How LaDainian Tomlinson helped TCU football impress 4-star recruit Ashton Rowden
The TCU football program had a busy weekend, with a number of top recruits in Fort Worth for official visits.
One of those recruits was four-star running back Ashton Rowden, one of the most productive high school backs in Texas. The Horned Frogs made a strong impression on Rowden and his family over the weekend.
“It was amazing, I loved it,” Rowden said. “I loved the environment and the people around it. You can definitely tell they do as much as they can for their players with how they carry themselves. They’ll take care of you after you graduate from TCU, not even just from a football standpoint, but educationwise too. It was definitely something special.”
Rowden is ranked the No. 288 prospect nationally by the 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 18 running back in the country. Rowden would be one of the team’s highest ranked commits if he joins the class, and TCU made sure he knew how much of a priority he was.
One of the highlights of his visit was meeting TCU legend and NFL Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson played for the Horned Frogs from 1997-2000 before a stellar career with the San Diego Chargers.
Meeting one of the best running backs to ever play the game was a memorable moment for Rowden.
“After all the stories I heard about him (it was amazing). My dad was like that’s a legend right there,” Rowden said. “Once I realized who he was, I was like that’s LT, that’s the GOAT. That was dope man, it was just a great time.”
Tomlinson met with most of the recruits during their official visits, but Rowden made sure to take the time to get some advice from the Hall of Famer.
“He was just telling me to keep working hard and what TCU was all about,” Rowden said. “He said the people that go to TCU, they still stick around at TCU because it’s so family oriented. After they were done doing what they had to do in the NFL, they come back to this area. He was just telling me about the area and how hard work beats talent, and the things he used to do. He was just giving me a lot of pointers.”
Rowden stars at New Boston High, about 30 minutes west of Texarkana, and he’s coming off a season where he rushed for 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns. Rowden also runs track and field, which has helped him develop his open-field speed.
Rowden checks a lot of boxes for what TCU running backs coach Jimmy Smith is looking for, and Smith and Rowden have established a strong bond during the recruiting process.
“Coach Smith, that’s my dawg,” Rowden said. “He’s funny, he’s a down-to-earth guy. He feels like one of my people, he acts just like my family. That really gave (TCU) a bonus.”
Another thing that stood out to Rowden was Sonny Dykes and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ track record of producing talented running backs.
Kendre Miller, Emari Demercado and Emani Bailey are all currently on NFL rosters, and that development stands out to Rowden.
“I think I would be a great piece. I can tell from history they really value their running backs,” Rowden said. “Their offense is similar to the NFL, so it would definitely help develop me to go to the next level.”
Rowden has narrowed his recruitment down to four schools, with TCU trying to hold off Houston, Minnesota and Arkansas.
As for what will be the deciding factors, Rowden is looking for a place that can develop him as a player and a young man.
“How family oriented they are, how they develop their players,” Rowden said. “And the education piece because I want to be a real estate agent. You gotta have that standpoint because football is not around forever.”
Rowden is anticipating making a decision in July after completing visits to those three other programs in June.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 9:07 AM.
