The hires of Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie transformed TCU football back in 2014. The combination of Meacham’s Air Raid install and Cumbie’s QB training developed Trevone Boykin into arguably the best player in the Big 12 and fueled a 23-3 run over 2014 and 2015 that have been the high water mark for Patterson’s program since joining the Big 12.
Then they had to replace Trevone Boykin with Kenny Hill and things went down the pipe with a 6-7 finish this past season. Now Doug Meacham is moving on to…Kansas? The same guy who turned down offers at Texas A&M or to run North Texas a year ago?
Life comes at you quick.
This also came not too long after Foster Sawyer, a pocket passer, determined to transfer out of the program, evidently to Stephen F. Austin. Additionally, as I’ve already noted in my first glance at the 2017 season, TCU will be welcoming early enrollee Shawn Robinson this spring.
TCU was at their best when Boykin was adding an extra dimension to their offense with his legs and when Hill was supplementing the TCU run game with QB option plays or straight single wing stuff in the red zone. Whenever Shawn Robinson takes over the offense this will all be true to an even greater extent.
Given the salary cut and decline in position that accompanies taking over at Kansas after being at TCU, I think we can sketch out a pretty likely account of what happened here. Now obviously this is speculation:
- Gary Patterson wants to build more around the QB run game both to make the most of the talent on campus (or soon to be on campus) and perhaps to protect his defense.
- Patterson determined to either demote the more Air Raid inclined Meacham for Cumbie or else de-emphasize the passing game in service of the run, leading Meacham to leave.
If I’m right we’ll see TCU make hires at WR coach and OL coach that suggest a more run-centric approach to offense and either Kenny Hill will run the ball more next year or else Shawn Robinson will take over as a freshman.
When you land a kid with the kind of athletic talent of Robinson at a place like TCU, you gotta push all your chips in and make the most of it. I believe that’s what Gary Patterson is doing here.
It’s time to get TCU back on track:
As for Kansas, this can only be helpful.