A look at the Horned Frogs, and their quest for a bowl game.
Quarterback - Max Knake, 1994s SWC co-offensive player of the year, returns for his final season. Knake was selected as the nations #1 QB by Athlon. Last season, Knake completed 58% of his passes, and only had 7 interceptions. He is very accurate, with a deceptively strong passing arm. He is simply the best QB at TCU in decades.
Todd Stanford, voted the most improved player during the spring, is the backup, with three freshmen battling for the 3rd position.
Running Backs - TCU's strongest position. Expect Andre Davis, a 1994 third team All-America selection, to have another banner season. Davis had 1,494 rushing yards, with an additional 522 yards receiving, making him the top NCAA all-purpose yardage performer returning. Davis also only had 3 fumbles in 307 touches of the ball.
Koi Woods returns as the starting fullback. Woods is an excellent inside runner and blocker.
Redshirt freshman Dana Robinson has caused quite a stir since his recent conversion from cornerback. He is extremely quick, and is an excellent receiver. Could be a 3rd down specialist. Sterling Boyd, a transfer from Georgia, former walk-on Matt Moore, Andre Bruce and John Williams will battle for playing time as well.
Wide Receivers - John Washington and Chris Brasfield return as starters. Both have excellent speed, and the ability to break a long one. The receivers are also good downfield blockers. Jason Tucker should be the third receiver, and has excellent potential.
Tight End - Brian Collins heads into his final season being selected as the nation's number one ranked tight end by Sporting News. He has led the SWC in receptions for tight ends the past two seasons, and has a dozen touchdowns. A key player who must stay healthy, Collins provides a 6'5" target and sure-hands. His backups, including Chad Avery, have yet to catch a collegiate pass.
Offensive Line - Described as being more athletic, but less experienced than last years line. Ryan Tucker moves to center to anchor the line. Kevin Brewer will be at strong guard, with Clifford Barnes at quick tackle. Fabian Stegall will be the quick guard, with Kevin Holmes manning the strong tackle position, while the injured Jon Donahue mends. This unit has time to mesh with the easy early part of the schedule, but must stay healthy. Backups are thin and inexperienced.
Defensive Line - Gaylon Hyder and DE Chris Piland should be the key contributors. Piland and former QB Chance McCarty should provide more speed on the outside, along with Hayes Rydel. Hyder is a honors candidate at defensive guard. Nose guard is a question mark, with Marcus Anderson battling Bernard Oldham for playing time.
Linebackers - Pre-season all SWC Lenoy Jones and Tyrone Roy will be the leading the Frog backers. Overall, Henderson expects the Frogs to be improved at linebacker, but the position is full of inexperienced candidates for playing time, as well as a couple coming off major injuries.
Defensive Backs - Should be the strength of the defense. All four starters return, with Manvel Hopes and Charles McWilliams at CB, with Mikyha Martin and Rick LaFavers at safety. Another strength is the depth of the backups. Cedric Allen was the most improved defender in the spring. Watch for more nickel packages this season.