TCU’s 2027 recruiting class is already deep, with 17 commitments in the fold, and a full slate of them are getting ready to open their senior seasons.
Week 0 brings a busy stretch for the Frog pledges, with several of the high school commitments set to take the field on Friday and a few others lined up for games later in the opening week of the season.
Among the earliest kickoffs is Braylon Deal, whose Naaman Forest team opens Thursday, 8/27, against Fossil Ridge at 7:00pm at Naaman Forest. Friday, 8/28, is loaded with action, starting with Daniel Yebit and Yukon hosting Putnam City at 7:00pm at Putnam City.
Also on Friday night, Kobe Haynes and Whitney face Mart at 7:00pm in Mart, while Drake Carroll and SA Alamo Heights meet SA Pieper at 7:00pm at Pieper HS. Noah Gillespie and Broken Arrow take on Har-Ber at 7:00pm at Broken Arrow, and Colton Steed’s Round Rock squad matches up with Pflugerville Weiss at 7:00pm at Round Rock.
Darrien Neal and Denton Guyer are set for Rockwall Heath at 7:00pm at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex, and Dylan Jaeger’s Round Rock team also draws Pflugerville Weiss at 7:00pm at Round Rock. Caris Sela and Justin Northwest will play FM Marcus at 7:00pm at Marcus HS, while Brice McCurdy and Waco Robinson host Bellville at 7:00pm at Robinson HS.
Hunter Black and Brazos Christian already have a game under their belts at 1-0, and they’ll face Austin Regents, which is 0-0, on Friday, 8/28, at 7:00pm at Brazos Christian.
The schedule stretches into next week for a few more commitments. Landon Johnson and Madison Prep Academy play New Orleans Jesuit on Thursday, 9/3, at 7:00pm at Jesuit. Rontrae Carter and Archbishop Shaw take on Hahnville on Friday, 9/4, at 7:00pm at Archbishop Shaw, and Jewellz Tapp’s John Curtis squad also plays on Friday, 9/4, against North Shore at 7:00pm at John Curtis.
Linkin Apana and Kamehameha, meanwhile, travel to Kapolei on Saturday, 8/29, at 6:00pm. Kamehameha enters at 1-2, while Kapolei is 1-0.
In Other News...
TCU Now Faces A Media Backlash Over Locker Room Fallout
TCUs football program is still dealing with the ripple effects of the locker room incident that led to senior safety Jacob Fields being dismissed for a violation of team rules. The story has drawn attention not just because of the discipline itself, but because it centered on a confrontation involving wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma, who said he was sucker punched by Fields. As the details of the episode have played out publicly, the fallout has extended beyond the roster and into the media room as well.
The university revoked the Fort Worth Star-Telegrams credentials after the papers coverage of the situation, adding another layer to a controversy that is already hanging over the program. Fields agent has said much of the online discussion has been false or speculative, while also noting that Fields respects the universitys decision. Even with the immediate move made, the broader questions around how the episode was reported and handled are still part of the conversation around TCU. [Read more 🡒]
TCU Just Turned A Media Dispute Into A Transparency Fight
TCUs preseason build-up has been overshadowed by a dispute over how the school is handling coverage around an alleged locker room assault that led to a police case filing. The Horned Frogs revoked the media credentials of Fort Worth Star-Telegram beat reporter Steven Johnson, a move that quickly turned a campus football story into a broader conversation about access, reporting and what schools owe the public when serious matters surface around a program.
Johnson said the decision was tied to concerns about threats to the alleged victim, even though his original reporting did not identify the individual. The tension now hangs over a team about to open its season in Ireland against North Carolina, where Johnson still plans to travel, keeping the issue alive as TCU tries to shift attention back to football. [Read more 🡒]
Two Former Horned Frogs Offer A Timely Reminder Of TCU's NFL Pipeline
As TCU begins looking ahead to its 2026 season opener, two familiar names are serving as a useful reminder of what the program has become under the national spotlight. Savion Williams and Kaleb Elarms-Orr both made major impressions in Fort Worth before moving on to the NFL, and each followed a different path to the league. Williams closed out his Horned Frogs career with production as both a receiver and runner, then heard his name called by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Elarms-Orrs road was a little different, arriving at TCU after transferring from California and quickly becoming one of the Big 12s more respected defenders. His 2025 season put him in the conversation for All-Big 12 First Team honors, and the Buffalo Bills later took him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. For TCU, the pair offers a timely snapshot of a roster pipeline that continues to send players from Fort Worth to Sundays, even as the next group prepares to take its turn. [Read more 🡒]