What effect will TCU joining the Big East have on the landscape of the recruiting scene both for the Horned Frogs and other Big East schools?
It depends on which high school coach you ask.
One school of thought is that TCU rarely recruits outside of the greater Texas area, and entering the Big East will do little to change that.
So far, the Horned Frogs have received verbal commitments from 18 players in the class of 2011, 14 are from the Lone Star State, three from neighboring Oklahoma and one from Kansas.
Some prep coaches in traditional Big East territory don't anticipate that changing very much.
"I don't think it makes a difference one way or another," said Bill Tierney, an assistant coach who handles recruiting at
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), a program which has sent players to several top conferences in recent years.
Bosco's Gary Nova is staying near
home to play at Pitt in 2011.
File photo by Mitchell Reibel
The Ironmen, who won a mythical national championship in 2009, are sending quarterback
Gary Nova to Pitt next year, and have a host of underclassmen who will be Division I recruits.
"TCU is a great program," Tierney said. "But it didn't even raise an eyebrow here, because I don't think they're going to recruit here."
Most Division I programs in Texas focus efforts on recruiting locally, and for good reason.
From the Class of 2010, Texas produced a staggering 247 Division I recruits, almost as many as hotbeds Florida (159) and California (110) combined. As such, there may not be a need for TCU to redirect its resources to the Northeast.
However, not everyone agrees. Some coaches in the area think TCU will soon be able to recruit nationally.
"I think it's going to have a big effect on the Big East and recruiting in this area," said
St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) head coach Rich Hansen, who has three national recruits from the current class.
He envisions a scenario where TCU has the ability to win the Big East every season, earn an automatic BCS bid, and, with an heightened national profile, begin to target top-level recruits outside its home state, and even region.
"I think it's automatically going to open the door for them on elite players in the Northeast because they'll be playing in the area and have a shot to get to a BCS game," he said.
Hansen also said that it provides a great option for recruits from states like New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who may want to leave the area and explore a new climate, while still being able to play in front of friends and family back home.
"I think it creates another option for the elite player," Hansen said. "The regular player is different. I guarantee in the next few years, you'll see some East Coast guys going there."
Timber Creek Regional (Erial, N.J.) head coach Rob Hinson, who has one player committed to a Big East school and another to a SEC school, also sees an opportunity for TCU to carve out a niche with recruits from Big East territory if the school decides to target players from that area.
Damiere Byrd did not receive an offer
from TCU.
Photo by Tom Lemming
"They're more of an enigma to the recruits who want to go west and still have an opportunity to play on the East Coast," he said. "They're gonna benefit more than the East Coast coaches who are already here, and everyone already knows what they're about."
Still, it remains to be seen if TCU even intends to expand its recruiting wings, something it has been reluctant to do in the past.
Hinson said that he spoke at length with TCU coaches about his senior receiver
Damiere Byrd. Hinson thought that with Byrd's elite speed and versatility, he could flourish in the Horned Frogs' spread offense.
However, TCU never offered Byrd, and he committed to South Carolina in October.
Verbal commitments are not binding and nothing is official until players sign a letter of intent. The signing period for this class begins Feb. 2.
Last year, the Horned Frogs signed only two players from outside of Texas, and they were from Louisiana and Florida.
"If there was a player that was a better fit for TCU than Damiere, I'd like to see him," Hinson said.
Stephen Spiewak is a senior writer and national football editor at MaxPreps.com. E-mail him at sspiewak@maxpreps.com.
