TCU football needs a left tackle. Could the Frogs turn to the right side for help?
TCU football is having an open competition for its left tackle job. Junior Marcus Williams and sophomore Michael Nichols have taken the most reps so far this spring but another possible candidate has emerged of late.
Right tackle Andrew Coker flipped to the left side for a few reps with the first team during an 11-on-11 series last week, and did so again for a series on Tuesday. The Frogs have to find an answer at left tackle with Obinna Eze, who started every game last season, pursuing an NFL career.
Asked if he’d put his name in the left tackle competition, Coker smiled and said: “Um … I’d say yeah. When you saw me get left tackle reps, coach (AJ) Ricker told me to go to left and I went to the left. We need to have eight guys who can help us regardless, so if you ask me if I see myself as part of the competition, yes and no. It’s really wherever the coaching staff needs me.”
Coach Sonny Dykes didn’t exactly throw cold water on the idea when asked about Coker moving to left tackle. Instead, Dykes spoke more generally about the entire offensive line needing to have some flexibility.
“At some point this year, all five starters are probably playing in another position than they’re accustomed to,” he said. “That’s just the way that stuff goes. What we try to do is cross-train guys as much as possible.
“If your approach is to try to get the best five on the field all the time, then it’s going to require you sometimes to bounce guys around a little bit. The good thing is that I think we have some players who can handle that.”
As Coker leaves it up to the coaching staff to construct what they feel is the most optimal O-line, he made it clear that becoming more versatile is among his goals this season. Coker, a redshirt junior, has played almost exclusively at right tackle since joining the program four years ago, making eight starts at right tackle in 2020 and all 12 starts there last season.
But, at 6-foot-7, 319 pounds, Coker feels he has the build and ability to switch to the left side or even get some work inside at guard.
“I want to get more comfortable playing different positions,” he said. “I pretty much played right tackle my whole time here. I want to be comfortable playing on the left side, even some guard, just so it’ll help me become more versatile in my game.”
In the meantime, Coker has liked what he’s seen from the two players (Williams and Nichols) getting the most left tackle reps. Both guys are pushing hard for the starting job.
“They’re both doing better than I thought, honestly,” he said. “They’re growing up really, really fast. Mike’s doing really good. Marcus is doing really good. I don’t know if y’all have seen Marcus but that’s a large man right there (listed at 6-foot-6, 321 pounds). He’s changed his body for the better. Mike is one of the most athletic guys we have in our room. It’ll be good to see how that competition progresses.”
Outside of the left tackle chatter, Coker has embraced playing for Dykes and Ricker. He likes that practices are now open to fans and media, saying it has brought a different “juice” during the spring.
And the offensive line has been labeled a “pleasant surprise” by Dykes and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. It’s a unit with a number of experienced players, ranging from Coker to center Steve Avila to guards Brandon Coleman, John Lanz, Wes Harris and Alan Ali.
But, as one of the leaders in the room, Coker isn’t buying into the offseason hype.
“We haven’t played our best yet. We have more to come,” he said. “You can ask any of the guys, we know we can do better. But it’s encouraging to know that even though we haven’t played our best ball yet, they’re still pleased with us. It just shows you what we can do.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
