog mold, but as always, don't assume that any TCU recruit will stick with his original position. Patterson is a master at moving around the talent to the right spots.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 55. That Class Was Heavy On ... Offensive tackle. The Horned Frogs got commitments from a few very nice running backs like Jurell Thompson and Matthew Tucker, and someone has to pave the way for them. The interior of the line wasn’t ignored, Eric Tausch is a good prospect at either guard or center, but the tackles got the attention with three tall, athletic options in Ty Horn, James Dunbar, and John Wooldridge.

Dec. 21 San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU 31 … Louisiana Tech 24
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

TCU: The Horned Frogs held on to the ball for 36:28. … QB Casey Pachall completed 15-of-29 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and a pick, and he ran for 31 yards. … Ed Wesley ran 16 times for 77 yards and a score. … Josh Boyce led the Horned Frogs with 5 catches for 66 yards, but Skye Dawson caught four passes for 85 yards and the game-winning scoring pass. … Anson Kelton averaged 43.8 yards with two put inside the 20 on five kicks.

Louisiana Tech: QB Colby Cameron completed 21-of-43 passes for 264 yards and two scores with a pick. … Hunter Lee ran 20 times for 64 yards and a score. … WR Myles White caught seven passes for 110 yards and a score, and Quinton White caught five passes for 67 yards and a score. … Ryan Allen averaged 43.2 yards per punt with two put inside the 20. … LB Jay Dudley made ten tackles with a tackle for loss.

(AP) SAN DIEGO -- Casey Pachall and the TCU Horned Frogs are headed to the Big 12 Conference on an eight-game winning streak.

Pachall highlighted a record-setting game with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Skye Dawson with 4:26 left to lift No. 16 TCU to a 31-24 victory against Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night.

It was the eighth straight victory for Mountain West Conference champion TCU (11-2), which moves to the Big 12 next year. It was the third time this season TCU overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win, including a 36-35 victory at Boise State on Nov. 12, the Broncos' only loss.

"It feels great because it's going to give us a lot of momentum," Pachall said. "As a young team, no one expected us to get this far."

Pachall was 15 of 29 for 206 yards. He set school single-season records with 228 completions, 2,921 yards and a completion percentage of 66.5, breaking marks previously held by Andy Dalton.

On the winning play, the sophomore took the snap in the shotgun and Dawson ran past safety Chad Boyd to pull in the long pass.

Pachall said he changed the play when he saw a blitz coming.

"It was a great catch by Skye and a touchdown," the QB said.

"Once I saw single coverage, I pretty much knew I could get by the guy," Dawson said. "You have to secure the ball and get in the end zone."

TCU is 3-0 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

The Horned Frogs, who beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last season, had hoped to make it to a BCS bowl for the third straight season.

"It didn't turn out the way we expected or how we wanted it to but we came out with a win," Dawson said."

Western Athletic Conference champion Louisiana Tech (8-5) had its seven-game winning streak snapped hours after coach Sonny Dykes agreed to a contract extension through 2017.

TCU tied the game at 24 on Luke Shivers' 1-yard run with 7:49 left that capped an 18-play, 72-yard drive that consumed 9 minutes, 21 seconds. A replay review took away one yard on a completion from Pachall to Matthew Tucker to bring up a fourth-and-1 from the Bulldogs' 9-yard line. Tucker gained six yards for the first down. On third-and-goal from the 8, a pass interference call against the Bulldogs in the end zone gave TCU a first down on the 2. Shivers scored two plays later.

The Bulldogs had to punt on their next drive and TCU scored the go-ahead touchdown six plays later.

Louisiana Tech seemed to have the momentum after turning two TCU turnovers into scores in the third quarter to take a 24-17 lead.

TCU's Brandon Carter fumbled a punt that was recovered on the 12, setting up Hunter Lee's 2-yard run that tied the game at 17.

Quinn Giles intercepted a pass from Pachall on the Louisiana Tech 39-yard line. Three plays later, Myles White made a sensational one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch of a 61-yard pass from Colby Cameron for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead.

White reached up for the ball with his right hand and pulled it in.

"I tracked the ball late," he said. "I reached out and by the grace of God it kind of fell into my body. I thought we were going to bust the game open from that point."

The teams traded field goals in the first half before Quinton Patton pulled in a 2-yard TD pass from Cameron. The play originally was ruled an incompletion, but was overturned after video review. Patton got one foot inbounds before tumbling out of the side of the end zone.

"I felt like we had the best of them in the first half," White said. "Against good teams, you can't be lackadaisical against them."

Late in the first half, TCU cornerback Greg McCoy jumped a route, intercepted Cameron and returned it 25 yards to the Bulldogs' 25. Four plays later, Ed Wesley ran 7 yards up the gut to tie the game at 10.

"They were hitting us in the mouth in the first half and we had to counter," Dawson said.

TCU had 190 yards rushing.

"I was a little disappointed in the way we played tonight," Dykes said. "I wish we would have played better. I think we would have had a good opportunity to win. But they made plays down the stretch when they needed to and we didn't."

Nov. 19 at TCU 34 … Colorado State 10

Nov. 12 TCU 36 … at Boise State 35
CFN Analysis: Welcome to the Mountain West, Boise State. Casey Pachall started out the season hot against Baylor, but this was his signature moment completing 24-of-47 passes for 473 yards and five touchdowns, scoring a two-point conversion, and throwing the game-winning two-point conversion. … That’s why Josh Boyce and Brandon Carter were top recruits. Boyce five catches for 163 yards and three scores, and Carter caught four passes for 120 yards and two scores. Boyce got the two-point conversion to win, and Carter made the brilliant grab for the touchdown. … The defense had been down all season long, but it wasn’t bad against the Doug Martin-less Boise State running game. … For all the problems and all the inconsistencies, with home games against Colorado State and UNLV up next, TCU is going to finish 10-2.

Nov. 5 TCU 31 … at Wyoming 20

Oct. 29 at TCU 38 … BYU 28
CFN Analysis: The defense isn’t a brick wall, but it did a good job of coming up with key stops early, three big turnovers, and did what it needed to do help make the game a blowout early on. The offense didn’t exactly blow up, with Casey Pachall throwing for 147 yards and the offense only came up with 283 yards. The offensive line couldn’t generate a big push, but it didn’t need to thanks to a good day from the special teams, along with the D, setting up the offense for scores. There’s one more tune up – at Wyoming – before the showdown at Boise State. The offense has to be more explosive to have any shot against the Broncos, and it didn’t show enough this week.

Oct. 22 at TCU 69 … New Mexico 0
CFN Analysis: TCU finally did what it’s supposed to do and blew away a bad team with ease. There were some other layups on the schedule – like ULM and Portland State – and those were easy wins, but this was a true stomping at just the right time. New Mexico is struggling and might be the worst team in America, and Casey Pachall showed why completing 13-of-17 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held the Lobos to just 85 total yards and three first downs in a dominant effort. BYU is on a hot streak and Wyoming isn’t that bad, but if the Horned Frogs are playing up to their capabilities, and if Pachall can stay hot, those two games won’t be a problem before the showdown at Boise State. 

Oct. 8 TCU 27 … at San Diego State 14
CFN Analysis: TCU teams of the past were able to put their foot on the gas and put a game like this away with a terrific run. This year’s team doesn’t seem to have the ability to crank out yards and points in bunches unless it’s down late. It was an even effort with Casey Pachall overcoming two interceptions and the team’s four turnovers by keeping the chains moving, and Ed Wesley was back to form running for 146 yards on 24 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per pop. This might have been the defense’s best performance of the year, and while it gave up a few late scores, that’s because the offense screwed up and put the D’s back against the wall. Even with the problems against Baylor and SMU, those weren’t in the Mountain West; TCU is 2-0 in conference play with the New Mexico free space up next. 

Oct. 1 SMU 40 … at TCU 33 OT
CFN Analysis: TCU can mount phenomenal comebacks, but against Baylor and SMU the great fourth quarters didn’t finish with wins. The secondary has been shockingly bad in key moments and the pass rush hasn’t been up to the usual high Horned Frogs standards. Casey Pachall is showing a nice passing touch, completing 30-of-42 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, but he wasn’t able to finish the comeback. For all the problems and for all the issues, TCU is still very, very close to being 5-0. It might not be business as usual, but it’s a rebuilding season and neither of the losses has come in Mountain West play. The aura of invincibility is gone, but with an impressive win over San Diego State next week, it can come back in time to roll through the rest of the league before the big date with Boise State. 

Sept. 24 at TCU 55 … Portland State 13
CFN Analysis: TCU still has an issue of its starts. It’s taking way too long to get the engine rolling, and even though the explosion at the end of the first half was great, cranking out 21 points in the final 1:55, it was still just 3-3 up until the 66-yard Josh Boyce touchdown pass. The run defense did its job against one of the best running teams in the FCS, holding Portland State to 119 yards, and the game was never really in doubt after halftime, but the offense has to figure out how to come out of the tunnel rolling. Against SMU next week, the pass defense will be tested and the pass rush has to be even stronger. 

Sept. 17 at TCU 38 … ULM 17
CFN Analysis: Ragged. TCU has been ragged and inconsistent to start the season, and while ULM came up with a good early effort to make it a battle in the first quarter, the switch didn’t turn on for the Horned Frogs until the second half. Eventually, the defense played like it was supposed to, and the team got the spark it needed from Greg McCoy’s 94-yard kickoff return for a score, but it wasn’t a good all-around game for a team that needs to start looking like TCU again. The run defense was fine, but the secondary couldn’t stop the Warhawks on third down often enough in the first half. Beating Portland State will be a layup, but the defense has to start doing far more to get into the backfield to be back to being the TCU of old. 

Sept. 10 TCU 35 … at Air Force 19
CFN Analysis: The Horned Frogs didn’t exactly look back to form after the Baylor loss, but it kept the Air Force offense under wraps early and did what it needed to do with a balanced attack. Casey Pachall was effective, completing 20-of-25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, while the running game survived without Ed Wesley and ran for 204 yards and three touchdowns to balance things out. Now the team has to learn how to play a full sixty minutes, struggling out of the gate in the second half and allowing the Falcons to get back into the game, but there shouldn’t be a problem getting a win next week against ULM. It’s just Week Two, but TCU is 118th in the nation in pass efficiency defense and 112th in total defense. Part of the problem is a lack of a push into the backfield; there have been just nine tackles for loss in two games.

Sept. 1 at Baylor 50 … TCU 48
CFN Analysis: For three quarters, TCU looked like it needed a tune-up breather of a preseason game. It needed a layup against an FCS team just to get everything working in sync and just to get the secondary some live reps before getting hit by the bomb that Baylor and Robert Griffin were about to drop. However, that fourth quarter might have showed that everything really will be okay. Everyone will throw out stats about how TCU had one of its worst games in several years, but when all looked hopeless, and with QB Casey Pachall suffering a perma-cramp in his leg, the team found a way to almost get it done. In the longview and in the national picture, this game probably didn’t matter too much; TCU can still get to a BCS game by running the table and finishing 11-1. As bad as losing this game might be, losing at Air Force would be far worse. Was this loss an indicator that 2011 will really be a rebuilding season, or was it an aberration? The Horned Frogs will find out next week.

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … The passing game. Call this a training year before going to the Big East, and the fantastic prospects for the passing attack will get time to work. The Horned Frogs went heavy on quarterback last year, but they still got three interesting passers this year with runner Trevone Boykin and 6-5 bomber Dominic Merka to get their chances. This class is loaded, loaded at receiver with Ladarius Brown, Brandon Carter, Cameron White, and David Porter all good enough to play anywhere in the Big 12. This is a big class good enough to rank with anyone in the new league … next season.

Five TCU Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. WR Ladarius Brown
Brown is a playmaking threat that can go down and make a big play vertically over the top of defenders. He has big play abilities, but he is also able to run quick routes underneath the defense and get YAC. He is also a punishing blocker that seems to take pride in playing hard on all of the snaps. On defenses he is a big hitter with range. Chose TCU over Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

2. WR/RB Brandon Carter
Thin running back, if he does not get bigger then he will have to move to wide receiver. Has good speed and takes off very well, once he gets going he is tough to catch. His thin size makes him easy to bring down and he will not break many tackles. Chose TCU over Oklahoma.

3. LB Laderice Sanders
Has a nose for the football and is always around the play, which is evident by his gaudy tackle numbers. He seems to be a pretty solid all-around backer that can defend the pass, run and put pressure on the quarterback. He also plays with a little throwback style and really finishes off his tackles.

4. CB Kolby Griffin
Solid size and fast. Griffin does a great job at holding down his side of the ball against the run. Has a lot of speed and can get himself in position to make the interception. His speed allows him to gamble a bit more and recover if he guesses wrong. Long strides, like a sprinter in track. Makes a good first step on stopping the run.

5. WR Cameron White
White is an exciting player that has the ability to make all of the catches. He has worked primarily out of the slot and shows an ability to make some tough grabs in traffic and then make defenders miss him as he scrambles for extra yards. He is tough to defend because he is so versatile.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Quincy Aldridge S, 6-2, 195 Whitehouse, Texas Whitehouse HS
James Bailey S, 6-1, 200 Everman, Texas Everman HS
Trevone Boykin QB, 6-1, 205 Mesquite, Texas West Mesquite HS
LaDarius Brown WR, 6-2, 190 Waxahachie, Texas Waxahachie HS
David Bush WR, 5-10, 165 Tyler, Texas John Tyler HS
Jamie Byrd S, 5-11, 180 Dade City, Fla. Pasco HS
Brandon Carter WR, 5-11, 161 Euless, Texas Trinity HS
Brady Foltz OG, 6-4, 290 Rose Hill, Kansas Rose Hill HS
Travoskey Garrett CB, 6-1, 186 Lufkin, Texas Lufkin HS
Deryck Gildon LB, 6-2, 205 Arlington, Texas Martin HS
Chazten Gonzales QB, 6-2, 185 Del City, Oklahoma Del City HS
Kolby Griffin CB, 5-11, 176 Houston, Texas St. Pius X HS
Chris Hackett S, 6-1, 185 Tyler, Texas John Tyler HS
Chuck Hunter DT, 6-1, 294 West Monroe, La. West Monroe HS
Jon Lewis DT, 6-2, 265 Spring, Texas Klein Oak HS
Dominic Merka ATH, 6-4, 220 Crosby, Texas Crosby HS
Jamelle Naff OG, 6-4, 311 Del City, Okla. Del City HS
David Porter III WR, 6-0, 185 DeSoto, Texas DeSoto HS
Laderice Sanders LB, 6-1, 220 Arlington, Texas Arlington HS
Austin Terry LB, 6-2, 221 Lago Vista, Texas Lago Vista HS
Bobby Thompson OT, 6-7, 285 Midland, Texas Midland Christian
Jason Verrett CB, 5-10, 180 Santa Rosa, Calif. Santa Rosa JC
Carter Wall OT, 6-5, 263 Richmond, Texas Travis HS
Cameron White WR, 6-2, 185 DeSoto, Texas DeSoto HS