TCU football will go through spring practices with one scholarship QB healthy
TCU will have just one scholarship quarterback available when spring practices begin later this month.
Coach Gary Patterson mentioned that sophomore Max Duggan will be the only available arm with other scholarship QBs Matthew Baldwin and Matthew Downing battling injuries.
“This spring we’ll only have one scholarship quarterback that will actually be able to run practice,” Patterson said during a news conference on Wednesday. “So we need to get some quarterbacks in.”
Patterson didn’t specify the injuries or setbacks sustained by Baldwin and Downing, simply saying they’re not ready “right now.”
Baldwin dealt with a back issue that limited him in practice last season. He’s also dealt with a knee injury, tearing his ACL during the playoffs his senior season at Austin Lake Travis in 2017 and undergoing a cleanup surgery on it in the 2019 summer.
If healthy, Baldwin would likely be the top candidate to push Duggan. He’s a former four-star recruit, but has yet to play in a college game. He redshirted as a freshman at Ohio State in 2018, and didn’t see the field last season despite obtaining an immediate eligibility waiver.
Downing, meanwhile, redshirted his freshman season at Georgia in 2018 and did not play last season after transferring to TCU as a walk-on. He showed enough in practice to earn a scholarship after the season.
The Horned Frogs lost two scholarship quarterbacks to the transfer portal from last year’s team with Justin Rogers going to UNLV and Mike Collins going to Rice.
Along with Duggan, Baldwin and Downing, TCU’s other quarterbacks on the roster include walk-ons Grant Beucler and Jake Neufeld. Although he’s not listed on the latest roster on TCU’s website, former Mississippi State walk-on quarterback Logan Burnett is also expected to be available after transferring to TCU last month.
TCU signed two quarterbacks to its 2020 class on Wednesday, but both are joining the program in the summer. Stephon Brown, the top-rated JUCO dual-threat quarterback, and Eli Williams, an athletic prospect from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, are part of the country’s 28th-ranked recruiting class.
TCU is expected to start its spring practices later this month with a spring scrimmage scheduled for March 28 at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The spring game will be preceded by the school’s pro day on March 27.
More injury news
Patterson provided a few more injury updates on Wednesday —
▪ Sophomore defensive end Ochaun Mathis underwent a cleanup surgery this offseason and will be sidelined for spring practices. Mathis finished his redshirt freshman season with nine tackles for loss and a team-leading six quarterback hurries.
▪ Patterson said senior defensive end Brandon Bowen, a Trophy Club Nelson product, is healthy and ready to go. Bowen was sidelined all of last season, and has played in only 10 games his college career.
▪ Redshirt freshman defensive end Thomas Armstrong, who was sidelined with an injury as a true freshman, is available and ready to go.
▪ Junior cornerback Noah Daniels is healthy and ready to go for the spring after missing his sophomore season with an injury.
This story was originally published February 6, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
