At TCU’s football media day, Chucky Hunter, a TCU defensive lineman and speculated 2014 draft selection, wanted to assure fans that he’s not going anywhere.
“The reason I came to college is to get a degree,” the junior told TCU 360. “I will get my degree in two years, so I will stay. I’m really not worried about leaving early.”
In 2012, Hunter had 36 tackles, with six for a loss. He also had 3.5 sacks on the season, as he was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team. He is the projected 2013 starting defensive tackle, opposite Davion Pierson.
“I’m worried about getting better, doing good in school, and being good for my teammates,” Hunter added. “I’m not a selfish person. It’s all about [the] team for me.”
TCU opened fall camp Wednesday with compliance and team meetings, along with some select media appearances. The first practice of the season will be Thursday, Aug. 1, at 4 p.m.
Here are some other quick hits and highlights from TCU’s media day:
There will be a quarterback
Gary Patterson again said that while TCU has two capable quarterbacks, he will not use Trevone Boykin and Casey Pachall for a 50-50 split. He said that whoever impresses him the most in fall camp will be the starting quarterback for the season.
Patterson said that if the two players were equal at the end of the preseason camp, he would pick the older player, implying that Pachall would get the starting job if he was at an equal ground with Boykin.
While Pachall spoke to the media for the first time in almost a year, Boykin said in an interview that he is focused on playing quarterback in the fall. He said he does not want to consider playing as a specialty player or as a wildcat quarterback.
“I ultimately picture myself as a quarterback. That’s it,” Boykin said.
Boykin said there were a number of receivers who were improving, but no one specific player is standing out as the go-to receiver.
Boykin praised David Porter’s leadership and said he’s been amazed by Ju’Juan Story’s athletic abilities. Boykin said at his last check, Story was squatting at more than 600 pounds and bench pressing 400 pounds.
Workload splits at running back
B.J. Catalon, the running back available for TCU’s media day, said he thought Aaron Green will “fit perfectly” with the team’s running backs and that as a whole, TCU’s running backs mesh together better than before. Catalon, who rushed for 582 yards last season for the Horned Frogs while being named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, said he wants to contribute however he can.
Catalon said he did not know how incoming freshmen Kyle Hicks and Trevorris Johnson will play in with the rotation during the season. He said he had been personally impressed with the duo’s summer workouts, but said he expects to know more about their playing time during fall camp.
Twitter games
Patterson said that he uses his twitter account for three purposes: To follow and message recruits, to stay in touch with fans on a personal level and keep tabs on his players. Patterson said in the time that he has been on Twitter, he has noticed better self-regulation by his players on social media.
He also said Twitter has allowed a national audience to know about the real Gary Patterson, and not just the "Coach P" who intensely commands football games from the sidelines.
In response to his Twitter habits, Patterson said that he’s a massive fan of the handle @Earth_Pics, which tweets landscapes and exotic locations.
“It’s my way where I wish I about where I would like to go to on vacation, since I never get a chance to go to,” he said. “I can also post funny things on it. I think the one with the polar bear yesterday was great.”
After the press conferences, Patterson said in a one-on-one interview that he doesn’t plan to be tweeting as much during the season. Instead, he will have his wife, Kelsey, monitor his mentions and interactions, while Patterson plans to respond to fans on Thursdays.
“I’m paid to be a football coach, not a blogger,” Patterson said, laughing.
