TCU News: A Day with the CEO of TCU Football

Basketball:

TCU breaks losing streak with milestone rout of Oklahoma | The Star-Telegram

The Frogs will look to shock the world this afternoon, as they take on no. 1 Kansas - who will be without their dynamite freshman, Josh Jackson.

“Truly a great team effort for us,” Dixon said. “Even though we’ve had a long streak of losing some tight games, their attitude has been tremendous. Their work ethic has been great. They were rewarded today.”

TCU key spring issue No. 2: How is the defensive line developing? | Sports Day

It’s the biggest position group question mark of the spring, as the Frogs have to replace several big pieces in the trenches.

After the first spring practice, Patterson said he is impressed with how Ben Banogu and Mat Boesen were in the offseason and with the numbers they produced. However, Brandon Bowen is still recovering from surgery and was unable to practice.

The Frogs may be losing some size on the line, but Patterson said that the upcoming group is bringing something else -- the ability to lift. James McFarland and Josh Carraway were never able to lift to their full potential because of injuries. The players who now have to step up can. This addition will make a difference in playing style.

TCU’s Jamie Dixon hoping to bring program Big 12 tourney success | KU Sports

The Frogs know their only path to March Madness is a Big 12 Tournament championship. They’ll have to go through the #1 team in the country to do so.

“We're a better team than we were,” Dixon said of TCU’s state entering Round 3 with Kansas. “The record doesn't indicate it, but watching it on film we're a better team now than we were, and I think it all came together today and we've got to have it come together tomorrow, as well. But I think just handling their runs will be the biggest challenge, and that's been a challenge for us. Sometimes we don't respond with that next possession. That's where we've got to handle them, because they're terrific, obviously, and getting a turnover, turning a bad shot into a basket. We just can't have that. We called a timeout on one play after we had two questionable shots (versus OU), and we got it fixed after that, but we've got to get it changed quicker or we'll be in trouble tomorrow.”

Football:

EXCLUSIVE: A day with Gary Patterson, the CEO of TCU Football | CBS Sports

The notoriously secretive Gary Patterson let Jeremy Clark behind the veil for an in-depth look inside the TCU Football program. It’s a fascinating read for Frog fans, and college football fans in general.

Patterson isn’t just the head coach, he truly is the CEO of TCU Football Inc. Decisions are not made without his authorization and if by chance they do, he still has the final stamp of approval. That goes for recruiting when it comes to offering a kid a scholarship or even having a certain kid on their radar. It goes for much more than that as I learned earlier in the morning.

By now, Frog fans have seen TCU player cards that include the top players for the Frogs and Patterson himself. Fans have also seen the player banners that hang during the season in downtown Ft. Worth and on University Drive as they drive toward TCU.

It’s Patterson that makes the final call on who should be on the cards and banners for the upcoming season. He admits it’s not as easy as it sounds.

TCU football program voted top school to host a visit | Sports Day

Color me not at all surprised.

TCU has impressed recent recruits with its junior days and the new addition to the John Justin Athletic Center, which includes an arcade, basketball hoops, pinball and a theater area for the players to watch TV, play games and relax.

One recruit said, “They (Texas and TCU) were both fun ... TCU has the game room, though.”

South Grand Prairie OL Esteban Avila commits to TCU | Sports Day

The Frogs pick up an offensive lineman, their third commit in the class of 2018.

At 6-foot-3, 306 pounds, Avila is ranked as the No. 68 offensive tackle in the country and No. 117 overall prospect in the state, according to 247Sports.

TCU now has three commits to its 2018 class.

Baseball:

Paschal-Heights baseball tournament honors life of fallen player | The Star-Telegram

Drew Medford was expected to be a big time contributor for TCU Baseball this spring, but passed away in a car accident before he could make it to practice. There will a tournament in his honor to remember him and support his family and friends.

“Obviously, there are so many overwhelming things,” Drew’s mother Nancy Medford said. “But as a family, we all began to realize how so many people were affected by Drew’s death.

“We started having to make decisions that were not just solely based on family, but all of these other people that loved my son so much.”