If there’s one position on the TCU football team that needs a leader, it would be linebacker.

The Frogs lost starters Tank Carder and Kris Gardner to graduation last fall and are without would-be starter Tanner Brock, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury but led the team in tackles in 2010. Brock was arrested on Feb. 15 on suspicion of selling drugs.

Luckily, there’s Kenny Cain.

TCU head coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday that Cain, a starter last year who led the team in tackles, has stepped up as a vocal leader on defense through the Frogs’ first few spring practices.

Cain has something not very many TCU linebackers have – experience.

Sophomore Deryck Gildon, listed as a starter on the depth chart, saw some time in a reserve role last year, but the rest of the line-backing corps – Marcus Mallet, Antonio Graves, Danny Heiss, Joel Hasley – didn’t see much game action at the position in 2011.

Still, Patterson, the linebackers and the rest of the young defense are willing to get better – and that makes his job a little easier.

“It’s really a lot of fun to coach this group of kids on defense,” Patterson said Tuesday after the Frogs’ spring practice. “I got a lot of guys that really want to do good. And when you have guys that are trying to do good, then good things happen. I’m excited right now about what’s going on.”

Pachall, Foltz leaders on offense

Patterson said starting guard Blaize Foltz and quarterback Casey Pachall have stepped up as leaders on the offense.

Foltz, who started every game last year, will anchor an offensive line that lost three starters to graduation.

Pachall also started every game in 2011 and broke several of former quarterback Andy Dalton’s single-season records in just his first year on the job.

Patterson said Pachall started to become more vocal of a leader during off-season workouts, and the junior has carried that over into spring practice.

Looking ahead

The Frogs will have today off before returning to the field Thursday and Saturday, Patterson said.

TCU will hold its annual pro day Friday at 9 a.m.

Patterson said Tuesday’s practice was the last day of instruction for his team – now it’s just a matter of fine-tuning what they’ve learned.

“Today was the last teaching day,” Patterson said. “Now, everything that we do, we’ll be getting better at it.”