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TCU to visit Alabama to analyze the Tide's recruiting practices
TCU is heading east for some recruiting pointers.
Coach Gary Patterson and his staff are heading to Alabama when spring practice concludes to see how Alabama has been so successful in recent years on the recruiting trail.
“We want to see some things recruiting-wise, how they do things,” Patterson said via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “You don’t just learn Xs and Os from people. You’re trying to learn things on a lot of different levels.”
In return, Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin and his father have been looking at the characteristics of the uptempo offense TCU installed for 2014 with great success (Yes, we still remember Nick Saban's comments about tempo and player safety). The Horned Frogs only lost to Baylor en route to a 12-1 season.
“I need to grow analysts,” Patterson said. “You’ve got to have people who can help you find out about recruits faster. That’s somebody that’s won championships, that’s always had the No. 1, 2, 3 recruiting class.”
It's a win-win for both programs, especially TCU. While the Horned Frogs were fourth in the Big 12 in Rivals' 2015 recruiting rankings, TCU was 34th in the country. While Alabama officially lost the 2015 recruiting title to USC per Rivals, it wasn't by much, if any at all.
WIth Sonny Cumbie and Doug Meacham, both savants of uptempo offenses, TCU was fifth in the country in total offense in 2014. The year before (which necessitated the offensive style change), the Horned Frogs were 108th. Imagine how potent the offense could be with higher-level recruits and another couple years of fine-tuning?
For more TCU news, visit PurpleMenace.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
