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(Author's Note: This interview took place before Clifton Lewis committed on Wednesday. A big thanks to Alex from The Football Brainiacs for chatting with me).
Alex King of The Football Brainiacs stopped by to have a chat about TCU's 2016 recruiting class. Go give him a follow at @AKing_TFB, to chat with him about Frog recruits.
Jamie Plunkett: TCU currently has eight guys committed for the 2016 class, which one (or two) of those commits do you like the most?
Alex King: First let me start off by saying TCU has really put together a solid class so far for 2016. Wasn’t one prospect on this list I turned on and wasn’t impressed by. Head coach Gary Patterson and his staff have a great eye for talent. My choice for the commit I like the most has to go to Sewo Olonilua. How could I not pick him? And believe me I really like Austin Myers. But Olonilua being 6’3" and 217 pounds with the speed and athleticism he possesses made it easy for me, especially when you think about him playing LB in the Big 12. He is a big hitter, who closes in a hurry. Like his length along with having good feet and impressive change of direction, which makes it easy to see he is comfortable in one on one coverage. He has all the physical tools you need but also flashes the instinctual side on film as well. Put all that together with TCU’s history at linebacker and I see a future stud for the Horned Frogs.
JP: Which one is the biggest sleeper?
AK: I will go with Dylan Thomas on this one. When you watch his film the kid has great feet, lateral agility and quickness. But also shows to have a good burst & strong speed. He has the feel of someone that could really give defenses fits in the Big12 with his ability to make people miss in the open field as well as in tight quarters. Another reason why I like him is if he doesn’t pan out at WR he looks to have the physical skill set and size at 6’1" and 185 to move to defensive back.
JP: Could any of these guys have impacts as true freshmen?
AK: With both Big V (Side Note: V is actually a good buddy of mine as I grew up with his older brothers/cousins and known him since he was in peewee) and Aviante Collins gone to graduation after this upcoming year, TCU will be left with a young, inexperienced group of offensive tackles. Due to this I’m going to lean towards Austin Myers here. Love his film. Good size at 6’5" and 290 already. He’s quick out of his stance with good feet. Moves really well and gets to the 2nd level with ease. Road grader with powerful, violent hands and explodes through the hips on contact in the run game. Strong. Has the quickness, lateral agility and length to shut down blitzers off the edge. Plays with above average technique at this point with a solid punch and keeps his hands inside to control his man in pass pro. Bit of a waist bender and can play a bit high at times. However, I see a guy who could come in as a true freshman with the tools he possesses and earn immediate playing time at right tackle. Again, big fan of his game.
JP: Are there any prospects, committed or uncommitted, who Frog fans should know about?
AK: I’ll go with Tristan Crowder out of Bartlesville, OK. He is just a hair under 6’4 and weighs about 220 right now. Long with a quick 1st step and impressive speed (check the play at 1:45 on his HUDL film). His head coach let me know he is the 2nd fastest player on his team. Kid has major athleticism and uses his hands well. Been under the radar and just recently picked up his 1st FBS offer from Wyoming but interest is really picking up for him. I expect him to start picking up more and more offers very soon.
JP: Any current commits TCU should be concerned about losing to the competition?
AK: Again, got to go with Olonilua here. When you have someone with his size and physical ability you can bet more and more schools are going to come through with offers. And with how 'cruitin goes we all know that's when anything can happen.