TCU News: “Patterson and his staff often succeed with players who may not have ideal physical traits”

Football:

Commitment analysis: What TCU gets in Landyn Watson | Horned Frog Blitz

I think he’s a perfect fit with GP.

Evaluation notes: Watson is a high-floor player whose motor runs hot. He makes a lot of effort plays as an impact defender for Hutto High School. He’s an edge defender who has played with a hand on the ground and occasionally stood up. Watson’s physical profile fits a weak-side defensive end who can do either.

Watson is listed at 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, though there is not a verified measurement on him. I think he’s probably closer to 6-foot-2. He does not look overly long on tape and that could put a cap on his physical ceiling. He still has some frame space to add some bulk, but as an edge player, he’s not somebody you expect to gain 40-50 pounds in the strength and conditioning program.

Big 12 OKs football season, paving way for UT-Austin, Texas Tech, TCU and Baylor to play | The Texas Tribune

Texas will be a state to watch when football starts.

The decisions come even as Texas remains a hot spot and the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths remain high. Students are preparing to return to campuses in less than a month, though many have expressed nervousness about the prospect of in-person instruction. Texas universities have been moving large portions of their course loads online to space students out on campus to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

After months of wrangling, Power Five conference officials are firming up decisions as the start of the fall semester looms. Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 cited major concerns for the health and safety of student athletes, questioning if they would be able to compete safely due to the coronavirus. Those cancellations led to speculation earlier this week that the other major football conferences would follow suit.

“The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren in a Tuesday statement. “As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.”

Around Athletics:

Big 12 to continue with fall athletics | TCU 360

More than just football was Impacted by this week’s news.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he is confident in the conference’s protocols and ability to keep athletes safe.

“The virus continues to evolve and medical professionals are learning more with each passing week,” Bowlsby said. “Opinions vary regarding the best path forward, as we’ve seen throughout higher education and our society overall, but we are comfortable in our institutions’ ability to provide a structured training environment, rigorous testing and surveillance, hospital quality sanitation and mitigation practices that optimize the health and safety of our student-athletes.”

The ACC and SEC said yesterday their plans to play this fall were unchanged by the Pac 12 and Big 10’s postponement.

In recent days the #WeWantToPlay hashtag has become popular among college athletes.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence tweeted out the hashtag along with a picture that asks for the establishment of universal safety protocols and the creation of a college football players association.

Pro Frogs:

TCU RB Darius Anderson will try to parlay part-time role into full-time employment with Cowboys | Cowboys Wire

DA and Sewo have a great shot of sticking with the team.

In 2020, the Dallas Cowboys have an elite one-two punch when it comes to the running back position. Coming off another stellar season, Ezekiel Elliott will be a primary focus for Mike McCarthy’s new system. Tony Pollard showed several glimpses of speed and hybrid abilities racking up 455 yards on the ground, scoring twice and adding 15 receptions and a touchdown catch as a rookie. While this is set up for a successful 2020, what if this year’s running back room was a three-headed monster?

Darius Anderson comes in as an undrafted free agent out of TCU. Anderson caught the eye of scouts at the 2020 Senior Bowl where he finished the game with 43 rushing yards along with 87 receiving yards and a touchdown. Considering the volume of touches in this particular game, Anderson made the most of it.