TCU Football Countdown: 21 Days

Kyle Hicks was the running back we saw the least of in 2014, but don't think that makes us any less excited about what what he will show us in his sophomore campaign. Hicks jumped on the #TooColdU bandwagon back in 2012 before it was fashionable to do so.  He was committed to Texas for several months, but flipped to the Horned Frogs the December before signing day.  A home grown talent, Hicks played his high school ball just a hop (pun intended) skip and a jump away from campus at Arlington Martin.  As one of only two four-star recruits signing with the Frogs that year, he was one of the crown jewels of the 2013 recruiting class.

Hicks redshirted his freshman season at TCU and saw his first game action last year as part of a very deep running back group including BJ Catalon, Aaron Green and Trevorris Johnson. Even surrounded by an abundance of talent, he carved out a role for himself in the Cumbie/Meacham system. In 2014 he rushed 48 times for 160 yards averaging 3.5 yards per carry. What really stood out to me though was how good he was at catching passes out of the backfield.  He showed really solid hands and utilized an excellent combination of power, elusiveness and vision to turn 12 receptions into 118 yards.  If it seemed like he got a first down every time he caught the ball, that's because he averaged 9.8 yards per reception.

This year he will be called on to take on a larger role as one of the big three. Where Green will make defenders miss and Trevorris Johnson will just run them over, Hicks can do both at 5'10', 200 pounds.  Just because you know what the other backs are trying to do doesn't mean it will be easy to stop them, but when Hicks is in the backfield defenses won't know what to expect.  As if Cumbie and Meacham were in any way predictable....they aren't, of course....Hicks gives them just one more great option to help them open up those other pages of the playbook that we're all dying to see.

21. More. Days.