Positive post-spring sign? TCU football hasn’t lost any players to the portal ... yet
TCU football braced to lose a handful of players to the NCAA transfer portal once spring practices concluded. The mindset had been that returning players would give the new coaching staff a chance during the spring and then depart afterward if they didn’t feel like they fit.
Well, as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, no players had requested to enter the portal yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen as the deadline for players to enter the portal this academic year is Sunday.
But the lack of players bolting to the portal in the days immediately following Friday’s spring game is a positive sign for the Frogs. It shows that players are buying into the new staff. As one TCU assistant put it, there is a genuine excitement surrounding the program these days.
That falls in line with what coach Sonny Dykes said following the spring game when asked about potential roster turnover. Dykes said he didn’t expect significant turnover but, at the end of the day, it’s a guessing game these days.
Players have until Sunday to enter the portal before it shuts down for three months. It’ll reopen Aug. 1 for the start of the 2022-23 academic year.
“I think we have a good culture. I think guys are excited about the future,” Dykes said. “I think we’re in a pretty good place, but you know how it is. These are young kids and sometimes people get in their ear and talk to them a little bit and, at the end of the day, they have to do what they think is best for them. We’ll always support them doing that, but I’m hoping we can keep our roster together. We will go out and try to add a couple of guys to make us better.”
Dykes didn’t have a firm number on how many players the program might add this cycle. Much depends on how many players leave and it doesn’t feel like there will be a mass exodus.
“After some rocky days early, I think the buy-in has been good,” Dykes said.
TCU saw several players enter the portal before the spring semester started, notably running back Zach Evans and defensive linemen Khari Coleman and Earl Barquet. Fellow D-lineman Ochaun Mathis entered his name in the portal the week TCU started its spring semester.
Other players who have left amid the coaching change include wide receiver Mikel Barkley, offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, running back Ahmonte Watkins, quarterback Matthew Downing, defensive backs Donavann Collins and Da’Veawn Armstead and defensive linemen Chris Murray and Patrick Jenkins.
But TCU added a number of players via the portal over the winter break and continue to monitor the market. Among the transfers that the Frogs have been linked to of late include defensive tackle Tymon Mitchell (Georgia) and wide receiver Jaylon Robinson (UCF).
“We’re certainly not trying to go out and get as many commitments as we can. We’re trying to get the best players,” Dykes said. “I think sometimes in college football today, it’s a race to see who can get the most commitments. That’s not a concern of ours at all. Ours is to find the best players.
“The players we’re recruiting have a lot of options and that’s the way it should be. We should be recruiting against the top programs in college football. Those are the guys we expect to recruit against because those are the guys we expect to line up and beat on Saturday. You have to recruit those kinds of players in my opinion to have that kind of success.”
TCU will open the 2022 season at Colorado on Friday, Sept. 2.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 3:34 PM.
