TCU Recruiting: Two Weeks From Signing Day

By now you've all no doubt heard about Ty Barrett decommitting late last night. It's the kick in the groin this thing didn't need right now, or ever. Not after a 4-8 season, not after a recruiting offseason that's seen a small class come in, with a few big names switching away after committing to the Frogs (i.e. Jimmie Swain), and a few more picking other schools over TCU (Myles Garrett, Edwin Freeman). The class, as it stands currently, has 16 commits, two of which have already signed LOI's.

Here's a look at the current list of commits for 2014, from Scout.com:

Pos	Nat'l Rank	Nat'l Rating	Name School, Hometown	Video	HT/ WT/ 40	Commit Date	Signed LOI?	Commit School
DE	105		Chris Bradley (Evangel Christian Academy) Shreveport, LA		6-2/255/4.86	01/21/2014		TCU
OT	97		Ryan Griswold (Pearland HS) Pearland, TX		6-5/260/4.91	01/19/2014		TCU
DE	71		L.J. Collier (Munday HS) Munday, TX		6-4/245/4.81	01/19/2014		TCU
WR	54		Emanuel Porter (Lincoln HS) Dallas, TX		6-4/190/4.43	01/16/2014		TCU
S	JC		Kenny Iloka (Tyler) Tyler, TX		6-2/209/4.52	12/17/2013		TCU
OLB	NR		Ty Summers (Reagan HS) San Antonio, TX		6-2/211/4.55	12/15/2013		TCU
DE	106		Casey McDermott Vai (Raytown Sr. HS) Raytown, MO		6-4/250/4.65	12/06/2013		TCU
WR	126		Ryan Parker (Fossil Ridge HS) Keller, TX		6-3/190/4.51	12/05/2013		TCU
WR	192		Desmon White (De Soto HS) Desoto, TX		5-7/150/4.49	10/22/2013		TCU
OG	JC		Frank Kee (Tyler) Tyler, TX		6-4/345	06/26/2013		TCU
CB	55		Nick Orr (De Soto HS) Desoto, TX		5-10/166/4.45	06/24/2013		TCU
DE	37		Jarrell Owens (Palestine HS) Palestine, TX		6-3/235/4.66	06/18/2013		TCU
OT	35		Austin Schlottmann (Brenham HS) Brenham, TX		6-6/280/5.12	06/13/2013		TCU
QB	13		Foster Sawyer (All Saints' Episcopal School) Fort Worth, TX		6-5/215/4.85	04/11/2013		TCU
QB	31		Grayson Muehlstein (Decatur HS) Decatur, TX		6-4/210/4.54	02/25/2013		TCU
CB	38		Nick Foster (Fossil Ridge HS) Keller, TX		5-11/170/4.42	02/03/2013		TCU

A breakdown by position shows the following:

Offense (8)

OL (3): Austin Schlottman, Frank Kee, Ryan Griswold

WR (3): Emanuel Porter, Ryan Parker, Desmon White

QB (2): Foster Sawyer, Grayson Muehlstein

Defense (8)

DL (4): Jarrell Owens, Casey McDermott Vai, L.J. Collier, Chris Bradley

CB (2): Nick Foster, Nick Orr

LB (1): Ty Summers

S (1): Kenny Iloka

So, while there's obviously room for several more names, with the loss of Barrett (who stated that the Frogs are still very much in the running), offensive line becomes an even bigger priority. However, it isn't the only priority. Here's a list of guys TCU is pushing hard for:

Braden Smith - 5-star OL, 6-6/292, Olathe, KS

Listed at 6'6"/292 pounds, Smith is easily the best offensive lineman recruit out there, and he has whittled it down to three schools: Texas A&M, Auburn and TCU. His relationship to TCU is well documented. Smith has an older sister that attends TCU, and is coming for his official visit on January 31st. Unfortunately, Ty Barrett was one of the biggest voices in Smith's ear about the Frogs (outside the coaching staff), and was supposed to take an unofficial visit to Fort Worth when Smith came to town to help pump up the Frogs.

Here's a fun video of Smith benching 515 pounds three times. It looks meh because he makes it look so easy.

Ty Barrett - 4-star OL, 6-5/316, Dallas, TX

Yeah, a lot of people are frustrated that Barrett decommitted after being such a vocal commit, but don't think for a second that Curtis Luper and Gary Patterson are going to go down without a fight. They want Barrett, and for all we know, he could still have the Frogs at the top of his list. Luper and Patterson are supposed to have an in-home visit with Barrett today.

Lorenzo Joe - 4-star WR, 6-2/195, Abilene, TX

Joe is currently a verbal commit to Texas, but has recently been considering TCU due to the coaching changes down in Austin. Joe is scheduled to be in Fort Worth for an official visit on Friday, and it seems like if anyone pulls him away from UT it's going to be TCU.

JoJo Robinson - 4-star CB, 6-0/175, Miami, FL

Robinson has been a Florida State commit since July of 2012, but he's softened a lot with all the coaching changes that have taken place. Patterson recently took a trip to Miami to pay Robinson a visit, and Robinson has an official visit set for January 31st. JoJo would be a huge get for the Frogs, and he currently holds offers from Florida State, TCU, LSU, Miami, Louisville, USC, Tennessee and several others. Robinson is also set to take a visit to Arkansas on the 24th.

Shay Fields - 3-star WR, 5-11/170, Bellflower, CA

Fields recently decommitted from USC and has an official visit to TCU scheduled for January 31st. Fields is listed at 5-11/170, and is also considering Colorado and California.

Travin Howard - 3-star S, 6-1/190, Longview, TX

Howard, a current verbal commit to UT-San Antonio, visited TCU this past Friday and it sounds like he came away from the visit pretty high on TCU. Having flown pretty under the radar, Howard only holds offers from TCU and UTSA. It seems pretty likely that he will make the switch.

While those listed above seem to be the top targets currently, here are a few more guys to keep an eye on:

Brad Lundblade - 3-star C, 6-3/290, Argyle, TX

Lundblade has been on TCU's radar for a long time and the coaches have been in touch with him off and on, but no offer has been extended. The 6'3"/290 pounder can play center or guard, and currently holds offers from Nevada, SMU, North Texas, San Diego State and several others. Unfortunately, it may be too late for TCU to get in on him, but never underestimate the pull of a Big 12 school vs. those on his offer list.

Courtland Sutton - 3-star S, 6-3/190, Brenham, TX

Sutton seems to be down to BYU and Colorado, but the Frogs could afford to go after another safety, and if they do, Sutton could get the call. This season, Sutton was one of the studs on a Brenham team that made it to the 4A state championship, where they lost to Aledo 38-10.

George Rushing - 3-star WR, 6-2/190, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Rushing recently received an in-home visit from Doug Meacham, and has an official visit scheduled for January 29, wedged between visits to LSU and Louisville. Currently a verbal commit to Louisville, Rushing started listening to other schools when Charlie Strong left for Texas. He currently doesn't hold an offer from the Frogs, but that will most likely change once he gets on campus.

Derrick Tindal - 3-star CB, 5-11/165, Lauderdale Lakes, FL

Tindal has also received an in-home visit from Gary Patterson, and currently holds an offer from the Frogs. While he doesn't have an official visit set to TCU, he recently took a trip to visit Wisconsin, and has a visit set for South Carolina this weekend. Along with TCU, Wisconsin and South Carolina, Tindal holds offers from Louisville, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and others.

Obviously there are more names out there, but this should give you a decent idea of who the Frogs are targeting over the next few weeks.