There are few things you can count on in the topsy-turvy Big 12 but seemingly two stalwarts are Oklahoma being a title contender and TCU having a good defense. While the latter may still hold true this season, head coach Gary Patterson will have to get his group ready to go in 2019 without a veteran leader.
The school confirmed earlier this week that fifth-year senior linebacker Montrel Wilson was no longer on the team, with the defender electing to walk away for unspecified reasons.
“I don’t think he’s coming back,” Patterson said after practice, according to the Dallas Morning News. “He’s a great kid with NFL-type ability. He’s got to figure it out himself. I wish him the best. He should graduate at the end of the semester and go about his business.”
Wilson was not expected to be a starter this fall but was being counted on to provide a veteran’s presence for a young linebacking corps. Injuries had knocked him out of the lineup each of the past three years after he made seven starts as a true freshman — a feat not easily accomplished in Patterson’s complex defense.
The departure leaves the Horned Frogs pretty young and green behind expected starter Garrett Wallow, with a host of sophomores and freshmen rotating in for the team. TCU opens their season on Aug. 31 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff.