Football coaches look to gather top-rate recruits for season
By Braden Howell
Staff Reporter

While a Liberty Bowl victory marked the end of TCU football for many Horned Frog players, it marked the beginning of the last intense month of recruiting for TCU football coaches.

The Feb. 5 national signing day is still a few weeks away, but Mike Sinquefield, director of football operations, said every day TCU football coaches are hard at work signing high-quality players who want to continue a winning tradition.

“The athletes want to play for a winning program,” Sinquefield said. “Going 10-2, and beating a ranked opponent in the Liberty Bowl on national TV definitely helps with recruiting.”

Sinquefield said every coach is involved in the recruiting process. According to the NCAA, it regulates when and how a school can recruit, and the recruiting process is currently in what is called a “major contact period” in which coaches are allowed to visit recruits.

Sinquefield said the NCAA mandates that during this period, a school can have no more than seven coaches on the road at a time.

He said every Monday through Thursday seven TCU coaches travel around Texas visiting recruits. The state is divided into geographical divisions, with each coach assigned a certain region. Sinquefield said during these trips, the coaches focus more on finding the best athlete and less on finding players for specific positions.

“More than 300 high school football players sign with Division I schools every year, so TCU’s main focus is Texas,” Sinquefield said.

According to The Dallas Morning News, TCU currently has verbal commitments from three players on the newspaper’s “State Top 100” list. However, verbal commitments are non-binding, allowing a recruit to change his mind at will until a national letter of intent is signed.

Sinquefield said staying close to home is a priority for many recruits and they want to choose a school where their family and friends will be able to watch them play on a regular basis.

Sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Johnson, from Carrolton, was one of the most highly recruited players in Texas for the 2000 recruiting class. Johnson said he had scholarship offers from Miami, Michigan and Oklahoma, but said he chose TCU because it was close to home.

“I wanted be around my family,” Johnson said. “To be a part of building a program and still being close to my family has had a huge impact on my life.”

Assistant athletic trainer Todd Nalder said the number of recruits visiting varies from week to week, with some groups as large as 10.

Sinquefield said on these visits, the school tries to emphasize the community atmosphere and the quality of the education an athlete will receive.

Athletic Director Eric Hyman said the student body is a valuable asset in recruiting, whether they know it or not.

“We’re competing at a higher level, so we need student recognition,” Hyman said. “The athletes need the students’ help.”

Sinquefield said the coaching staff is expecting to have one of the largest signing classes in recent history, including some of the state’s top players.

“We’re very excited about the quality of the players,” Sinquefield said.

We will know for sure Feb. 5 on national signing day.

Braden Howell
b.r.howell@tcu.edu