TCU’s 2022 Early Signing Period: A Primer

Tomorrow is the Early Signing Period for the recruiting class of 2022, and TCU’s new coaching staff has ramped up quickly to try and pull a class together. There’s no doubt that coaching transition impacts recruiting, and TCU is no exception.

The Frogs saw a handful of recruits decommit and pledge elsewhere after the departure of Gary Patterson, with several heading to Texas Tech, one to Minnesota, and several others undecided.

A few commits have hung tough and gotten to know the new staff as well, and Sonny Dykes and Company have been able to reel in a few big studs too.

Wednesday is going to be a wild day, with TCU signing a relatively small class. But, a few names could surprise Frog fans, and the transfer portal will play a big role throughout December and January.

What is the Early Signing Period?

The Early Signing Period was introduced in 2017 as a way to allow schools to lock up their recruiting classes a bit earlier, and streamline the process for any early enrollees that might want to get a jump start on their college careers.

Thus, the three-day December signing period was born, starting the third Wednesday of the month and running to Friday. Players will have an opportunity to sign their National Letter of Intent to the school of their choice, to all the fanfare and celebration that was typically reserved for the first Wednesday in February.

Of course, once the Early Signing Period is over schools will continue to recruit to top off their classes, as the February signing period still exists.

How has the ESP impacted college football?

There’s no doubt that this shift in the recruiting calendar has impacted the way college football operates, especially when it comes to coaching changes. We’ve seen that in 2021 in significant ways, not just at TCU but also nationally.

Traditionally the coaching carousel wouldn’t begin until after championship weekend, once the bowl calendar was finalized. But now, with such an emphasis on the Early Signing Period, schools are forced to make their coaching decisions much earlier in the fall, all for the sake of trying to preserve the incoming class and set up recruiting for the following season.

After this current season a lot of folks were discussing whether this impact was largely positive or negative, with the latter quickly becoming the consensus. The chatter reached a peak, to the point that the NCAA is now reviewing the Early Signing Period with the possibility of removing it.

Whether that happens or not is still to be seen, so for now we can turn our attention to TCU’s recruiting class to see how much the Frogs are going to improve in the next week.

TCU’s 2022 Class

TCU’s 2022 class is loaded with talent, the majority of which comes from within 50 miles of the school. The new staff’s emphasis on recruiting DFW/Texas really shows up on paper here, with 5 of the 8 recruits being from DFW, and 6 recruits sitting in the Top 100 in the state.

Jordan Hudson | WR | 4-Stars | Garland, TX (Garland HS)

Rankings: # 132 Overall | #20 WR | #22 TX

Hudson was committed to SMU until Dykes brough Ra’Shaad Samples with him to TCU. The Garland wide receiver is close with Samples, as is his teammate Chace Biddle.

Other Offers: Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Baylor, SMU and others

Chace Biddle | S | 4-Stars | Garland, TX (Garland HS)

Rankings: # 162 Overall | #11 S | #30 TX

See above - Biddle was thought to be a lock to TCU until Samples worked hard on him. Biddle and his teammate Hudson committed to Samples and SMU, but they followed their favorite college coach to Fort Worth when he moved across town.

Other Offers: Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Michigan, Texas A&M, Georgia, Cincinnati, USC, Baylor, Florida State, SMU and others

Micheal Ibukun-Okeyode | DE | 3-Stars | Rowlett, TX (Rowlett HS)

Rankings: # 399 Overall | #27 DE | #56 TX

Another SMU recruit, Ibukun-Okeyode was heavily recruited by now-TCU defensive line coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe. Ibukun-Okeyode held other top offers but selected the Frogs.

Other Offers: Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Baylor, Florida State, Arizona State, Kansas State, SMU, and others

Major Everhart | RB | 3-Stars | Amarillo, TX (Tascosa HS)

Rankings: # 533 Overall | #42 RB | #71 TX

Everhart is a Patterson recruit holdover, and one of two running backs on staff. Texas Tech has been pushing hard for him since Joey McGuire became head coach, but hopefully the Frogs can hold them off.

Other Offers: Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Baylor, Texas Tech, Colorado, California, SMU, and others

Josh Hoover | QB | 3-Stars | Rockwall, TX (Rockwall-Heath HS)

Rankings: # 548 Overall | #34 QB | #76 TX

Hoover is this year’s Landry Award Winner, given to the best high school player in North Texas. Originally committed to Indiana, Hoover flipped to the Frogs the day he was offered by Dykes and Garrett Riley.

Other Offers: Indiana, Arkansas, Houston, Memphis, SMU, UTSA, Nevada, Tulsa, Tulane, Utah State and others

Kyron Chambers | CB | 3-Stars | Dallas, TX (South Oak Cliff HS)

Rankings: # 559 Overall | #53 CB | #79 TX

Chambers is one of TCU’s most recent commits, flipping from Arizona this past Sunday. Chambers is a key defensive piece on South Oak Cliff, who plays for the 5A state championship this Saturday.

Other Offers: Arizona, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Colorado, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, California, Texas Tech and others

Ajay Allen | RB | 3-Stars | Monroe, LA (Neville HS)

Rankings: # 594 Overall | #49 RB | #29 LA

Allen is another GP class holdover who has gotten to know Samples well. Allen recently canceled a visit to Alabama to visit TCU and meet the new staff. Mississippi State is pushing hard for his services as well.

Other Offers: Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, New Mexico State, and Southeastern Louisiana

Paul Oyewale | DL | 3-Stars | Houston, TX (Langham Creek HS)

Rankings: #928 Overall | #122 DL | #131 TX

Oyewale is an intriguing prospect who could turn into a complete stud. He finished his senior season with 56 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Other Offers: Baylor, Duke, SMU

Recruits to Watch

TCU is still in the hunt with a handful of recruits who haven’t made a decision yet. Keep an eye on where they land tomorrow (or in the coming days).

DJ Allen | WR | 4-Stars | Gladewater, TX (Gladewater HS)

Rankings: #184 Overall | #28 WR | #33 TX

Other Offers: USC, Baylor, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, and others

Matthew Golden | WR | 4-Stars | Houston, TX (Klein Cain HS)

Rankings: #203 Overall | #30 WR | #35 TX

Other Offers: Houston, LSU, Texas, Baylor, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, and others.

Landon Hullaby | S | 3-Stars | Arlington, TX (Mansfield Timberview HS)

Rankings: #467 Overall | #39 S | #64 TX

Other Offers: Texas Tech, Oregon, Texas, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Washington, Ole Miss, Baylor, and others

Justin Medlock | LB | 3-Stars | Manvel, TX (Manvel HS)

Rankings: #476 Overall | #47 LB | #65 TX

Other Offers: Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, LSU, Baylor, USC, Utah, Arkansas, and others

Damonic Williams | DL | 3-Stars | Mission Hills, CA (Bishop Alemany HS)

Rankings: #534 Overall | #78 DL | #41 CA

Other Offers: California, Utah, Michigan, Penn State, Arizona, SMU, Washington, and others

Anthony Holmes | DL | 3-Stars | Houston, TX (Westfield HS)

Rankings: #821 Overall | #111 DL | #114 TX

Other Offers: Virginia, Houston, Minnesota, SMU, Washington State, Indiana, Kansas State, and others

Trevon McAlpine | DL | 3-Stars | Saraland, AL (Saraland HS)

Rankings: #858 Overall | #116 DL | #34 AL

Other Offers: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Colorado, Arizona State, Virginia Tech and others

Davis Dotson | OT | 3-Stars | Tulsa, OK (Berryhill HS)

Rankings: #1084 Overall | #104 OT | #19 OK

Other Offers: Arizona State, Iowa State, Syracuse, New Mexico, and others

Seth Martin | IOL | 3-Stars | Fort Worth, TX (Everman HS)

Rankings: NA Overall | #63 IOL | #165 TX

Other Offers: Texas Tech, North Texas, UNLV, Texas State, and others

Chase Kennedy | DE | 3-Stars | Dallas, TX (Episcopal School of Dallas)

Rankings: NA Overall | #69 DE | #198 TX

Other Offers: SMU, Utah, Minnesota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Houston, Washington State, and others

Quinton Harris | OT | 3-Stars | Arlington, TX (Seguin HS)

Rankings: NA Overall | #152 OT | #213 TX

Other Offers: SMU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Kansas