Ten Thoughts on TCU's 2015 Recruiting Class

TCU signed 21 recruits to play football for the Horned Frogs on Wednesday, and added another two through a grayshirt, and a track scholarship. There's also a chance at adding one more wide receiver to the mix, but we'll get to that in a moment. Here are ten points about the 2015 recruiting class pulled in by Gary Patterson & Co.

1. The Kids

*Darrion Flowers signed a LOI with TCU's Track team, and will participate solely with track his freshman year. He'll join the football team as a sophomore, and will count toward the class of 2016.

**Jonathan Song will greyshirt, and begin receiving a scholarship his sophomore year. He will count towards the 2016 class.

2. The Speed

We all know Gary Patterson loves to recruit speed, and he's done that once again with the 2015 class. 12 recruits, including all six wide receiver signees, run a sub 4.60 40. Two cornerback signees, Jeff Gladney and Julius Lewis, both run sub 4.35s. TCU has exposed opponents with its speed for over a decade now, and it looks like the class of 2015 is going to continue that tradition.

3. The Receivers

TCU has six, SIX, wide receivers committed in this class. It may seem like a lot, but receiver depth is critical in this new offense, and with six wide receivers (including Josh Doctson, Deante Gray, and Kolby Listenbee) graduating after the 2015 season, getting receivers in now was crucial.

This receiving core is chock full of speed, as mentioned above, but it's more than just quickness that has Patterson raving about this group. In his press conference today, Patterson compared Jarrison Stewart to Josh Boyce, and complimented Tre-vontae Hights' athleticism, noting that he'd be in the weight room a lot once he got on campus in an attempt to bulk up.

There was almost a seventh commit, but J.F. Thomas flipped his commitment to Texas Tech at the last minute, following his coach from South Oak Cliff to Lubbock. It also appeared that Thomas was going to struggle to qualify academically at TCU.

That being said, there could still be a seventh wide receiver commitment, as current Miami commit Terrell Chatman has yet to make his final decision. It sounds odd, but the 4-star wide receiver, who is currently committed to Miami, is struggling to decide between a final two of TCU and Arizona State. If he commits to TCU, he'll add a 6-foot-3 frame and incredible hands to this unit.

4. You can never have enough linemen

TCU only lost one starting lineman after the 2014 season (Tayo Fabuluje), and returns everyone else in the offensive line two-deep. However, much like the receivers, TCU will lose seven contributors along the offensive line after the 2015 season. When you think of it that way, it makes the addition of Milton, Awolope, Bolisomi, and Iwuagwu look even more critical.

5. Speaking of linemen...

TCU only has one defensive tackle signed for the 2015 class, after putting what seemed to be all of their eggs in the Daylon Mack basket. Joe Broadnax is a carbon copy of Chucky Hunter, and should be able to contribute starting his sophomore year, but the big question is, who will be playing alongside him? Five defensive linemen (Davion Pierson, Aaron Curry, James McFarland, Mike Tuaua, and Terrell Lathan) will be seniors in 2015.

Now, TCU did add two stud defensive ends in this class, in Breylin Mitchell and Tipa Galea'i. Patterson commented on both Mitchell and Galea'i in his press conference Wednesday, complimenting their high motors, and the fact that their frames will be able to add a lot of bulk once they get in the weight room. They'll both probably be ready to be big contributors by their sophomore year, and will be able to replace the production lost along the line.

6. The most important recruits in the class

Linebackers Alec Dunham, Mike Freeze, and Semaj Thomas are arguably the biggest recruits in this class for no other reason than they address the most pressing immediate need. It helps remendously that Dunham and Freeze have been on campus since January, and have already started taking advantage of the weight room. At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds Thomas should be able to come in this summer and get up to speed rather quickly. These three have some of the best chances to play as freshmen, as the linebacker depth in front of them consists of - current class - one sophomore (Sammy Douglas), a redshirt freshman (Paul Whitmill) and a true freshman (Ty Summers).

7. No running backs?

We get it, there's limited space in every class, and there were several bigger priorities to address with this 2015 group. However, the Frogs know better than anyone how important depth is across the board. With B.J. Catalon declaring for the NFL Draft, TCU has four bodies at running back, Aaron Green, Kyle Hicks, Trevorris Johnson, and Shaun Nixon. Both Hicks and Nixon have a history of ACL injuries. Two injuries in this group and you're looking at a sudden dearth of depth at a key position. Patterson addressed this in his press conference Wednesday by saying they are looking to sign two running backs for the 2016 class.

8. No quarterbacks?

I can understand not taking a quarterback in this class more than not taking a running back. With Trevone Boykin returning and Bram Kohlhausen, Zach Allen, Foster Sawyer, and Grayson Muehlstein (and possibly Kenny Hill this fall), all waiting in the wings, there's arguably more depth here than there is at running back. Meanwhile, with 2016 quarterback Brennen Wooten committed and actively recruiting other kids, it seems like the next guy is already in place.

9. Three guys already on campus

With how much TCU is losing at linebacker and in the defensive backfield, it's huge that three signees, CB Deshawn Raymond and LBs Alec Dunham and Mike Freeze, are already on campus, putting on weight, getting work in, and adjusting to the college life. All three could see time as true freshmen in the fall based on necessity, so anything that gives them an advantage is a positive. I read somewhere that Raymond has already added nine pounds to his frame since getting to Fort Worth, which puts him around 190 now.

10. This class was recruited off of a 4-8 season

What fans need to remember is that this class of recruits isn't founded on kids who watched TCU go 12-1 before deciding to commit. In fact, 15 guys committed before the 2014 season took place, which means they committed to a TCU team that had gone 11-14 the previous two seasons. That's a major testament to both the coaching staff, and to these kids, for how hard they worked and their willingness to invest in an unfinished product. I'm sure seeing TCU go 12-1 in 2014 didn't hurt, but those dividends won't truly pay off until the class of 2016 signs on the dotted line.