TCU QB Max Duggan uncertain to play this season with undisclosed health condition
TCU faces uncertainty at the quarterback position with the season opener against SMU just over three weeks away.
Projected starter Max Duggan is sidelined with an undisclosed health condition, coach Gary Patterson said on a conference call with team beat reporters Thursday night. Duggan has not practiced much during fall camp and it doesn’t sound promising for him to return soon.
Duggan has had the undisclosed condition his entire life, Patterson said, but it wasn’t discovered until recently with TCU ramping up its testing protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Because of all the things we had in place, Max has a condition that he’s had his whole life and we caught it,” Patterson said. “Right now he’s in a good place and hopefully he’ll be getting back some time during the season.
“Right now we’ll be going forward with the rest of the quarterbacks. It’s a thing he was born with and I’m just glad we found it; I can say that.”
Patterson didn’t venture into a possible timeline for Duggan’s return.
“I don’t know, I’m not the doctor,” he said.
With Duggan out indefinitely, the Horned Frogs have been giving first-team reps to Matthew Downing, a former walk-on quarterback who was put on scholarship last off-season. Patterson has liked what he’s seen so far.
“He’s a competitor,” Patterson said. “He’s smart. He understands the offense.”
Downing, a sophomore, did not play any games as a redshirt freshman last season. He started his college career at Georgia, playing in four games during the 2018 season. He was 8-of-10 passing for 88 yards in his limited snaps at Georgia.
Downing’s brother, Michael, played safety at TCU from 2015-17 and is now a graduate assistant on the coaching staff. Patterson described both as “competitors.”
That’s a common adjective attached to Duggan within the TCU football circles too. The program believes he’s the future with a strong arm, running ability and leadership qualities. So Duggan’s absence is a significant blow to the program. It can’t be overstated.
Duggan played in all 12 games last season, starting the final 10. He finished by going 181 for 339 passing for 2,077 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 555 yards and six TDs.
Patterson pointed to special assistant Jerry Kill as someone within the program helping them through this QB situation. Kill, who Patterson has called the “offensive head coach,” is helping offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie and inside receivers/ tight ends coach Doug Meacham navigate through it all.
Outside of Downing, Patterson said the team is still evaluating what they have at the quarterback position.
Stephon Brown, who joined the program as the No. 1-rated dual threat JUCO quarterback, has gotten reps behind Downing. Freshman Eli Williams is the only other scholarship quarterback on the roster. He’s a three-star prospect who played in just five games his senior year at Sapulpa [Oklahoma] High School before a knee injury ended his high school career.
There’s a number of walk-on QBs on the roster including Luke Pardee, the grandson of famed “Junction Boy” Jack Pardee, as well as Carter Bir, Grant Beucler, Wilson Long, Chase Curtis, Christian Gelov, Jake Neufeld and Preston Morway.
As Patterson said, “We need to find a third to be honest with you.”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM.
