Best class ever? Sonny Dykes setting a new standard in recruiting for TCU
As Early Signing Day came to a close, TCU coach Sonny Dykes was able to enjoy the day as he watched 22 recruits officially sign with the Horned Frogs on Wednesday.
The Horned Frogs’ class, currently ranked 17th nationally according to 247Sports, would be the best in program history. While he called the ESD a day of celebration, Dykes also wanted to make it clear that he was setting a new standard for the program’s recruiting.
“Our expectations are to sign a Top-15, Top-10 recruiting class,” Dykes said Wednesday.
Down the stretch Dykes said he could notice the impact of leading the Horned Frogs’ to the school’s first College Football Playoff appearance.
“We were able to really get in on some really good players,” Dykes said. “You know, guys that weren’t necessarily returning our phone calls six weeks ago, all of a sudden were returning our calls. That allowed us to go recruit some really good players to what we thought was already a good class.”
The Horned Frogs signed double-digit four-stars led Top 150 prospects Markis Deal and Cordale Russell, from Garland and Mesquite, respectively.
The DFW area was well represented in the 2023 class with almost half of the class being local stars. From Duncanville to South Oak Cliff to Denton Ryan, Dykes was successful in making the most of one of the nation’s top recruiting footprints.
“You’ve got to be able to recruit your backyard,” Dykes said. “There’s no successful football programs, in my opinion, that don’t recruit their own backyard, that aren’t dominant when it comes to recruiting their own backyard.”
Making TCU a greater presence in the DFW area was one of Dykes’ first goals when he took over. How was he so successful so quickly?
“It comes down to relationships,” Dykes said. “When you recruit somebody who lives 15 minutes away, obviously you can get them on campus. If you didn’t know them, you get to know the parents. You have a chance to build a relationship with somebody as opposed to somebody that lives 15 hours away.”
Here are a few more takeaways from TCU’s 2023 recruiting class:
Who could play early?
The two names Dykes mentioned that could be early contributors were Markis Deal and Cordale Russell, the two-highest signees in TCU’s class. Russell will have the benefit of enrolling early in January and will walk into a receiver room that will be replacing Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis and Taye Barber.
“I think he’s going to have a chance to be in the same mold,” Dykes said. “They’ll go through spring ball and he’s in a pretty good place physically. Good size, good strength. He’s raw and there’s going to be a ton of development that has to take place, but typically you can transition pretty quickly from playing receiver in high school to playing receiver in college.”
The 6-foot-2, 200 pound receiver could make an early impact like Jordan Hudson did this season. As for Deal, TCU had to beat out multiple powerhouse programs to secure the services of the 6-4, 290 pound defensive lineman.
“He’s a heckuva player,” Dykes said. “He’s the type of defensive lineman you have to have. To have a dominant defense you have to have that type of size and length. From a size standpoint, he’s gonna transition pretty easily. He’s big enough right now to come in and have a chance to get on the field and play for us.”
Dykes loves the DL, DB signees
Led by Deal, Dykes focused hard on improving the talent and size of the defensive line. Amarillo signee Avion Carter is a four-star prospect and listed at 6-4, 260 pounds. Zachary Chapman and Keviyan Huddleston are both regarded as two of the top edge rushers in the country.
“We love our group of D-lineman,” Dykes said. “We’ve got a length, a lot of athleticism. You have to build your football team up front on both lines of scrimmage, we were able to sign some big dudes that I think will be good players.”
In the secondary, the Horned Frogs cleaned up well, especially at the safety position. Randon Fontenette and Arlington Seguin star Jamel Johnson are both four-stars at safety. TCU signed the top-ranked junior college cornerback Channing Canada and added another four-star safety in Javeon Wilcox from Temple, Texas.
“On the back end, we signed a number of guys that we’re excited about,” Dykes said. “Guys that can run, guys who have experience. We love the length of this group.”
Carroll the X-factor?
One of the most intriguing signees is Memphis athlete Maxwell Carroll. After another prolific year at his private school, the athlete got a bump up to a four-star recruit. A true two-way player, Carroll had 18 touchdowns, three interceptions, 621 receiving yards and 51 tackles for Briarcrest Christian.
At 6-3, 205 pounds, Dykes says the staff is going to be open-minded about where and how to use Carroll.
“He can do a bunch of different stuff,” Dykes said. “I think his best football in front of him. We’re just going to see what happens. How big does he get? How athletic does he stay? He’s somebody that has a chance to be really, really good player.”
More names to know
Four-star running back Cam Cook was one of the best in the state of Texas and rated the No. 23 running back nationally.
New Orleans native Jonathan Bax could provide help as a pass rusher after starring at powerhouse Edna Karr. Dykes and company had to fend off SEC interest for Bax.
The South Dallas County trio of Benjamin Whitfield, Narado Stoker and Brione Ramsey-Brooks won state championships with Duncanville and South Oak Cliff. It can never hurt to have connections to those type of programs.
