This week we’ve begun examining the strongest and weakest positions on each Big 12 team heading into summer workouts and preseason camp.
We continue the series with TCU:
Strongest position: Linebacker
The silver lining to last year's rash of injuries to several Horned Frogs is that TCU has a chance to field one of its top defenses in years. Nowhere is that more the case than at linebacker.
After Sammy Douglas was lost for the season due to an injury suffered in the opener, the Horned Frogs were basically wiped out at linebacker one game into the season. That forced Travin Howard, Montrel Wilson and Ty Summers into the lineup at linebacker quicker than anyone could've imagined. Wilson actually had to slide down from safety while learning his new position on the fly.
The results were mixed, unsurprisingly, at first. But as the season wore on, this group developed into one of the better linebacking corps in the league. Now with Douglas back healthy again to flank them, TCU could boast the best four-man rotation at linebacker in the entire Big 12.
Weakest position: Cornerback
Cornerback remains one of the few question marks on this defensive lineup going into the fall. One reason is the season-ending offseason injury to Julius Lewis, who was one of the budding standouts on the TCU defense. The only other real experienced player at the position is Ranthony Texada, who himself is coming back from a year-ending knee injury.
The Horned Frogs were encouraged by what they saw out of redshirt freshman Jeff Gladney, who was one of the stars of the spring and has probably nailed down one of the starting spots. DeShawn Raymond is also a former four-star signee, and safety Nick Orr can slide over to corner in a pinch.
This, however, will be a position worth watching, in a league in which the cornerback spot is paramount.