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Basketball:
One of the best people to put on the purple. Really going to miss Des.
For Dixon, Bane has been the one constant through his first four years coaching his alma mater. Dixon remembers the in-home visit during the recruiting process, a kid taking a chance on a program that had just gone 2-16 in Big 12 play and a program taking a chance on a kid who most overlooked.
“He believed in us. We believed in him too,” Dixon said. “We were the biggest school by far, the only Power Five, but our history wasn’t a great draw. But he believed.
“He’s done tremendous things on the court. His positive attitude, his smile, his work ethic, all those things say tremendous things about him. He’s touched the campus in a lot of ways.”
Dixon then used a phrase to describe Bane that he’s heard when people talked about his late sister Maggie.
“He’s never had a bad day,” Dixon said.
Football:
Kell has big shoes to fill.
Biggest question
Can Griffin Kell combine his big leg with Song’s accuracy?
As a freshman, Kell was called on to kick field goals from long distances. Song was recovering from a leg injury and trying to get his strength back. Kell went 3-4 on the year, including a 52-yarder in the win over Texas.
Counting Kell, there are eight place kickers listed on TCU’s roster. But Kell is the only one to attempt a field goal in a college game. He’s the leader in the clubhouse to replace Song, who finished his career by going 23-24 on field goals and a perfect 39-39 on point after attempts.
Turnover in the kicking department arguably cost TCU at least one win in 2016. The Frogs need to hope that won’t happen again in 2020.
There’s too much money involved for this to change, but it will be interesting to see if more guys choose to stay home.
Patterson’s point is backed up by Gil Brandt, the Hall of Fame scout who is known as the godfather of the combine.
Brandt mentioned Iowa offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs as a player who trained at his school and went on to dazzle at the combine. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Wirfs ran a 4.85-second 40-yard dash, the best time of any offensive linemen.
He also had a 36.5-inch vertical jump, a modern record among offensive linemen.
“Rather than drop out of school and not graduate, Wirfs stayed and look at what he did,” Brandt said. “The strength coaches that they have at schools now are so capable. They know these kids so well.
“The guys who leave school for three months to train in Florida and California and Texas and every place else, I think is kind of a waste of money because I do think the same thing can be accomplished right on campus without spending a lot of money.
“But more than anything, the kids also take care of their academics if they stay on campus.”