This TCU QB has ‘a long way to go before taking a live snap,’ according to Patterson

TCU’s prized freshman recruit Justin Rogers is making progress, but isn’t close to being ready for game action.

Rogers, a standout quarterback from Bossier City, Louisiana, was limited throughout fall camp, coach Gary Patterson said last weekend.

“He’s a lot better than what he was in the spring,” Patterson said, “but a long way to go before he can go into a live snap. He’s thrown seven-on-seven, but he hasn’t done any team [drills].”

Rogers is still working 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 what sort of timeline he’s looking at before being fully cleared, but TCU isn’t going to rush his return.

Patterson declared Shawn Robinson as the starting quarterback on Saturday, and the Frogs have a capable backup in Michael Collins.

With that being said, it would make sense to keep the “governor” on Rogers for the time being. But Patterson didn’t like that term.

“What you do is let him do what he can do and you just keep getting better,” Patterson said.

Either way, Rogers won’t be an option early on this season. With the new “redshirt rule” that allows schools to use players in four-or-fewer games without burning a year of eligibility, however, Rogers may be an option at some point later in the year if TCU wants to get him game experience.

But it would have to come in a blowout. The Big 12 games that TCU may put out of reach would be at Kansas on Oct. 27, or at Baylor on Nov. 17. Both schools are coming off one-win seasons in 2017.

Rogers remains one of the top talents on the roster. He was rated as the second-best quarterback in the country by 247Sports.com.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 8:00 AM.