Wednesday is the first day football recruits can sign national letters of intent. PurpleMenace.com has compiled a list of the Frogs' current commitments. Here's a closer look at all prospects as well as four early enrollees:
LaDarius Anthony
Position: Running back
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 192
Hometown: Kilgore, Texas (Kilgore HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com: 3-star
"There's not a ton of flash here, but there is a ton of productivity and you know exactly what you're going to get out of him – a tough-nosed Kilgore kid that's not going to back down from anyone and will work as hard as he needs to." – Geoff Ketchum, Orangebloods.com
Austin Aune
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Hometown: Argyle, Texas (Argyle HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Austin has tremendous upside, he's very good at creating plays with his legs which in return helps him as a passer. He's one of the best passers in Texas throwing the football on the run. He led Argyle to the class 3A state championship so you know he's a leader, and you have to love that in a quarterback prospect." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Gerren Ballard
Position: Tight End
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 250
Hometown: Whitewright, Texas (Whitewright HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 2-star
"Ballard gives the Frogs the big body at tight end that they will need with the transition into the Big 12. Many feel Gerren will grow into an offensive lineman, but he's really a dual threat tight end – big enough to block and fleet enough to get downfield and make a big catch." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Josh Carraway
Position: Defensive end
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225
Hometown: Flower Mound, Texas (Marcus HS)
Rivals.com rating: 2-star
ESPN.com rating: N/A
Scout.com rating: N/A
"How the Frogs managed to get him is a steal. Carraway had offers from other D-1 programs and still chose TCU because of the chance to play in a Patterson defense. Carraway spent his first year on the varsity collecting 13 sacks earning him all-state and district honors."
B.J. Catalon (early enrollee)
Position: Running back
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 190
Hometown: Houston, Texas (Westside HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"[He is] a very knowledgeable player, very intense player on and off the field…. I think he's the next Ladanian Tomlinson for TCU. His family background is very driven. He is going to be a marquee kid…. He is a slash and dash guy. He is a one cut and go score [guy]. He could score from anywhere on the field. He just has great field vision. He can run over you. He is very strong, but he's not looking to do that. He is looking to go score. He'll run past you in a heartbeat." – Mark Byrd, Westside Head Coach
Chad Childs
Position: Offensive line
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 280
Hometown: La Grange, Texas (La Grange HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"He's a run-stopper for sure, but where he is versus the pass, with those long arms of his, is he's got a knack for blocking balls, deflecting balls at the line of scrimmage. But he's definitely a run stopper up inside — it's going to take two or possibly three sometimes on him to be able to run the ball inside on us." – La Grange High School Head Coach Matt Kates (from Dave Campbell's Texas Football)
Aviante Collins
Position: Offensive line
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 309
Hometown: Houston, Texas (Willowridge HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"For a big kid with some mass on his body, Collins is a good athlete with good enough fee that he could likely play tackle on the right side of some schools. His strength as a player right now comes as a power player that plays through the whistle and can flat out blow people off the ball when he keeps good pad level. So, we're talking about an athletic mauler that that is definitely raw, but possesses a nice ceiling as a player." – Geoff Ketchum, Orangebloods.com
Devonte Fields
Position: Defensive end
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 240
Hometown: Arlington, Texas (Martin HS)
Rivals.com rating: 4-star
ESPN.com rating: 4-star
Scout.com rating: 4-star
"He had a stellar senior year. He was an UnderArmour All-American, an ESPN All-American, a first team All-State defensive end and really one of the most disruptive defensive lineman that the state had to offer this year. He's got a great first two steps, and if you're not out of your stance in two steps then he'll be in the backfield. Devonte is a guy that aside from being a stellar defensive end played wide receiver for us, returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, played every specials teams unit we had and is now obviously shining on the basketball court as well. [With him] you get the rare combination of 6'4" 240 plus the freakish athleticism it takes to excel in those areas as well." – Bob Wager, Arlington Martin Head Coach
Keivon Gamble (early enrollee)
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 190
Hometown: Dallas, Texas (Trinity Valley Community College)
"There's a saying, don't recruit JUCO players unless you need them to play right away. This is the case for Gamble, who is expected to complete for the spot left open with Greg McCoy graduating. Gamble led the SWJCFC in pass-breakups in 2011 with an amazing 23." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Griffin Gilbert
Position: Tight end
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 215
Hometown: Austin, Texas (Lake Travis HS)
Rivals.com rating: 4-star
ESPN.com rating: 4-star
Scout.com rating: 4-star
"I think that he's got a lot of room to put some weight on his frame. Either way, he's going to present mismatches…. I can't say one negative thing about Griffin. I think he's incredible in every aspect. He's a fantastic leader. He's a selfless player. He thinks about the team first. He works his butt off. He leads by example. He's also a vocal leader when he needs to be…. His ball skills are to me – I guarantee you they are the best in the state. I know there are some other high profile receivers, but I think if you look at the way he controls his body and he catches the football, I think that really sets him apart from anybody else that I've seen. Obviously, he is very physical too. We played him at some tight end, but most of the time he was in the slot or split out. He is very physical – catching or blocking." – Hank Carter, Lake Travis Head Coach
Deante' Gray
Position: Athlete
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180
Hometown: Houston, Texas (Westside HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 4-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"He does things that you just don't coach. You can't coach speed. He has character that is unmeasurable, and he is a worker. Those three things alone are things that get you to the next level. He's attained all that. We just wanted to get the ball in his hands, and after that he made the rest happen. He's got great yards after catch. He understands the game. He plays with speed. He has great angles, and they're going to be able to do what they want with him, whether he's a return man or plays defense or offense. They're just getting an overall athlete…. I think he's kind of like Fitzgerald from Arizona. He also has the speed and ability to the ball as Ed Reed." – Mark Byrd, Westside Head Coach
A.J. Hilliard
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 215
Hometown: Klein, Texas (Klein Oak HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Hilliard is a heat-seeking missile, plain and simple. TCU was his dream school and Frog fans should be thankful for that because this kid will have a very good career at TCU, maybe in the same mold of a Daryl Washington." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Joey Hunt
Position: Defensive tackle
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 295
Hometown: El Campo, Texas (El Campo HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 4-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"[He] plays with a mean disposition while using his hands to keep offensive linemen off his body. He also has a very versatile body structure so if DT did not pan out he could easily move to offensive guard." – Barry Every, Rivals.com
Zach Jackson
Position: Safety
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185
Hometown: Snellville, Georgia (Brookwood HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Jackson is regarded as one of the top safety prospects in Georgia and for good reason. Jackson blends good size and speed that makes him a perfect safety prospect for Gary Patterson's defense." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Derrick Kindred
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 180
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas (Wagner HS)
Rivals.com rating: 2-star
ESPN.com rating: N/A
Scout.com rating: N/A
"Kindred is the type of player TCU has built their success around, a true hidden gem. Kindred had offers from Iowa State and SMU and originally committed to UT-San Antonio. He will blend his good size and speed (10.8) 100m and fit in with the style of defense the Frogs play."
Terrell Lathan
Position: Defensive End
Height: 6'5"
Weight:260
Hometown: West Monroe, Louisiana
Rivals.com – 3 stars
ESPN.com – 3 stars
Scout.com – 3 stars
"Terrell Lathan. He's another guy that was a signing day shocker. No one expected him to come in to TCU on signing day, and he's going to be a great get for the staff. He's a guy that I could see definitely playing early, especially with the lack of depth at defensive end. I'm looking forward to seeing him play."
Kolby Listenbee (early enrollee)
Position: Athlete
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 170
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Listenbee is a true dual-threat player. He can play quarterback and once he learns the position more, he will turn into a great receiver. Listenbee caught the attention of many during Nike's The Opening for his abilities as a receiver. With 4.4 speed, there's no doubt he can stretch the field." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Tyler Matthews (early enrollee)
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 205
Hometown: Mcpherson, Kansas (McPherson HS)
Rivals.com rating: 4-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Matthews is the 6th rated quarterback in the country and for good reason, he can make all the throws. His precision passes allowed him to lead the country in completion percentage as a junior. He only threw eight interceptions his junior and senior seasons combined." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Jordan Moore
Position: Safety
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210
Hometown: Lithonia, Georgia (Martin Luther King High School)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 4-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"Jordan is a guy that they went in there and stole out of SEC country. He had over 25 offers. He had offers from Florida, Georgia, Michigan State, Penn State. He's a guy that's 6'3" 208, and he's a perfect safety in Patterson's defense. He's a 4.37 guy. Moore is also a good track athlete, one of the nations best hurdlers. He has a 13.69 in the 110m hurdles, so he's going to run track here at TCU as well. So he's a huge get. For him to announce live on national television that he was coming to TCU is great for them."
James McFarland
Position: Defensive end/linebacker
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 240
Hometown: West Monroe, Louisiana (West Monroe HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 3-star
"The Frogs were very happy McFarland decided to re-commit after his official visit on January 20th. Some feel McFarland is an outside linebacker prospect while others think he will be a threat off the edge as a defensive end, especially with that 4.6 speed. McFarland will play defensive end at TCU and definitely complete for early playing time." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Jaden Oberkrom
Position: Kicker
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 170
Hometown: Arlington, Texas (Martin HS)
Rivals.com rating: 2-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 2-star
"He is an automatic touchback if you want it, but has the ability to execute some specialty kicks as well, whether they're high bloops, he's got a solid squib. He kicked a 60-yarder in a game this year, which is stellar for a high school player. Really more than anything, his greatest attribute is leg strength." – Bob Wager, Arlington Martin Head Coach
Ethan Perry
Position: Punter
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220
Hometown: Spring Branch, Texas (Smithson Valley HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 2-star
Scout.com rating: 2-star
"Out of anyone in this class, Perry will be needed the most right away with the loss of Anson Kelton. Perry opened eyes at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl practices with his booming punts. As a senior he averaged over 44 yards per punt." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Position: Offensive line
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 285
Hometown: Haltom City, Texas (Haltom HS)
Rivals.com rating: 3-star
ESPN.com rating: 3-star
Scout.com rating: 4-star
"Big V, as he's most often referred as, was a big time steal for the Frogs, who eventually convinced the Haltom product to stay close to home after originally committing to Texas Tech. Vaitai is a prototypical left tackle at 6-foot-6 with a great reach and quick feet. He may need a year to grasp the system, but he's definitely one of the players from this class that has All-Big 12 written all over him before his career is over." – Jeremy Clark, PurpleMenace.com
