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Since joining the Big 12, the secondary has taken the spotlight from the linebackers and defensive line that dominated and defined the 2000s-era Gary Patterson defenses. Gary's adapted to the Big 12 accordingly. I should also quickly point out that I left Trevorris Johnson off my running back preview. I had something written up on him, just forgot to include. Anyway, he's amazing. But with out further ado, we continue our position previews with the cornerbacks.
Replacing a Legend
It won't be easy replacing Jason Verrett--who for my money, is TCU's most accomplished defensive player. The good news--just about everything on Ranthony Texada has been positive, most notably his speed. No one's asking, nor should they expect Texada to be as brilliant as Verrett, but he's showing every sign that he wants to be.
Kevin White's still great. And always has been.
When your secondary includes guys like Sam Carter, Verrett, and Chris Hackett, it's easy to be overlooked. Kevin White will dazzle in 2014. Last year White had 3 interceptions, as well as 11 breakups. Despite tough losses, White had a big fumble recovery against LSU, as well as big picks against Tech and Oklahoma State that sustained TCU's pulse. Like we said, it's hard to live in the shadow of Jason Verrett, but White's as lockdown as they come. Oh, and White only allowed one touchdown last year. So, yeah...
The Field
While White and Texada are going to be your starters, there's still plenty of depth at the position worth talking about. One guy I'm really excited to see is Cyd Calvin. My favorite tidbit about Calvin is that he played alongside Ranthony Texada in high school. This could be the future, ladies and gentleman.
As a side note: it's going to interesting to see how Travoskey Garrett continues to respond to his injury that kept him from playing in his first two seasons with TCU. But another guy that should see some playing time --and someone I'm also really excited to see--is transfer Corry O'Meally. The Ellsworth Community College transfer (Iowa) and Miami native, O'Meally picked up 44 tackles, 3 interceptions, 9 breakups, and was named a second team NJCAA All-American before coming to TCU.