TCU’s 2019 recruiting class: Who’s the sleeper? Is there a Day 1 starter? And more
Wednesday marks the first day 2019 football recruits can sign with respective programs, and TCU has put together what has the makings of another solid class.
The Frogs have the 30th-ranked recruiting class in the country, and third in the Big 12, according to 247Sports.
The Star-Telegram caught up with Jeremy Clark, recruiting guru and publisher of Horned Frog Blitz, about TCU’s class going into the early signing period.
What’s your overall impressions of this year’s class?
“The class itself is really good top to bottom. If you go out and look at what they had position need wise, they filled every position. They got a great quarterback [Max Duggan], great running backs [Daimarqua Foster and Darwin Barlow], great offensive line [Andrew Coker, Brannon Brown and Marcus Williams], secondary is good. They needed safeties, they attacked safeties[Millard Bradford, Deshawn McCuin and Josh Foster]. They’ve got good defensive line [Karter Johnson, Colt Ellison]. I think they could go a little bit more heavy on defensive ends and linebackers. But, overall, top to bottom this is going to go down as the fourth-best class under Gary Patterson. That says something especially coming off 6-6 season.”
What’s the strength of the class?
“I really like the two running backs they’ve got in Daimarqua Foster and Darwin Barlow. Those are two of the best running backs, not only in Texas but in the nation. If you look at Foster, he rushed for over 5,000 yards the last two years [at Wichita Falls Hirschi]. Barlow is still playing [for Newton] and he’s another guy on the cusp of 2,500 yards. Barlow’s playing kind of like Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama, didn’t play in the second half of a lot of games. To get those types of running backs of that caliber is really big for them, especially with Darius Anderson and Sewo Olonilua leaving after next season.”
Is there a Day 1 starter you see in this class?
“Probably my most favorite kid of the class is Karter Johnson because if you look at their defensive line or defense in general, when they’ve had a good defensive line, especially in the interior, they’ve always been successful on defense. Karter Johnson is a guy that reminds me a lot of Ross Blacklock. Same kind of quickness, same kind of athleticism. He’s not as big as Ross, just a little bit shorter, but the kid is oozing with athleticism. He’s a guy that can come in, maybe not be a Day 1 starter, but come in Day 1 and be a guy they plug in two-deep just because he’s that kind of playmaker.”
Who would be your sleeper in this class?
“The one kid that has really come out of the blue is Mikel Barkley. He’s a military kid, moved all around, so he kind of fell through cracks coming out of high school. He went to Palomar College in California, had a great year and everyone kind of caught wind of his highlight film. This guy went from an unknown receiver to being the No. 7 ranked receiver out of JUCO in the span of a week. He’s a guy who reminds me a ton of Marquise Brown from Oklahoma. He’s got a similar stature, a little bit taller, the same kind of speed, a guy who can take the top off the defense. That’s something TCU needs in its offense is someone who can take the top off and stretch the field like he can. He’ll be a guy two years from now we’ll all be talking about.”
What are positions of need for TCU still?
“Numbers-wise, they need more defensive ends. They’re going to have four defensive ends on the spring roster with Brandon Bowen and Ochaun Mathis coming back, and recruits Adam Plant and Parker Workman. I think they still need to go out and get a couple defensive ends. They need another linebacker, experience at linebacker. You’ve got Garret Wallow then a bunch of guys who haven’t played. Those two positions and I’d also say they need one more athletic receiver.
“Omar Manning is not going to be signing and coming back. They need another receiver who can stretch the field vertically.”
Any big-name recruits TCU could still land?
“Peyton Powell, a four-star athlete from Odessa Permian, is a guy to watch out for. He recently de-committed from Texas and was really high on TCU. Baylor and Texas Tech are teams to watch in his recruitment, but Sonny Cumbie is a West Texas guy and he’s been recruiting him the whole process. That’s one of those kids you want to keep an eye out for in February to see if they can get him.”
Finally, how impressed have you been with the coaches ability to recruit?
“The coaches that do the recruiting have done an exceptional job. If you look at the way TCU’s recruiting classes have climbed since joining the Big 12, they’ve entered an era where they’re competing for recruits with Oklahoma, Texas, A&M. Guys like Curtis Luper have been in the SEC, he’s recruited against the big dogs. Sonny Cumbie is probably one of the most genuine coaches in college you’ll ever meet, just a guy who’s going to be extremely honest.
“The newcomers of the staff, Zarnell Fitch, Jeremy Modkins, Paul Gonzales, those guys are young, they’re energetic. Every single recruit that I speak with loves everything about those guys. Zarnell and Jeremy, they played football here. They bleed purple. They’re so excited to get out there and express how much they love TCU and how much recruits will love TCU. The funny thing about it is each one of those guys have a particular way they recruit that all of it works. And Coach Patterson has come a long ways in how he interacts on Twitter and everything else.
“TCU fans have got to appreciate the coaches they have. For them to go out there and compete with those types of schools and finish third, that’s saying something.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2018 at 3:00 PM.