High school coaches voice support for TCU football program

By Jarret Johnson

jmjohnson@star-telegram.com

Many area football recruits and 2012 TCU signees were tightlipped about Wednesday's arrests of four Horned Frogs players on drug charges.

Coaches of the top area high school football programs, however, voiced unanimous concern for and support of the TCU program and its coaching staff.

Arlington Martin coach Bob Wager attended a North Texas Football Coaches Association clinic at TCU on Wednesday night and came away impressed with how the athletic department was handling the situation.

Four Martin players have signed with the Horned Frogs in Wager's six seasons at the school, including two earlier this month.

Among those are Devonte Fields, a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end who is considered by many to be TCU's jewel of the 2012 class, and 2011 signee Deryck Gildon, a freshman linebacker.

"My primary concern are the kids that I know and love, so my initial reaction was to call Deryck and make sure he's doing OK," Wager said.

"We feel like we are very closely involved with the program because of the number of players that we've had go over there."

Every dealing he or his players have had with TCU, Wager said, has been "first class."

Euless Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver echoed those sentiments after reading about the arrests of four football players.

Trinity has sent several players to TCU over the years, including wide receiver Brandon Carter, who caught 23 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman last season.

"If I'm a parent advising my son or me being a coach, you have to look at the 10-year history of TCU," Lineweaver said.

"Certainly this is horrible and a bad situation, but things happen, and don't judge TCU on one incident. I think TCU is showing strength in both the administration and the football staff in how they are handling it, and I wouldn't rule them out as far as consideration to go to school there."

Fort Worth Nolan Catholic coach Joe Prud'homme believes that TCU will come out stronger.

The Vikings have sent three players to TCU over the past decade, including Robert Deck, who started 11 games at right tackle as a senior last season.

"They got to the bottom of it, it wasn't like they were trying to run and hide," Prud'homme said. "To me that speaks volumes of the character of the university.

"It seemed like they handled it head on, so I would not steer a kid away from TCU under any circumstances because of that."

Jarret Johnson, 817-390-7760

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