Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas Tech have become the latest schools to join in on Spatula Season, which has seen more than 15 recruits and commitments change their minds over the last few weeks. Here’s an early look at five prospects to keep an eye on this weekend during the TCU game who are committed elsewhere but could be available for the Aggies next month when signing day rolls around…
Introduction
Last Saturday, November 17th, the TCU Horned Frogs football team dominated the Texas Longhorns in front of over 105,000 people and became champions of the conference with a victory.
The Horned Frogs were able to do so because they had an unrivaled depth chart that was filled with talent on both sides of the ball as well as an experienced coaching staff that is made up of one of the best head coaches in college football today,
Gary Patterson, and a number one assistant coach in offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie.
One thing stood out from this game even more than any other aspect though and it was how willing TCU was to go after any recruit they could find and successfully and them through their recruiting process
which has led them to having the No. 6 class in the country going into this week’s top 25 rankings.
TCU will be hosting a major recruiting event this upcoming weekend in Fort Worth when they take on Texas A&M Aggies who are currently ranked 24th in the country with just 5 commits less than TCU.
What is Spatula Season?
Spatula Season is the term used when a prospect that has committed elsewhere flips his commitment and commits to TCU, or when TCU flips a commitment they have from someone who is already committed somewhere else.
This usually happens in the days leading up to a big rivalry game such as this weekend’s TCU-Texas A&M matchup.
Some fans see these flipings as a way of the Aggies getting back at TCU after they stole some of their top players in recent years, including Ryan Tharp (2020).
Others see it as an opportunity for TCU to steal back some of those players who had been committed to them but flipped because they believed TAMU would be better for them than TCU was.
And still others just like watching the drama unfold! TCU Horned Frogs football head coach Gary Patterson said that It will always be there and There’s nothing we can do about it.
Whether TCU ends up with more commitments or fewer commitments come Wednesday morning may depend on how well the Horned Frogs play Saturday against a tough Aggie squad.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what goes down during this spatula season battle royale! The post TCU football news for July 29th, 2019 appeared first on TBP Sports.
The Prospects
TCU Horned Frogs football has been a beneficiary of its success on the field and in recruiting thanks to the efforts of head coach Gary Patterson and his staff.
But it’s also been able to snag some recruits from other schools, too, with the latest being four-star athlete Taliyah Brooks, who had previously committed to Oregon.
TCU is now hosting at least five prospects committed elsewhere for TCU’s home game against the Texas A&M Aggies this Saturday night in Fort Worth, as well as a sixth prospect that they have an offer out to but he’s not currently in attendance.
The six visitors are rated 3.8 stars or higher according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
The top uncommitted prospect visiting TCU this weekend is cornerback Josh Coleman (No. 15 overall).
The others are defensive tackle Marcus Griffin (No. 17), wide receiver Jack Smith (No. 25), safety Paul Stone Jr.(No. 34), linebacker Marquez Beason (No. 46) and
running back Jaden Powell(No. 65). Of those six, only Coleman was offered by TCU before committing elsewhere; the rest were recruited heavily by TCU after their commitments elsewhere.
I think we’re going to be one of their go-to schools, said Kevin Sumlin, A&M’s coach.
That’s how I look at it. TCU just needs to take care of what TCU does and let us take care of what we do.
We’ll worry about our kids. TCU will worry about theirs. They’ll probably land the ones they want regardless of whether or not they come visit, so that gives us more opportunity to get our guys up there.
The Implications
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is coming off of a thrilling victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl and now they will have to do it all over again as they are set to play the Arkansas Razorbacks on September 15, 2019.
With the win against Oregon, TCU is ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s Power Rankings but they still have some work left with a tough SEC opponent looming on their schedule.
The Horned Frogs are coming off of a 12-1 season and were ranked No. 3 nationally by AP poll before losing to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Horned Frogs offense led the nation in points per game (49) and total offense (518 yards per game) and was second nationally in passing yards (362).
They also return 10 starters on defense which was ranked 14th nationally last year giving up 22 points per game while only giving up 13 points per contest at home.
The TCU coaching staff would be happy if they can get by this Saturday with no injuries after two players, defensive tackle Ross Blacklock Jr. and wide receiver Jalen Reagor, went down early during the final quarter against Oregon before returning later into the contest which ended in a 49-42 victory for TCU.
Despite being banged up, TCU could not afford to lose any more players as the matchup against Arkansas looms next week.
The Aggies lost four starters from 2018 and will rely on quarterback Kellen Mond who has six touchdowns and one interception in three starts this season.
Meanwhile, TCU looks like they’re going to come out victorious yet again because they host at least five prospects committed elsewhere for TCU game; four offensive linemen and tight end John Lovett.
All five of these commitments came in December of 2018 when TCU was struggling and looking for depth on the roster.
Head coach Gary Patterson had been recruiting lovett since his junior year and although he originally committed to Baylor, he decided to go with TCU when they offered him an opportunity to play earlier than expected.
As a result, Lovett has played 34 snaps in three games including eight each against New Mexico State and Auburn.
For TCU’s sake, hopefully he recovers from his knee injury soon so that he can contribute further on the field this season.