TCU's Gary Patterson Looks Ahead To 2014 Season
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Now that signing day is over, Coach Gary Patterson is looking ahead to the 2014 season. Texas Christian University added 24 commitments to their roster and the class is ranked in some polls as high as 6th in the conference and 38th nationally.
Patterson said he is familiar with some of the whispers that TCU is not equipped to handle Big 12 play but doesn't agree with it based on one season where the team went 2-7 in the conference and missed a bowl game for only the second time in his 16 years.
"I don't think people understand how many young players we had. We had seven seniors that played. We won the Rose Bowl with 27," said Patterson.
There were also challenges on the offensive side of the ball. The Horned Frogs lost three lineman days before two-a-days. Their second leading tackler Joel Hasley left the program, four days later Tayo Fabuluje departed for personal reasons and then Michael Thompson's knee injuries led to retirement following a medical disqualification.
Then, there were injuries to his running backs, a broken arm for quarterback Casey Paschall and while Trevone Boykin is a tremendous athlete he struggled at times at the position.
"Trevone Boykin would be a better quarterback if he could throw to Trevone Boykin," said Patterson.
It's unclear if Boykin will be under center this year after excelling at the wide-out position but Patterson said he would compete for the job alongside Tyler Matthews and Zach Allen in spring practice. Two quarterbacks receiving all the buzz however are the state's No. 2 ranked Foster Sawyer (FW All Saints) and No. 4 ranked Grayson Muehlstein (Decatur).
"One's 6'4 and the other is 6'6. Both are athletic and both have leadership qualities. You typically don't see two of those guys in the same class," said Patterson.
Muehlstein opted for the Horned Frogs over Harvard, Sawyer chose TCU over Alabama.
Patterson said he is appreciative for the support from the fans and Ft. Worth and said his program will be a competitive contender in the conference. When they entered the Big 12 they went 9-3 and that time he said he told fans to be patient and give the program 3-5 years. It's a window they are now entering this 3rd season.
He said they are beginning to attract the areas talent and convince them to stay close to home and said he is constantly scouting talent. He said he uses twitter to get to know future players and for them to get to know him. If you follow @TCUCoachP you will learn he is a singer-songwriter when he's not coaching who loves pictures of the world's most beautiful places. If you want an autograph for a friend, direct message him and he will get it done, tweet him and he will answer. He said that one on one relationship is what sets him apart from other coaches who haven't yet seen the value in social media.
As the program progresses, he said student-athletes are beginning to take notice.
"I've always said TCU is like the girl next door. You don't pay much attention to her and then she grew up beautiful and then you wonder why you didn't go with her to the prom and I think that's what's going to happen here," said Patterson.
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