TCU News: Big 12 Predictions, Camp Standouts

Football:

What is Ohio State football’s most appealing matchup of 2018? | Land of Ten

This is a huge week three matchup for both teams.

TCU (27 percent)

Ohio State will face TCU in what is technically a neutral-site game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. This will be the first true test of both Haskins and the 2018 team as a whole, which makes it especially appealing. Coming off an 11-3 season in 2017, the Horned Frogs have shown up anywhere from No. 8 to No. 24 in “way-too-early” top 25 rankings for the 2018 season. That it’s a rarely played opponent and not a team the Buckeyes face every year also helps.

Big 12 Football 2018 Predictions | Athlon Sports

The Frogs still expected to finish below Texas after all these years? ...

TCU, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State

Predicting the order of finish between TCU, Oklahoma State, Iowa State and Kansas State was the toughest decision of Athlon’s Big 12 prediction meeting. TCU has to revamp its offensive line and break in a new quarterback, but the Horned Frogs got the nod at No. 4. That’s largely due to a defense that will rank among the best in the Big 12, and coach Gary Patterson should prevent a steep drop in wins. New quarterback Shawn Robinson is promising, and there’s no shortage of talent at the skill positions. Oklahoma State has to replace the potent pass-catch combination of quarterback Mason Rudolph and receiver James Washington. But it’s hard to see a major drop off for the Cowboys. After all, coach Mike Gundy’s team has won at least 10 games in four out of the last five seasons. If the Big 12 has a surprise contender in 2018, it’s likely to be Iowa State or Kansas State. The Cyclones are a team on the rise under coach Matt Campbell, led by a defense that held opponents to 20.9 points a game last fall, as well as standout running back David Montgomery. The Wildcats enter 2018 with some uncertainty at quarterback, but a strong offensive line and ground attack is set to lead the way on offense. The bigger concerns for coach Bill Snyder rest on defense.

Hirschi standout Foster commits to TCU | Times Record News

I would imagine he will be a 4* by the time it’s all said and done.

Foster is considered a three-star prospect by recruiting services Rivals and 24/7. He’s the reigning Associated Press Class 4A Offensive Player of the Year and Red River 22 Large School Most Valuable Player.

Foster earned these awards after rushing for a WFISD-record 3,270 yards and scoring 50 total touchdowns, including 46 rushing. He led the Huskies to one of the most successful seasons in school history, going 11-2 and advancing to the Class 4A Division I state quarterfinals.

HFB Top Performers: TCU June 8th Skills Camp | 247 Sports

As the Frogs continue to recruit at a high level, they aren’t ignoring the under-the-radar talent.

Jonah White – I love the small town kids! The 2019 prospect out of Merkel is a do-it-all for the class 3A school; he worked exclusively as a safety for the Frogs on Friday. The 6-foot, 197-pounder ran a 4.5 on the night; he was by far the top safety. I liked his ability to change directions and did better than other defensive backs in the one-on-one’s.

Michael Wicker – It was a tough night for cornerbacks but Wicker was in my opinion the best. The 5-foot-11, 165-pounder has decent size and speed and had a few pass breakups on the night. The Southern Lab product needs to get a bit faster as a true corner but he has some potential.

Cheer:

No one gets the short end in college athletics more than a cheerleader | The Star-Telegram

This column comes off the heels of the Frogs’ investigating their cheer coach.

Cheerleaders, and their tuition-paying parents, love the experiences but often question some of the standard practices. Yet virtually nothing is ever done to change “the way it’s always been.”

”In an ideal world there would be some consistent standard for members of the spirit squads,” said Drew Martin, TCU’s director of marketing who is in charge of the cheerleaders. He recently accepted a position at Texas. “It varies from university to university. Some aren’t even in athletics. Some are part of the dance program. Or the band. It creates this discrepancy where we can’t standardize it. How many coaches should you have? One? Two? One for a mascot? This is a conversation that should be happening.”