Fast, furious pace sets tone at TCU first practice under coach Sonny Dykes
If there was one word to describe TCU’s first practice of preseason camp, it would be energetic.
From the moment practice started, the Horned Frogs were in constant motion. From warming up to the various team drills the media was allowed to observe on Tuesday.
“I thought practice was okay. From an execution standpoint I thought it was pretty good, I told the guys afterwards we didn’t have a single pre-snap penalty. No offsides, no false starts. Sometimes day one is a fumble fest, we didn’t have any of that,” Dykes said.
Tempo has always played a big role for head coach Sonny Dykes’s success and he doesn’t appear to be deviating from that mindset.
“We’re going to have to get in shape. The emphasis for us to summer was to get bigger and stronger and more explosive. Our conditioning is pretty average right now. We’ll work ourselves into shape, that’s something we’re going to have to improve on,” Dykes said.
The media was allowed the view the first hour of Tuesday’s practice, quite a departure from how former coach Gary Patterson used to run things. TCU mainly spent that portion of practice with position drills, but there was brief moment of 11-on-11 action that offered an early glimpse of where players potentially stand.
Here are a few observations from the first preseason practice:
Duggan takes first snap
During the 11-on-11 portion of practice, senior quarterback Max Duggan took the first snap as the offense worked on pushing the tempo. After every play, whether a pass was completed or not, TCU would continue to push the pace and move the offense up.
It’s designed to get the offense accustomed to playing at Dykes’ pace. Each quarterback was under center for a series with Chandler Morris going second and Sam Jackson going third. With more than 20 practices left, who took the snap on day one may not matter much in the long run.
Offensive line looks solid
Dykes said the offensive line has been one of the stronger position groups since his arrival. After getting to see the unit up close, it’s easy to understand why.
The Horned Frogs have good experience and size across the board. Among the notable names in the first group was Andrew Coker at left tackle, Brandon Coleman at left guard, Steve Avila at center, John Lanz at left guard and Michael Nichols at right tackle.
Quinton Harris, a 6-foot-8 freshman, also stood out at practice and ran with the second team during the 11-on-11 portion of practice.
“I think we can be the best O-line in the conference. I really do. It’s a special group,” offensive lineman Alan Ali said. “Lot of talent, I think if we get our chemistry down, a little more depth I think we can be really good this year.”
A bigger Brooks
Senior linebacker Marcel Brooks has had quite the journey. From a five-star recruit to promising freshman at LSU to having to switch positions at TCU. Brooks has been through it all.
The former blue chip recruit is back at linebacker and looks to have added on some much needed weight to his frame. Brooks is listed at 194 pounds on the roster, but could be closer to 200 after committing to the strength and conditioning plan. Brooks ran with the second team during 11-on-11 and brought Blair Conwright down for a nice tackle.
Quick hits
As for the rest of practice there were multiple scouts in attendance from the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. TCU has notable NFL draft prospects, including wide receiver Quentin Johnston and corner Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson among others.
On the defensive line the first group appeared to be Dylan Horton, Terrell Cooper and Soni Misi. TCU will mainly use a three-man front in Joe Gillespie’s defense and could lean heavy on experience if the first practice was any indication.
Sophomore Altrique Barlow has also changed positions and practiced with the defensive line Tuesday.
“We wanted some more size up front defensively. Barlow, I think he’s 370-plus right now, and he’s one of those guys that keeps getting bigger and it’s not necessarily bad weight. He can carry that kind of mass and that’s something we’ve been looking for,” Dykes said.
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 11:00 PM.
