One thing is clear as TCU nears the end of its second week of fall camp: high school classmates Jalen Reagor and Kennedy Snell are shining for the Horned Frogs’ offense.
“Snell and Reagor are two Waxahachie guys that have had an unbelievable two weeks,” Patterson said. “They don’t seem to get tired, which is a tribute to the way they practice at Waxahachie. They are used to this kind of rigor and how we do things.”
Reagor, a 5-11, 185 pound receiver, was TCU’s highest rated signee of all time, ranked as the No. 97 player in the 2017 class by 247 Sports composite rankings. As a senior at Waxahachie, Reagor caught 50 passes for 967 yards and 14 touchdowns over 10 games. He finished the season with more than 1400 all-purpose yards for the Indians, and he has lived up to the hype early in fall camp.
“We’re only two weeks in, but he’s really competing on one side with Jaelan Austin and Isaiah [Graham],” Patterson said.
Reagor’s dad, Montae, played defensive line for Texas Tech in the late 1990s before going on to play nine seasons in the NFL with three different teams. Patterson said that the freshman’s strong showing early in camp and never-back-down attitude come from being raised by a defensive player.
“That’s why, I think, Jalen is the way he is,” Patterson said. “He’s an offensive guy that’s been raised with a defensive mentality, so there’s the difference.”
Reagor should see significant playing time early, whether he wins a starting job or not. TCU’s air-raid offense requires receivers to rotate in and out often, meaning Reagor could make an immediate impact.
Snell, a 5-8, 170 pound running back, was much lower ranked than Reagor coming out of Waxahachie. Snell did not even crack the top 600 players in the 247 Sports composite rankings, but he too has stood out quickly at fall camp. With Kyle Hicks seeing some time off during practices, and with Sewo Olonilua’s leg injury sidelining him for the time being, Darius Anderson is the only returning running back seeing full-time reps. Snell has had to step up to fill a void left in the backfield.
“A guy that has saved us is Snell,” Patterson said. “He’s playing running back, he’s doing all of that. He’s a 10.3 100-meter guy, so it makes him a mismatch for linebackers, and he’s not scared to run inside.”
The speed Patterson mentioned allowed Snell to rush for 669 yards on 47 carries for a 14.2 yard per carry average as a senior in high school. He caught 19 balls for 339 yards and averaged 42.4 yards per kickoff return. The versatility might remind some of junior wide receiver KaVontae Turpin, but Patterson said the two do not compare because they play different positions. With that said, Turpin and Snell have the ability to be a premier kick return duo, and they will both provide the offense with elite speed.
Snell is sure to provide depth in the backfield while also adding versatility on offense, though Patterson would not comment on his exact role to avoid opponents being able to prepare for him.
TCU fans will get their first chance to see Reagor and Snell in TCU purple Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. against Jackson State in Fort Worth, and there’s reason to be excited.
“You know me, I wouldn’t have said anything positive about them if I didn’t think they had good practices,” Patterson said. “They haven’t backed down from anything so far here.”
