Six standouts from TCU football’s preseason training camp
With TCU’s training camp in the books it’s time to take another look at some of the standouts.
We’ve already examined some of the surprises that have emerged like Zach Chapman, but what about some of TCU’s veterans returning for another season?
As camp progressed, the familiar names on TCU shined time and time again, showing leadership off the field and on it through their play.
Here’s a look at the six biggest standouts from TCU’s training camp:
Wide receiver Savion Williams
Breakdown: Williams showed time and time again why he’s the most talented player on the roster with a camp that was much different than last season. In 2023 the coaching staff just wanted to get Williams through camp healthy, but the approach was different as Williams was more engaged and challenged by the staff to be more consistent.
Williams responded with his best stretch of football from making multiple one-handed touchdown grabs to turning simple screen plays into chunk plays. Many of the NFL scouts visiting TCU practice likely came for Williams and they had to like what they saw from the Horned Frogs’ top skill player.
Defensive lineman Nana Osafo-Mensah
Breakdown: It can be challenging for a transfer to come in and immediately be depended upon to be a leader, but Osafo-Mensah was up to the challenge during training camp. Sonny Dykes said Osafo-Mensah was the most consistent among all the defensive ends and it was because of Osafo-Mensah that the absence of Paul Oyewale wasn’t felt more on defense. Whether it was stuffing the run or getting after Josh Hoover, Osafo-Mensah did it all and could easily be TCU’s best defensive linemen this season.
Cornerback JaTravis Broughton
Breakdown: Even before the injuries to Avery Helm and Vernon Glover, the Utah transfer was vying for a large role on TCU’s defense. He brings a ton of experience from one of the best defensive programs in the country and plays with physicality and toughness at the line of scrimmage. Broughton had the most deflections and pass breakups among the cornerbacks during camp. He spent a lot of time matched against Dylan Wright with the starters and Broughton won a lot of those battles.
TCU’s depth may be in question at corner, but the Horned Frogs should have confidence in Broughton being one of the starters.
Wide receiver Eric McAlister
Breakdown: After Williams, McAlister and JP Richardson were vying for the second most productive receiver during camp. McAlister narrowly gets the edge due to his upside and big play potential he showed during camp. McAlister mostly ran with the second offense after getting so many reps in the spring, but he didn’t let that deter him.
Ken Seals routinely fed McAlister the ball and there were times he seemed unguardable like when he took a simple slant over the middle for over 20 yards one practice. McAlister had another 20-yard reception on Friday on a post route. McAlister awas also one of the toughest receivers to guard during one-on-ones. McAlister is still battling Wright at the other outside receiver position, but he was the more productive player during camp.
Linebacker Johnny Hodges
Breakdown: Any questions about how Hodges could fit in this new, more aggressive defense were answered during camp. The staff gave Hodges most of the reps with the starters, leaving Kaleb Elarms-Orr with the second team defense after his terrific spring. There was no dropoff as Hodges had a number of sacks and was a force against the run. Hodges brought the intensity everyday and even had a day where Dykes had to tell him to cool off.
Either way, it was nice to see that Hodges will stay play a vital role in this defense. While TCU will only have two linebackers on the field most of the time, the Horned Frogs should feel like they have three starters with Hodges, Elarms-Orr and Namdi Obiazor.
Running back Cam Cook
Breakdown: Cook was flashy in the spring, but camp was more about showing his toughness and ability to pick up the grimy yards. He’s not the biggest back, but Cook showed that he’s more than capable of carrying 20-25 carries in a game. During one of the team’s scrimmages at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Cook gained nearly all of the offense’s yards on one series. Cook averaged over five yards per carry during that scrimmage and replicated that production during most of camp.
The staff was satisfied enough with Cook’s performance that they held him out of practice the last few days to let him rest and keep him ready for the season. TCU has its starting running back and he’s capable of the jaw-dropping runs and the gritty runs between the tackles.
This story was originally published August 17, 2024 at 12:24 PM.
