Kevin Jairaj – USA TODAY SPORTS
Several reports have surfaced during the course of the day today, that former TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Casey Pachall will be allowed to return to the team by head coach Gary Patterson given that he succeeded in seeing the course of an outpatient rehabilitation treatment program to which he was ordered following a DUI arrest in October.
It was assumed this would happen, but nonetheless, creates an interesting dynamic in the quarterback race in Fort Worth. While Pachall is undoubtedly the more traditional quarterback when compared with redshirt freshman Trevone Boykin who saw the majority of the snaps in 2012, Boykin did a solid job doing what he could do — running the football and leading his team — and it can’t quickly be assumed that Pachall will instantly be given the starting nod without having to re-earn the job.
The bigger question is, however, will Boykin stick around to be a part of this competition if there is a reasonable chance he could be relegated back to being a backup after being a starter for a full season?
This decision for Boykin will largely depend on how he feels that he matches up against the quarterbacks TCU has coming to campus in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 arrival is Zach Allen, a 6’2″ 185 pound pocket passer from Temple, Texas, much in the mold of Pachall. The primary target for the 2014 class is dual-threat Caisson Montieth, a 6’1″, 185 pound three-star signal caller from Comanche, Texas.
How Boykin reacts to the news of Casey Pachall’s return will tell a great deal about his character and his commitment to TCU. Plenty of quarterbacks in similar situations have chosen to move on to greener pastures because of their desire to continue as a starter once they have had that experience.
This is still just as possible for Boykin, or, on the flipside, he could decide that competing with Pachall who has the edge on experience but may be plenty rusty after a long period away from the field, may be worth his time and the effort.
None of us will know until spring practice rolls around.
Apart from Boykin himself, that is.
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Kris Hughes is the College Football Network Manager for Rant Sports. You can follow Kris on Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook
