Depth, replenishing lines priorities for TCU class

By Stefan Stevenson

sstevenson@star-telegram.com

TCU coach Gary Patterson's National Signing Day press conference Wednesday came with a soundtrack.

The patter and buzzing of renovation construction underneath the Four Sevens Team Meeting Room got so loud at one point Patterson stopped himself mid-sentence.

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"Sounds of progress," he said.

Progress is what he'll want to see from some of his 23 newly signed recruits by the time TCU opens the season Sept. 8 against Grambling State.

The Horned Frogs again will likely depend on several freshmen to make an impact as receivers Brandon Carter, Cam White and David Porter did in 2011.

The Frogs knew they'd be short on receivers going into last season, so the chance to earn playing time was there for incoming freshmen last August.

Both lines have holes and need depth. The Frogs signed three offensive linemen, including Haltom High School's Halapoulivaati Vaitai (6-foot-6, 265 pounds), and five defensive linemen, including four-star recruit Devonte Fields of Arlington Martin. One of the five, James McFarland, played linebacker at West Monroe, La., and Patterson said he still could end up playing linebacker at TCU.

"If you're going to have depth you might have to play young players to be at least that No. 2 guy," Patterson said, invoking the need for depth against Big 12 competition several times. "We still have a bunch of young guys on this team. It'll be fun to see how they improve."

As for his new players and playing time, Patterson was noncommittal.

"I don't know," he said. "They're all paper tigers. I think the redshirt helps them, but it's really about how bad they want something. We didn't really have much choice [in 2011]. I'll tell you when they get here."

Stefan Stevenson, 817-390-7760

Twitter: @FollowtheFrogs

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