TCU Football 2015: Cornerback Preview

When we think of TCU's cornerbacks, two names come to mind right away:  Jason Verrett and Kevin White.  Personally, I'm a huge fan of both.  When Verrett was drafted by the Whiners...uh, I mean, the Chargers...I tweeted about it and got this.

Ummmm.....weird.  But I digress...

In addition to Jason Verrett's draft accomplishment in 2014, another cornerback received a lot of attention during the 2015 NFL Draft.  Frog fans already knew Kevin White was a great asset, and he wowed audiences during Senior Bowl this year.  So in looking ahead to the 2015 season, everyone has the same question: "Who will be starting at cornerback for TCU?"  Verrett and White left big shoes to fill.

Ranthony Texada is entering his sophomore year after earning Freshman All-American Honors last season.  He started all 13 games, had 31 tackles, and 2 kick-off returns averaging 54.5 yards.  Right behind Texada is sophomore Nick Orr, who played in 12 games last season as a true freshman and recorded an interception against SMU and 3 total tackles.

Sophomore Torrance Mosley played 5 games last season and recorded 2 tackles, with most of his time spent on special teams.  Senior Corry O'Meally also spent time on special teams last year and recorded 2 tackles and a pass breakup in 8 games, including a stop against our favorite Bad News Bears in Waco.  Sophomore Cyd Calvin played 9 games last season and had one tackle against Texas.

Then there are those waiting in the wings to show their stuff as a TCU corner.  Deshawn Raymond signed with TCU last October and is expected to be vying for some play time this season, as well.  And let's not forget about everyone's favorite TCU-wide-receiver-long-jumper-sorta-played-around-at-cornerback-for-awhile: Cameron Echols-Luper.  Rumor had it he was going to be moved to cornerback this season, and he was listed as a corner a few days ago.  But he's back to being listed as wide receiver at the moment, so maybe his days at corner are over before they began.  Or maybe he'll be one of those versatile players that can be thrown in at corner when our opponent least expects it.  I'm personally hoping for the latter.

Finally, there are the Freshman hoping for a chance to show their stuff this season as Frogs.  Jeff Gladney was rated the #11 cornerback in Texas and #81 in the nation by Scout.com.  Mansfield local Julius Lewis is ranked #6 in Texas and #39 in the U.S.  In addition to the Freshman, Seniors Devin Killpatrick and Robert Lewis will be fighting for their chance to debut as corners this season.

As always, versatility seems to be a focus for the Frogs' cornerbacks.  My money is currently on Texada and Orr as starters, with Mosley and O'Meally available to play as corners or on special teams.  Depending on the game, Raymond, Gladney, and Julius Lewis could gain a lot of action and experience as well.  And just for kicks, let's throw in Echols-Luper a few times...because watching him on defense covering the position that he plays on offense would be pure entertainment.  And that's gotta make an opposing wide receiver want to wet himself.

Stats and Numbers (for you mathematical types):

TCU Cornerbacks on Roster:  9

Freshman Cornerbacks in 2015:  3

2014 Total Tackles by Cornerbacks (by current 2015 players):  36

TCU Cornerbacks Currently in NFL:  2

Total TCU Frogs Currently in NFL:  19

Cameron Echols-Luper's Personal Record in Long Jump:  7.96m (26' 1.25")