What’s the status of TCU’s prize recruit Justin Rogers? Here’s Gary Patterson’s answer

Justin Rogers is the highest-rated player to sign with TCU since 2000. But he won’t be ready for the start of his first fall camp.

“He’s probably not completely cleared to do everything,” coach Gary Patterson said at the school’s media day Thursday. “But he’s better than what he was.”

Rogers, who is from Bossier City, Louisiana, is still rehabbing his way back from a torn knee ligament (ACL) he sustained in the season opener for Parkway High School in August 2017.

Rogers enrolled at TCU in January, and has been working with the school’s trainers since. It’s unclear when he’ll be ready for football activities.

TCU isn’t going to rush Rogers’ return because it is set at quarterback for now. Shawn Robinson is the odds-on favorite to win the job, although Michael Collins is expected to push him in camp.

Rogers could be an intriguing option for Patterson later in the season with the new redshirt rules that allow schools to “redshirt” a player who appears in four-or-fewer games.

Patterson said the game would have to be out of hand in order for him to use three quarterbacks. That, however, isn’t likely in a loaded Big 12.

The two conference games that TCU may put out of reach would be at Kansas on Oct. 27, or at Baylor on Nov. 17. Kansas and Baylor are each coming off one-win seasons in 2017.

Either way, Rogers remains one of the top talents on the roster. He was rated as the second-best quarterback in the country by 247Sports.com, as the website gave him a player rating of 0.9799, highest for a TCU signee since running back Tyson Thompson had a 0.9869 score in 2000.