Injuries force TCU backup QB Matthew Baldwin to end his football playing days
TCU quarterback Matthew Baldwin has decided to end his playing days.
Baldwin has battled nagging back and knee injuries the last year, and felt it was the right decision to walk away from the game.
“Couldn’t get out of the injury loop with back and knee,” Baldwin said in a text message.
Baldwin joined TCU as a transfer from Ohio State before the 2019 season. He redshirted as a true freshman at Ohio State, and never played a snap with TCU.
Baldwin was a four-star prospect coming out of Austin Lake Travis where he threw for 3,842 yards with 44 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a senior.
Baldwin is expected to remain a student at TCU.
Baldwin’s mother, Mindy, said it was a difficult decision for the family to make. At the end of the day, though, three knee surgeries and a nagging back injury forced Baldwin to move on from football.
“We thought this break would be the perfect chance to get his back well,” Mindy Baldwin said. “He did PT, various shots, a nerve ablation, but nothing has worked.
“We are all so heartbroken that Matthew won’t be suiting up this year, but we will be cheering those guys on.”
Baldwin and coach Gary Patterson met earlier this month and came to the conclusion.
For TCU, losing Baldwin is a blow to the quarterback depth chart. He was the most highly-touted quarterback on the roster behind starter Max Duggan.
The backup position is now expected to be filled by former walk-on Matthew Downing, who joined the program last season, or Stephon Brown, the top-ranked JUCO quarterback who joined the program as part of last year’s recruiting class.
Other quarterbacks on the roster include true freshman Eli Williams and sophomore walk-ons Grant Beucler and Jake Neufeld.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 1:49 PM.
