Defensive Tackle Is the Missing Piece in TCU's Recruiting Class

While the TCU Horned Frogs' 2016 recruiting class is currently ranked higher than that of any other in school history, the team still has one major need to address: defensive tackle.

The Horned Frogs’ class is No. 18 in the country, according to 247Sports composite rankings. The group boasts multiple receivers, running backs, defensive ends and defensive backs. At defensive tackle, however, they have only one commit.

The Frogs need to add depth at the position. With the departure of senior Davion Pierson, the Frogs will have just five DTs on the roster for spring practice. Two of them–Aaron Curry and Tevin Lawson–have only one year of eligibility remaining.

Controlling the line of scrimmage is critical when trying to slow down the high-octane offenses of the Big 12. The interior of the line is key to making that happen.

When TCU led the conference in total defense in 2014, it was due largely to the play of Pierson and fellow DT Chucky Hunter. That year, they combined for 67 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, according to Sports-Reference.com.

Hunter graduated after the 2014 season, and Pierson is gone as well, so this season will be the first since 2011 that neither of those players is present along TCU's line. If the Horned Frogs want to perform at the level that head coach Gary Patterson wants defensively, they’ll need talent to fill that void.

The Frogs also rely heavily on a rotation along the defensive line. They substitute regularly to keep players from becoming exhausted by the pace of teams like Baylor and Oklahoma. They need more DTs for depth to make those rotations consistent. Curry and Chris Bradley got significant snaps this season, and Joseph Broadnax saw playing time as a freshman. But in the fourth quarter on the road against Baylor in November, TCU will want to be able to play more than just three or four DTs.

So where do the Frogs get that depth? It starts with the DT they already have committed—Ross Blacklock. A highly regarded prospect, Blacklock is a 4-star DT from Missouri City, Texas. He committed to TCU at the Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 9.

At 6'4" and over 300 pounds, he has the frame to compete for significant snaps this year. But the Frogs still need another big body at the position, and one of their primary targets remaining for 2016 is D’Andre Christmas-Giles. The 4-star prospect has TCU in his final three along with Texas and LSU. He has taken official visits to all three schools.

According to Rod Walker of the Advocate, Christmas-Giles had 49 tackles and five sacks as a senior at St. Augustine High School. He was named co-defensive player of the year in the New Orleans Catholic League.

Patterson is not hesitant about putting freshmen on the field if they're ready to play. KaVontae Turpin went from a relative unknown in last year's recruiting class to the Frogs' second best receiver as a true freshman.

Christmas-Giles and Blacklock would get the chance early to show what they can do. The hope would be to begin grooming them to be TCU's next duo to solidify the defensive line for years. Getting Christmas-Giles would not only fulfill the Frogs’ biggest remaining need, but he also would become the top-rated player in an already historic class for TCU. 

Rivals ranks him as the No. 83 player in the country. That would make him the highest-ranked player to sign with the Frogs since LaDarius Brown in 2011.

TCU will celebrate this year’s class no matter what. It will be the first top-25 recruiting class under Patterson. But landing another DT like Christmas-Giles would make that celebration even sweeter.