How two freshmen stood out on TCU’s first day of football practice

The first practice of fall football camp is in the books for TCU. It’s the first step in what the Horned Frogs hope will be another successful campaign after going 13-2 last season.

Second-year head coach Sonny Dykes didn’t push the team too hard as TCU practiced about 90 minutes in shoulder pads and shorts Tuesday morning.

Dykes was pleased with what we saw from the Horned Frogs on opening day, especially from some of his youngest players.

“We looked like a team that practiced late into last season,” Dykes said. “I think those additional practices helped some of those young players develop. That carried over to the spring and I think the spring carried over into today. It was a pretty clean first practice, we had a couple late snaps, more drops than we’re used to, but those are all first day type things.”

The first practice also offered a first look at highly regarded freshmen Cordale Russell and Markis Deal. Both were top-100 recruits from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and impressed on day one.

Russell, who missed all of spring football with an injury, was still in a red no-contact jersey on Tuesday, but was allowed to participate in 7-on-7 drills. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught multiple passes during the session including a deep vertical route for a touchdown from Chandler Morris.

There’s a lot of experience in front of him especially when you include transfer receivers like JP Richardson, Jack Bech, Warren Thompson and Jaylon Robinson, but Russell will have his chance to compete if he can stay healthy.

“He didn’t seem like a freshman to me, he didn’t seem rattled,” Dykes said. “He made more plays today than some young receivers have made for us in the past, so it was encouraging to see that. He looks like he belongs, he looks like an older guy.”

The plan is to continue to ease Russell into contact as practice, but even so, Dykes’ expectations remain high for the high school All-American.

“I was really impressed with what I saw today,” Dykes said. “I anticipate him certainly being in the competition to get some playing time and we’ll see how that plays out. Today was a good first day.”

On the other side of the ball, Deal’s physical stature stood out. Listed at 310 pounds, the freshman looks much leaner than that and clearly made the most of summer workouts to get his body prepared for the grind of fall camp.

“Markis really transformed his body over the summer,” Dykes said. “He was one of those guys that came in June, he looked good, but probably looked a little heavy in his midsection. You see him a couple weeks later and he looked like a different guy. He really leaned up, added weight, but I think it was good weight.”

Deal’s athleticism was also a pleasant surprise to the coaching staff. Obviously they were aware of his talent, but Deal wasn’t always able to showcase it on the high school level at Naaman Forest in Garland.

“He was a hard player to evaluate because he played pretty much every snap on both sides of the ball,” Dykes said. “He played a lot on the offensive line, the defensive line. Probably about 75% of the snaps in high school he was tired, he was worn out. So it was hard to see how explosive he was at times, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

“I thought he was a good athlete, he was heavily recruited. He has great size and he’s got that snap you want to see. It’s a good starting point, we’ll see if we can string some days together. I was very impressed with what I saw today.”

Like Russell, he has a number of upperclassmen he needs to contend with, but it’s encouraging for the program when the two highest rated signees from the 2023 recruiting class are already turning heads.

Here are a few more tidbits from the open portion of practice:

Quick-hitters

▪ The offensive line experimented with its personnel grouping on Wednesday. Andrew Coker and Brandon Coleman practiced a bit at guard with Michael Nichols and Marcus Williams manning the tackle spots. It was an interesting wrinkle and we’ll see how the unit shifts with practices getting more physical.

▪ At linebacker, Marcel Brooks, Thomas Armstrong and Terrence Cooks Jr. all practiced Tuesday after missing all or most of the 2022 season and spring practice. Dykes says the plan is to bring them along slow, but thinks Armstrong and Brooks could provide value as pass rushers.

▪ During 7-on-7 Namdi Obiazor ran with the first group of linebackers over Shadrach Banks. A former safety it could be a glimpse of how he can bring value to the position as a coverage linebacker. He almost had an interception during 7-on-7.

▪ Transfer receivers Jaylon Robinson and Jack Bech also practiced today after missing the spring with Robinson showcasing that blazing speed that made him so dynamic at UCF.

The Horned Frogs resume practice at 8 a.m. Thursday.