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TCU football 2023 preview: Record prediction, breakout candidates, bowl game

By Andrew Tineo

BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Chandler Morris #2 of the TCU Horned Frogs communicates with running back Kendre Miller #33 in the first half of a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 2, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 2: Quarterback Chandler Morris #2 of the TCU Horned Frogs communicates with running back Kendre Miller #33 in the first half of a game against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 2, 2022 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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TCU Football
Apr 14, 2023; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver JoJo Earle (11) in action during the TCU Spring Game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports /

TCU football: 3 breakout candidates for the 2023 season

JoJo Earle, Wide Receiver

The Fort Worth native made his way home this past off-season after two years of being among the best wide receiving corps in college football at Alabama.

What will begin a trend of this section, Earle has stumbled with injuries in his young career, missing five games last year, due to injury and playing minimally as a freshman. He was mentioned on the Freshman All-SEC list as a return specialist.

His agility and twitch movements make him an easy player to see line up in the slot or send in motion for quick jet sweeps. Earle also has the route running to take the top off a secondary.

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCFB/status/1576317420893003777?s=20

In a room filled with uncertainty and homegrown talent lacking experience, Earle can become a starter by the time TCU takes the field for the first time in 2023.

Trey Sanders, Running Back

The former No.1 ranked running back recruit in the 2019 class is expected to fill in Kendre Miller’s void as being one of the top ball carriers in 2023.

Sanders spent his first two seasons on the sideline, hampered with injuries. While on the field, he was consistent, with a total of over 500 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons.

While Emani Bailey is the home-run hitter out of the backfield, Sanders will complement the veteran as an all-purpose back, with more emphasis on being used as a receiving back.

He has a chance with TCU to showcase the reason why he was the top running back in his recruiting class.

Marcel Brooks, Linebacker

Brooks has just about done it all in his first four seasons of college football, beginning with LSU back in 2020. After spending a year there and converting from safety to linebacker, he spent 2021 as a wide receiver for the Horned Frogs.

2022 was a stressful year for the former Five-star recruit, being out for the first three games, then suffering a season-ending injury halfway into the season.

In and out of playing time, Brooks is eyeing stability and this season offers the best opportunity for it.

Although the playing time has been very sparse, Brooks high-end talent can not be denied. His biggest hurdle will be health. If so, he can supply high-end depth along the trenches, a unit that took a toll this off-season.

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