TCU football insider: Horned Frogs’ depth at cornerback takes a hit

TCU’s cornerback room took a hit over the weekend with two potentially serious injuries to key contributors.

Projected starter Avery Helm missed Sunday’s practice with an undisclosed injury he suffered Saturday, and there’s worry among sources that the Florida transfer could miss significant time.

Helm started all 11 games he appeared in last season and finished second on the team in deflections with five. His best performance came against BYU when he forced a sack and a fumble in the dominating 44-11 win over the Cougars.

Helm earned praised from head coach Sonny Dykes earlier in the week for his improved leadership and impact on the field.

“Avery Helm is like a different person,” Dykes said. “He’s got confidence, he’s got maturity. He’s just got the stuff that the great ones have. ... You got to have a confidence and believe in yourself. Avery has learned that, so I’m anxious to see all this stuff play out. I love the length, I love the competition there.”

To make matters worse, promising sophomore cornerback Vernon Glover was carted off the field Sunday after suffering a lower-body injury during 1-on-1s. During a rep, Glover shadowed a receiver and once the receiver went down, Glover’s leg buckled while trying avoid him on the ground.

He had to limp off the field before being looked at in the medical tent. A three-star recruit in the Class of 2023, Glover played in 10 games with five tackles and his first interception against Nicholls State. Glover seemed to have taken a jump in the spring and was featured in TCU’s dime defense package.

Glover got extensive action with the second team during the first five practices, but now he could also miss significant time if the injury is as bad as it appeared. An update could come at Dykes’ news conference Monday after practice No. 6.

Depending on the severity of the injuries, the Horned Frogs could be down to JaTravis Broughton, LaMareon James, Channing Canada, Jevon McIver Jr. and true freshmen Julian Knox and Devondre McGee.

Broughton and James have been two of the standouts during training camp, so the Horned Frogs should be optimistic that one of them can fill Helm’s spot for as long as needed. Canada appeared in 12 games with a start against Oklahoma last season, but so far has had an up-and-down camp with some struggles during 1-on-1s.

McIver could be an intriguing option after being an All-Conference selection at Austin Peay last season. The junior corner had a highlight tackle during Sunday’s team portion of practice.

While TCU has good options to replace the injured players, another corner getting banged up could put the Horned Frogs in a tough position before the season opener at Stanford on Friday, Aug. 30.