TCU football: 5 observations as spring practices end. What questions remain?
TCU wrapped up spring football on Friday with a short open practice in Amon G. Carter Stadium that focused more on the younger players on the roster.
Head coach Sonny Dykes gave most of his veterans a break after going through two physical practices earlier in the week.
It was also because Dykes was encouraged by what he saw throughout the spring as he felt like the Horned Frogs were able to build off of their strong close to the 2024 season.
“It was a competitive spring,” Dykes said Friday. “When you look back at it and say, ‘Who got the upper hand, the offense or the defense?’ It’s going to be hard to say which is what you want to feel coming out of spring football. Encouraged by a lot of things, it’s going to be important for us to build starting on Monday.”
One thing that was evident during camp was how much deeper TCU’s roster is. The Horned Frogs had a multitude of players like Bud Clark, Avery Helm, Vernon Glover, Major Everhart and more than that missed significant chunks of time during the spring.
There wasn’t much drop off, which is a testament to TCU’s recruiting and roster retention under Dykes.
“Depth and quality of young players in the program gets better every year,” Dykes said. “As you start stacking those recruiting classes you should feel good about those younger players in your program and we feel great about it. There’s much more depth from one to 10 in some spots, one to 15 in some others and that just creates more competition in your program.”
Here are five more observations from TCU’s spring camp:
RB competition remains unsettled
After a lackluster rushing attack last season, improving the run game was one of the top priorities for TCU in the spring. With the return of offensive guard Cade Bennett from a season-ending injury last season and the emergence of Ryan Hughes at left tackle, the Horned Frogs generated more explosive plays in the run game during spring.
It wasn’t just one running back like it was with Cam Cook last year either as each running back had good moments. Nate Palmer and Jeremy Payne were the most productive during camp with multiple long touchdowns between the two of them. Payne has excellent acceleration while Palmer has versatility as a receiver and runs with much more power than you expect from a player his size.
UTSA transfer Kevorian Barnes showed he could have value as a power and short-yardage back, but he got banged up in the final week of camp. Trent Battle was the starter down the stretch last year and he has the trust of the coaching staff, but didn’t generate the same amount of explosive plays during camp. But Battle is consistent, knows the playbook and has that veteran presence coaches value.
True freshman Jon Denman may be hard to keep off the field as he may have the best blend of power and speed in the room. Denman saw more touches during the latter stretch of camp and maximized his reps. TCU has options, now one player will have to separate themselves in the fall.
“The biggest thing is going to be who can hang onto the football,” Dykes said. “There’s such a diverse skillset you need to play running back in our offense. You’ve got to be able to protect, catch the balls, finish runs. We obviously want somebody that can hit home runs, but we need somebody that can hit singles most importantly.”
Replacing Savion and Bech
TCU has the tough task of replacing two soon-to-be NFL Draft picks at receiver in Savion Williams and Jack Bech plus JP Richardson. Based on the spring, the Horned Frogs should be in a good spot at receiver after solid springs by transfer receivers Jordan Dwyer from Idaho and Joseph Manjack from Houston.
Dwyer showcased his ability to stretch the field all camp and he also impressed with his strong hands when he made contested catches. Manjack has been compared to Bech all camp and you can see some similarities between the two. Manjack is a bit bigger and not quite as fast as Bech, but he should be a productive receiver like he was at Houston.
Dykes also praised the performance of Eric McAlister, who will enter the season as TCU’s No. 1 receiver. Much like the staff did in the past with Williams and Quentin Johnston, McAlister had a lighter load throughout camp, but when he did practice he practiced at a high level. During Friday’s final practice McAlister caught a wide open touchdown from Josh Hoover in the end zone in the first team’s offense final drive of camp.
Dozie Ezukanma was another receiver that had a strong spring with the second team offense and he caught an 80-yard touchdown from Ken Seals on Friday. He should be in the rotation during the fall.
Linebackers could be elite
TCU has an imposing linebacker core between Namdi Obiazor, Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Max Carroll. Obiazor’s return for another season provided a boost to the defense and he looks more comfortable in the second year under Andy Avalos. The same can be said for Elarms-Orr, who was the first man off the bench last season behind Obiazor and Johnny Hodges.
Carroll wrecked havoc with the second team defense during the spring and had a number of impressive hits and an interception near the end zone during one practice. It would be hard to find a more athletic group across the Big 12, but it’s also the one position where depth could be an issue.
The Horned Frogs will have to rely on freshmen Anthony ‘Deuce’ Williams, Dillon Arkansas, Sam Haley, Keylan Abrams or sophomore Hudson Hooper if either of three suffer a significant injurie. All are unproven and need more time to develop despite their talent.
Dykes’ deepest secondary?
If there’s one group that has plenty of depth it’s the secondary, specifically the cornerback room. Despite missing Helm, a projected starter, and Vernon Glover, the cornerbacks more than held their own against the wide receivers from the first and second team offenses.
“I like the young group of corners,” Dykes said. “I think we’ve got a lot of depth at the corner spot. Channing (Canada) was one of our more consistent guys all spring. Devondre McGee did a lot of good things and I thought Jevon McIver was solid as well. I like that group, we’re going to add Avery and Vernon to the mix and some young guys that are going to continue to develop.”
McIver and McGee especially stood out with their physicality contesting passes while Canada played with more confidence during the spring.
At safety, Austin Jordan was another player that earned praise from Dykes as he took over the nickel position. Jamel Johnson had a solid spring and Jordan Lester took a big jump after receiving most of the first team reps in Clark’s absence. LSU transfer Kylin Jackson missed about a week of practice, but he came on strong in the final week as he had an interception and a hit stick tackle. With a fully healthy Clark, the safeties should be a solid group.
Which freshman could play early
TCU had a large number of early enrollees from the Class of 2025 during spring camp like Denman, Williams, Arkansas and Adam Schobel. It’s valuable a experience for any freshmen looking to compete early, but which among the group was able to separate themselves headed into the fall?
According to Dykes it was Ed Small, a four-star receiver from Austin. Small has played mostly slot during the spring and has been among the most productive at the spot with Seals and Schobel. Small caught at least three touchdowns during camp and had multiple catches of at least 20 yards as he was difficult to matchup with.
“Ed Small has been exactly what we thought,” Dykes said. “He never missed a rep this spring. He had 15 consistent practices, he’s mature and he takes care of his body. He was a guy that I thought might have a chance to play early and he’s exceeded expectations when it comes to that.”
TCU needed Small to step up with Everhart and Jordyn Bailey dealing with injuries. Dykes also said Small will be in the running to return punts. Competition will be stiff at slot and punt returner, but Small has the best chance to be a day one contributor of the 2025 class.
