TCU football’s offseason checklist: NFL draft options, transfer portal possibilities
With no bowl game to prepare for, TCU will turn its sight to the second season, which is almost as important as the regular season.
It’s college football’s portal season with players coming and going across the country. It should be noted that college coaches actually started this free agency period with multiple coaches like Jonathan Smith and Mike Elko taking jobs at Michigan State and Texas A&M in the middle of the night.
Although the official transfer portal window isn’t until December, numerous players have already entered their names into the portal. So what should the Horned Frogs focus be to regain some momentum lost from the 5-7 season?
Here’s a quick checklist:
NFL decisions
The Horned Frogs will conduct exit interviews this week which will lead to some hard conversations for some players and potentially staff. In terms of the NFL, there are only two major decisions TCU will need to wait on and that’s Andrew Coker and Emani Bailey. Both have the option of returning for one more season.
Bailey rushed for 1,209 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season as a starter. That was good for 13th in the country. He has a close relationship with running backs coach Anthony Jones and his little brother Jordyn is currently on the roster. It’s plausible he could come back as he might be a late-round NFL draft pick. But would he be better served taking advantage of his breakout year and cashing in?
Coker was graded as one of TCU’s best pass blockers by Pro Football Focus. A team leader, Coker was named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl watchlist, meaning he’s already on NFL teams’ radar. With there being such a premium on offensive tackles, expect Coleman to enter the draft.
Savion Williams was another player who had his sights on the NFL and there was some social media chatter that Williams could enter the portal after his breakout game against Texas. However, recent intel from the program suggests Williams is likely to return after receiving feedback from NFL scouts. Williams didn’t have a game with more than 60 yards receiving with Chandler Morris at quarterback, but he had three when Josh Hoover took over. That budding chemistry could lead to Williams having the big year he needs to cement himself as a draft prospect.
What about the portal?
The staff at TCU understands the Horned Frogs could have a tougher time retaining talent compared to last year, but so far there’s optimism that most of the key contributors will be back. One name everyone will be curious about is Morris.
He’s started at different points over the last three seasons with the Horned Frogs, but has also dealt with injuries including a sprained MCL this season that opened the door for Hoover to take over as the starter. It would make sense for Morris to transfer, but with the NCAA cracking down on two-time transfers Morris may need to wait until he graduates to so he can transfer without a waiver.
On the flip side, a number of transfer targets have begun to emerge for the Horned Frogs. TCU was one of a dozen schools to offer Penn defensive lineman Joey Slackman. Slackman was a FCS All-American with 25 tackles for loss and 11 sacks this season. He has suitors from all of the Power 4 leagues.
Boise State wide receiver Eric McAlister has been linked to TCU. He’s from nearby Azle and was the Broncos’ best receiver this year with 873 yards and five touchdowns in nine games. With Warren Thompson and Jaylon Robinson running out of eligibility, McAlister could slide in at one of the outside receiver spots.
Another prospect from Azle to know is Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals, who entered the transfer portal on Sunday. Seals has started on and off multiple seasons for Vandy including starting as a true freshman in 2020.
Assuming Morris leaves, he checks numerous boxes that Sonny Dykes has prioritized the last few seasons. He’s from Texas, has starting experience in the SEC and he’s capable of pushing Hoover in a quarterback competition, but Hoover would likely come out on top and TCU would have an experienced backup to use in a pinch. Having two quarterbacks on the roster is playing with fire as the program learned this year.
Keeping the 2023 class
One reason to be optimistic about the future of TCU is the class that Dykes signed last season. Numerous true freshmen carved out significant roles as the season progressed. Safeties Jamel Johnson and Randon Fontenette cracked the two deep and got extensive playing time.
Ben Taylor-Whitfield started a game and was also the first lineman off the bench despite being a true freshman. Once healthy, Cam Cook eventually rose up in the running back rotation and will see an increased workload next year. Linebacker Jonathan Bax was slowed by an illness at the start of the season, but was still one of the standouts of spring and preseason training camp.
Jordyn Bailey had over 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in a crowded receiver room and Markis Deal had a sack this season while preserving his redshirt. Keeping all of these players will be critical especially Deal and fellow defensive linemen Avion Carter and Zachary Chapman.
One name to watch is Cordale Russell, who was one of the highest signees in the class. He was one of the top performers of preseason camp, but didn’t record a stat this season and the staffed opted to redshirt him despite injuries to the receiver room at the end of the season. If there’s a player that schools could come after hard it may be Russell.
Finish strong
The Horned Frogs’ recruiting class sits at 33rd in the 247Sports composite rankings. A top-35 class may sound fine, but it’s still below the standard Dykes wants to recruit at, especially if the Horned Frogs want to be a playoff contender.
TCU is behind schools like UCF, Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue and Stanford which isn’t going to be good enough, especially considering TCU is located in one of the most talent rich areas of the country. The Horned Frogs need to make up a decent amount of ground to crack the top-25 after having the No. 21 class a year ago.
Landing another talented transfer class would help too, but the nucleus of a healthy, championship program is still going to be the core of high school recruits you bring in on an annual basis. A strong close to the 2024 cycle would give TCU two very good classes to use as a foundation.
This story was originally published November 27, 2023 at 12:53 PM.
