TCU Football: "What Did We Learn" Fall Camp Edition

With the open media portion of football practices closed, here are the main takeaways from the first 14 days of fall camp.

Ken Seals throwing an out route during TCU football practice / Oscar Garcia Photography KillerFrogs/OnAssignment

Last year, during football season, every Sunday, I released my "What Did We Learn" article, detailing the main takeaways from the TCU football game the day before. Well, that article is back, and we are kicking it off this year with a fall camp edition.

This season, 14 fall camp practices were open to the media, and I attended 12 of them, watching the team work and speaking to players and coaches. So, without further ado, let's find out what we learned.

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2024 is a Clean Slate

During last season's fall camp, there was a lot of talk of whether the Frogs could replicate their 2022 success or if they had shaken off the result of the national championship game; well, a 5-7 record supported they didn't. So what changed? The 2024 Frogs were loose; they were having fun again on the field. They aren't worried about "what if." They realize that their success isn't determined by the past but by what they will do in the coming weeks this season.

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The Defense Has Improved

Albeit the bar wasn't tough to get over, the defense has hurdled it. The speed at which they are flying around, or the physicality shown during the team periods of practice, you can see and hear a difference on that side of the ball. With the new style of defense under Andy Avalos, the four-man front has excelled at pass rushing, freeing up the talented linebacker room to be a disruptive force and allowing Bud Clark to be the playmaker he should be rather than a safety net.

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The Offensive Line is the Anchor of this Team

What I mean by this is that this team will only go as far as this position group decides. This isn't because of a lack of talent, but more so that four out of the starting five could be guys who just transferred into TCU (Harris, Brockermeyer, Bruno, Deery). As camp progressed, this unit got better with more and more reps, and they became familiar with how the person next to them performed. There is no doubt this group could be spectacular by season end; it will just be vital that they perform well together in week one rather than waiting until week four for things to click.

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However, the main thing Frog fans should take away from this fall camp, which I find myself struggling with at times, is this is the 2024 team. This isn't the 2022 team that made a national championship or the 2023 team that missed bowl eligibility.

It's a new season, with new players, coaches, and a new slate, but they represent the same familiar TCU logo fans are used to seeing. They are ready to play in front of a big Fort Worth crowd. The question now is, will Fort Worth be there to support them?

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