TCU Signs 17 To National Letters of Intent
2/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 6, 2002
The TCU Horned Frogs signed 17 high school seniors to national letters of intent to play football, Gary Patterson announced today.
"With only ten seniors graduating and having depth returning at nearly every position, the 2002 TCU recruiting class is one built on athleticism and size, not necessarily by conventional position-specific needs." Patterson said. "We have been highly successful in our system when we have been great at quarterback, running back and on the defensive line. This class will fulfill those needs and more. When you add the talent that we've brought in to those key positions, along with three big, athletic bodies at the linebacker and tight end positions and add in several talented skill athletes who have the speed and ability to play several positions, the makeup of this class is very good. When you add it all up, in our opinion, it represents a class that rivals our top 20 class of two years ago.
"The move to Conference USA has had a positive effect on our recruiting efforts. The national television exposure that we've received, along with the bowl tie-ins, has been a key for us."
Here is a complete list of the players who committed to TCU today:
Earl Anderson, DL, 6-3, 283, San Marcos, Texas (High)
Cat-like quick defensive lineman... a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's State Top 100 list, ranked as high as the 24th best player in the state of Texas... lettered three times in both football and basketball at San Marcos High... was a three-year all-district performer... earned honorable mention all-state honors as a junior and received second team all-state accolades as a senior... named to the All-Centex team each of his final two seasons... recorded 136 career tackles, including 12.5 sacks... also earned all-district and honorable mention all-state honors in basketball... averaged 10 points and 10 rebounds per game on the hardwood... ranked by Rivals100.com as the 20th best defensive tackle in the country... has 4.8 speed in the 40... high school coach was Bruce Bush... committed to Texas in the summer before selecting TCU.
Chad Andrus, TE, 6-4, 220, Keller, Texas (High)
Caught 23 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns as a senior tight end at Keller High... had 19 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns as a junior... lettered twice in football for coach Ken Mizell... earned 5-5A all-district honors and All-Northeast Tarrant County as both a junior and senior... named the team's offensive MVP as a junior and was selected team captain as a senior... regarded as one of the top five tight ends in the state of Texas... was a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's State 100 list... was the MVP tight end at the 7-on-7 state tournament... also lettered in power lifting... has been clocked at 4.9 in the 40-yard dash... full name is Chad Christian Andrus... born January 23, 1984... parents names are Daniel and Debra Andrus... was an honor roll student throughout his prep career... member of FCA... nominated by his peers for Man of the Year honors... selected TCU over Wisconsin, Air Force and Baylor.
Jeff Ballard, QB, 6-1, 195, Friendswood, Texas (High)
One of the top passers in the Greater Houston area... was a pre-season candidate for the Offensive Player of the Year honors presented by the Houston Touchdown Club... led his Friendswood team to a 12-1 record as a senior and a 22-2 mark as a two-year starter... helped his team to a pair of District 23-4A titles... threw for 9,224 yards and rushed for 579 while totaling 65 touchdowns during his career... named to the AP and Texas Sports Writers all-state teams... earned first team all-district honors in both 2000 and 2001... was the District 23-4A MVP and Galveston County Player of the Year in 2001... lettered three times in football and twice in basketball... coached by Steve Van Meter... timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.7 seconds... Jeffrey Giles Ballard was born November 4, 1983... parents names are Kent and Janet Ballard... interested in a business degree... looked at Iowa State, Kansas and Arizona State before deciding on TCU.
Maurice Bouldwin, TE, 6-4, 262, LaGrange, Texas (High)
Earned all-district and all-Tri-County honors at LaGrange High... named to the Texas Sportswriters first team all-state squad and earned honorable mention all-state accolades from the AP... helped LaGrange to the state title as a junior and a runner-up finish as a senior... also earned second team all-district honors in basketball as a junior and was the district champion in the discus, with a best mark of 152 feet... was a member of the LaGrange student council and a member of Young Life... was a teammate of Horned Frogs quarterback Tye Gunn... selected TCU over Houston, Baylor, Arizona and Oklahoma State.
Eric Buchanan, DB, 5-10, 190, Glen Heights, Texas (DeSoto)
Earned area all-star and all-district recognition at DeSoto High... listed among Rivals.com's top 100 defensive backs... was a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Area 75 list... played for coach Dave Meadows... Eric Arness Buchanan was born April 11, 1984... parents names are Cathy Washington and Bill McCoy... committed to Syracuse and turned down Oklahoma State before signing with the Horned Frogs.
Michael DePriest, WR, 6-2, 175, Fossil Ridge, Texas (High)
Finished his senior season with 53 catches for 1,131 yards and 13 touchdowns for Fossil Ridge High... was a unanimous first team all-district selection... named to the Texas Sportswriters third team all-state squad and was a Texas HS.com first team all-state selection... named to the second team all-area offense by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and second-team Northeast Tarrant County... played for coach Gary Olivo... caught 18 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns as a junior... lettered twice in football, twice in basketball and three times in track... was a regional qualifier in five events in track... has recorded a 4.47 40-yard dash... ranked in the state's top 100 by the Dallas Morning News... was a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Area 75 list and listed on Max Emfinger's All-America team... Michael Darrell DePriest was born July 2, 1984... mother's name is Debbie Davis... selected TCU over BYU, Purdue, North Texas, Houston and UTEP.
Elvis Gallegos, DB, 6-1, 175, North Richland Hills, Texas (Richland)
Played several positions as a prep, including quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back... earned all-district honors at wide receiver as a sophomore and junior and at quarterback as a senior... named All-Northeast Tarrant County as a junior defensive back... was the Team MVP for wide receivers in 1999 and 2000 and the Team MVP for running backs in 2001... set three school records - passing efficiency, touchdown passes in a season and touchdown passes in a game... completed 99-of-164 (60.4 percent) for 1,700 yards and 18 touchdowns, rushed for 550 yards and six touchdowns and caught 44 passes for 720 yards and seven TD's during his career... also intercepted seven passes... named the state 7-on-7 tourney's MVP two-way player... a member of the Dallas Morning News State Top 100 list and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Area Top 75... runs a 4.45 40-yard dash... played for coach Leo Brittain... lettered three times in football and three times in baseball... was an all-district first baseman as a sophomore and an all-district centerfielder as a junior... Elvis Gleen Gallegos was born September 19, 1983... enjoys playing ping pong, pool and table soccer... selected TCU over Alabama.
Quentily Harmon, WR/DB, 6-0, 170, Jacksonville, Texas (High)
Played wide receiver and defensive back at Jacksonville High... caught 50 passes for 965 yards as a senior... also intercepted 10 passes after picking off seven passes as a junior... registered 40 tackles in his final prep campaign... returned one kickoff for a touchdown and blocked a pair of punts... lettered twice in football and once in basketball... earned all-state and All-East Texas honors as a senior... became the first player to be voted to both the first team offense and the first team defense on the All-East Texas squad... earned district MVP honors as a senior and was a second team all-district selection as a junior... Quentily Harmon, Jr. was born January 13, 1984... parents names are Quentily and Vickie Harmon... interested in a degree in education... first name pronounced "QUIN-lee"... chose TCU over Houston and Iowa.
Matt Hines, LB, 6-3, 230, Irving, Texas (Nimitz)
A rugged, big-hitting linebacker that has the ability to make big plays all over the field... did not play as a senior after suffering a hairline fracture in one of his vetebrae during the first week of varsity practice in the summer before his final prep season... was a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Area 75 list... earned all-district and all-city honors as a junior... led Nimitz with 125 tackles in 2000, ranking among the top three in the district... also recorded four sacks, three fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown, and produced three games of 15 or more tackles... played for longtime Nimitz coach Mike Farda, lettering three times... has run a 4.65 40-yard dash... Matthew R. Hines was born April 30, 1984... one of the earliest commitments, picking the Frogs in August... interested in a business degree... enjoys hunting and fishing... Purdue, Tulane, Kansas and Colorado were among the schools that showed the most interest.
Lonta Hobbs, RB, 6-0, 210, Clarksville, Texas (High)
Just fell short of the 1,000 yard mark for the second straight year as a senior at Clarksville High... gained 983 yards rushing as a senior after logging 997 yards and 10 touchdowns in just nine games as a junior... has run a 4.47 40-yard dash... earned all-district honors as both a junior and senior... played for coach Mike Walsh... lettered four times in football, four times in basketball, twice in track and once each in baseball and tennis... averaged 22.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per game as a junior on the hardwood, earning all-state honors... Lonta Dominque Hobbs was born November 19, 1983... mother's name is Angelia Perry... interested in a business administration degree... was a member of the distinguished honor roll... selected TCU over Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UCLA.
Terence James, FB/DE, 6-2, 260, Queen City, Texas (High)
Played both fullback and defensive end during his prep career at Queen City High School... gained 635 yards as a junior and 1,027 yards as a senior... head coach was John Ivy... lettered in power-lifting along with football... placed ninth in the state powerlifting competition as a sophomore... full named is Terence Roger James... born November 29, 1983... was the vice president of his class during his freshman and sophomore years and was the senior class president... also is the president of the Queen City FFA and the district FFA, which covers 25 schools... interested in computer system analysis... enjoys fishing and hunting... selected TCU over Baylor and Arkansas.
Reggie La'Mothe, FB, 6-1, 230, Channelview, Texas (High)
Starred on both sides of the ball at fullback and at middle linebacker for Channelview... recorded 885 yards and six touchdowns while totaling 43 tackles including seven for loss as a junior... started at middle linebacker as a sophomore... named to the All-District 23-4A team at fullback in 2000... also participates in track and powerlifting and has played basketball... runs a 4.74 40-yard dash... ranked as the #31 fullback prospect in the nation and #3 in the state of Texas by AllianceSports.com... played for head football coach Harry McCluskey... parents names are Reginald Washington and Freda La'Mothe... interested in a computer engineering degree... enjoys weightlifting and video games... also considered Houston, SMU, UTEP and Kentucky.
Robert Merrill, RB, 5-11, 195, San Antonio, Texas (Taft)
Rushed for 2,891 yards as a senior with 39 touchdowns, including more than 200 yards in the Class 5A state semifinal... also logged 192 receiving yards and returned 17 kickoffs for 455 yards, an average of 26.8 yards per return... led Taft to the Division I state championship game... selected to the 23-member 2001 Old Spice Red Zone Lone Star All-Star team by Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine... earned all-district, all-city and all-state Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors... posted 4,201 career rushing yards and 52 touchdowns... rated the ninth best back in the nation and second in the state of Texas by Rivals.com... high school coach was Lee Bridges... lettered four times in track and three times in football... runs a 4.5 40-yard dash... full name is Robert Edward Merrill III... born January 17, 1983... parents names are Edwin and Lydia North... interested in culinary arts and zoology... would like to own his own restaurant or a pet store... enjoys raising aquatic animals such as turtles and enjoys taking care of snakes... is a cousin of former University of Texas standout, Wane McGarity, who played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints... selected TCU over Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Colorado.
Jared Retkofsky, DL, 6-5, 225, Justin, Texas (Northwest)
Played fullback for coach Terry Goode at Northwest High... earned three letters in football, four in track and one in powerlifting... named team captain and Most Valuable Offensive Player as a senior... earned first team all-district and all-county honors in both 2000 and 2001... gained 1,168 yards rushing as a senior after collecting 976 yards on the ground as a junior... was a member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Area 75 list... also named his school's MVP in track after competing in the 400 meters and long jump... Jared Michael Retkofsky was born March 16, 1983... guardians names are Eric and Kelley Dennis... is a member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)... interested in studying law enforcement or possibly coaching... selected TCU over Iowa State and North Texas.
Cory Rodgers, QB/Athlete, 6-1, 185, Fort Bend, Texas (Hightower)
Was a dual threat quarterback at Hightower High... responsible for 62 touchdowns (37 passing and 25 rushing) and over 5,000 yards of offense in his final two campaigns... was a pre-season all-state selection... earned all-district honors as both a junior and senior... listed among the Texas Prep Top 100... first name is Dacor... selected TCU over Syracuse, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Tulsa, Arizona State, LSU and Arkansas.
Herbert Taylor II, OL/ATH, 6-4, 245, Sugar Land, Texas (Hightower)
The lone offensive lineman to commit to TCU... could also get a look at tight end... owns a 5.1 time in the 40-yard dash... turned down offers from Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Kansas.
Jarrarcea Williams, RB/DL, 5-11, 292, Shreveport, Louisiana (Evangel Christian)
Only recruit to come to TCU this year from outside the state borders... "J-Dub" was athletic enough at 5-11 and nearly 300 pounds to play tailback for Evangel Christian... played for coach John Booty... was a pre-season All-America candidate... recorded 900 yards rushing on 119 carries, scoring 17 touchdowns as a senior... earned All-Shreveport honors as a junior... lettered four times in football, three times in basketball, and once in track... Jarrarcea DeWayne Williams was born May 12, 1984... interested in a sports broadcasting degree... selected TCU over Virginia.
