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Tyree Horton may have been the last transfer of the day to make things official, but he was certainly the most surprising. After initially verballing to the Seminoles in June, the Florida native backed off his commitment in September, as OU, Baylor, and TCU put the full court press on his services. He made TCU sweat a little, but made it officially before the close of the business day, joining fellow signees Mat Boesen, Chris Gaynor, and Taj Williams in making it a banner day for Patterson and his staff.
Sorry for the wait! Blessed to make this decision. I'm OFFICIALLY committed to Texas Christian University #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/CXQNViNvmP
— Tyree HortonⓂ️ (@Thorton_10) December 16, 2015
While many thought he would sign with the Sooners, Horton took a late left turn in choosing Fort Worth, where he fills an immediate void. Gary Patterson mixed and matched pieces throughout the fall in an attempt to replace Marcus Mallet and Paul Dawson, but injuries and inexperience led to a revolving door of linebackers that never quite jelled. The addition of Horton, who is a four star prospect out of Highland CC in Kansas, is a boon for GP - the 6', 225 pound outside backer is coming off of a sophomore season where he accounted for 86 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, and 9.5 sacks.
Patterson dipping into the JuCo ranks is nothing new, but the additions of Boesen and Horton should have Frog fans excited for 2016. After signing a group a year ago that was full of flash and offensive prowess, and with many more incoming freshmen on that side of the ball expected to join the fold in February, filling the gaps on defense with experienced veterans should prepare the Frogs to make another run at ten wins in 2016, even with the graduation of a couple transcendent players. Boesen and Horton will likely join late-season revelation Ty Summers, Nick Orr, Denzel Johnson, Chris Bradley, and Aaron Curry in the starting lineup - and with Ranthony Texada, Kenny Illoka, James McFarland, and Sammy Douglas all expected back from injury, the defense has the makings of a Patterson special - dynamic, flexible, nasty, and deep.
You can watch his sophomore season highlights below. Welcome to the #FrogFam, Tyree!