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2027 Recruiting: Brought to you by the TCU Showgirls, celebrating their 50th Anniversary

FeistyFrog

FeistyFrog

Sir FeistyFrog
Class of 2027
Commits:

After a 2026 class that had 16 commits and all from Texas high schools, the 2027 class already looks much different. Key positions include DB, OL and DT.

Daniel Yebit 6-3/190 4.40 CB Yukon, OK lengthy corner/WR with 7' high jump and 24.10 long jump. Ranked no. 133 in the country (no, 16 CB) Offers include Tech, ASU, Ark, IO,WI and OSU

Kobe Haynes 6-1/205 WR Whitney, TX athlete played both QB and WR at Whitney with 15 TD passes and 23 rushing TDs as QB, 680 yds rec and 7 TDs at WR last season, District MVP. Offers include Tech, BU, SMU and Utah

Drake Carroll 6-5/230 DE Alamo Heights, San Antonio, TX 50 tackles, 15TFL 7 sacks and 1 int in 2025, offers include CO, Minn, Cal, PennSt, UCLA, and Neb.

Landon Johnson 5-11/180 S Madison Prep Acad Baton Rouge, LA Played QB, WR, DB and KR for the Chargers. Offers include BU, Vandy, LaTech, ArkSt and Rice.

Noah Gillespie 5-11/175 CB Broken Arrow, OK 37 tackles, 18 PBU and 4 INTs in 2025. Offers include OSU, AZ, ISU, KSU, UCLA, SMU and Aub.

Rontrae Carter 6-0/185 S Archbishop Shaw Marrero, LA 2 time All State, District Defensive MVP, 97 tackles and 2 INTs in 2025.Will be a 5 year varsity starter in 2026 (began in the 8th grade). Offers include UH, ASU, FSU, Miss, Ark and Tech.

Braylon Deal 6-2/185 WR Naaman Forest Garland, TX. Brother to TCU's Devean & Markis Deal, played QB, WR and DB. Offers include UH, ASU, KU, KSU, Pitt, Tech, and Utah.

Colton Steed 6-6/260 OT Round Rock, TX 80" wingspan and 4.91 speed, plays both tackle positions.

Darrien Neal 6-2/285 DT Guyer Denton, TX had 54 tackles, 10 TFL and 2 sacks in 2025. Offers include AZ, ASU, BU, CO, KSU, OSU and SMU.

Dylan Jaeger 6-3/210 TE Round Rock, TX 66 Rec for 1.003 yds and 9 TDS in 2025. Offers include AF, Dart, Yale, Prin and Army.

Caris Sela 6-0/190/4.46 RB Northwest Justin, TX 251 carries for 1,670 yds and 15 TDs in 2025. Offers include BSU, SDSU and WSU.

Brice McCurdy 6-1/205 QB Robinson, TX 142 of 238 passing for 2,207 YDs, 23 TDs and 8 INTs. Ran for 695 yds and 6 TDs. Offers include AZ, BU, BC, Cinn, KU, Tech and SMU.

Linkin Apana 6-2/225 LB Kamehameha Kapalama Honolulu, HI 31 tackles in 4 games in 2025. Before his knee injury in 2025 he was receiving a lot of interest but came down to Utah & TCU. Offers include U, WSU and BSU.

Hunter Black 6-5/215 DE Brazos Christian Bryan, TX in 2025 had 4 tackles, 20 TFL, 12 sacks, 2 FR, and 1 punt block. Son of former NFL and ND OL Jordan Black. Played at Fort Bend Christian first 2 years in HS, All-State in 2025. Offers include Tul, BU, and TSU

Jewellz Tapp 6-0/170 John Curtis River Ridge, LA 24 Tackles, 9 PBU and5 Ints (one returned for TD) in 2025. Offers include UH KSU, and Cin

Ty Greene 6-6/290 OT/DT Stratford Houston, TX 34 tackles, 5 TFL and 1 sack in 2025. 82" wingspan and will probably play OT. Offers include BU, Duke, UH, KSU, and OSU.

Daniel Ottens 6-5/249 DE AVO Academy Germany Offers include Del and UTEP

Alexander Herrera 6-6/330 OT Crowley, TX An 83" wingspan and nicknamed "Big Country" TCU beat out a late push from Tech. Offers include ASU, SMU, Ark, BU, Tech, KU, Neb and Pitt.

tcu-showgirls-perform-during-oklahoma-sooners-horned-440nw-9960655bl.jpg



How the Showgirls began:

After the 1976-1977 season the TCU band director James A. Jacobsen, "Prof Jacobsen", had an idea. In the previous year he had added a flag corps called the Debs and wanted to expand the concept by adding a dance team. Not certain where to start, he placed a call to Kilgore, Texas, to Miss Gussie Nell Davis, the founder of the Kilgore Rangerettes, who had become a fixture at the Cotton Bowl and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Miss Davis not only gave him some advice, but she also provided a name. One of her best was heading to TCU that fall, Michelle Mizell.

Prof Jacobsen wasted no time and contacted Michelle and invited her and her parents to his home in the spring of 1977. He explained what he wanted to accomplish to Michelle, offering a small scholarship to seal the deal. Michelle agreed and quickly set about putting together the dance team. A group of ten girls were assembled and Michelle utilized some of her Rangerette friends to develop routines and training schedules that are still a part of the program today.

The biggest question then became what to call the new group. The Debs was the flag team and the name the Frogettes was being bandied about. Luckily, young miss Mizell intervened. "The band at the time was a show band. So, I decided we should be called the Show Girls." A decision that TCU fans are forever grateful.

The team premiered that fall and were an immediate success. A young sportswriter at Texas Tech called them the best legs in the Southwest Conference (probably not acceptable today).

The team was eventually moved from being part of the band to the athletic department which added funding for a larger squad and of course sponsorship, especially the TCU Showgirl boots from Justin.

Today the TCU Showgirls are considered one of the top dance teams in the NCAAA and contribute to the TCU legacy through assistance with charitable organizations

1784070524102.jpeg
The Daily Skiff Friday, November 4, 1977: A new addition to this year's band are a drill team, called the "Show Girls of TCU." They consist of ten students led by former Kilgor (SP) Rangerette Michelle Mizell.
 
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F

FROGLEGHOP

KMA
Lot of errors in the How the Showgirls Began. Showgirls started in 1976 football season. That's why they are celebrating 50 years this year. There were no "Bandettes". There was a dancing group called the "Debs" (short version of debutantes) prior to 1976. There were less than 10 of the Debs in their final 1975 season. Maybe sometimes only 4 or 5. The Band was referred to as The Show Window of TCU, not the Show Band.
Where did that blurb about the Showgirls come from?
 
FeistyFrog

FeistyFrog

Sir FeistyFrog
FROGLEGHOP said:
Lot of errors in the How the Showgirls Began. Showgirls started in 1976 football season. That's why they are celebrating 50 years this year. There were no "Bandettes". There was a dancing group called the "Debs" (short version of debutantes) prior to 1976. There were less than 10 of the Debs in their final 1975 season. Maybe sometimes only 4 or 5. The Band was referred to as The Show Window of TCU, not the Show Band.
Where did that blurb about the Showgirls come from?
Click to expand...
The Daily Skiff

You are correct, it was the Debs not the Bandettes. However, the Show Girls began in 1977 not 1976. Prof himself announced the new team in 1977, did you read the article?

Here is a link to the 9-14-1977 Daily Skiff which announces the new Drill Team (not 1976)

The Daily Skiff, Vol. 76, No. 8

repository.tcu.edu repository.tcu.edu

Band adds drill team Continued from page 1 practice. They put in a full week practicing from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Jacobsen said. During the football season, the band members practice about seven and a half hours a week to keep in tune and in step, he explained. "Working as hard as we have to, you need a lot of spirit to keep going," Sakovich said. Sakovich believes the large number of new students helped raise the members' spirits. "And all the new people were fairly proficient with their instruments," he said. "That's been a big help." The enthusiasm this year is not new to the TCU Band, according to Nancy Applegate. "The enthusiasm is definitely growing," she said. "But it's been there in the past—it just seems this year there's a little extra something." There's something new with the band this year too—a drill team called the "Show Girls of TCU." The "Show Girls," ten students led by former Kilgore Rangerette Michelle Mizell, will introduce some new styles on the field. Flags, um- brellas and "drum and bugle corps moves" will be incorporated into their performances at future games.
 
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FROGLEGHOP

KMA

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TCU Band in 1976​

In 1976, the TCU Horned Frog Marching Band was already over 70 years old, having been founded in 1904 as the Texas Christian University Military Band Wikipedia. By that time, the band had evolved from its early military roots into a full-scale marching ensemble, with a strong tradition of performing at football games, parades, and community events.

Band Context in 1976​

  • Leadership & Style: The band was in the post–James A. Jacobsen era (he left in 1981), but under Curtis Wilson’s direction, it was beginning to shift toward a corps-style approach in the 1980s Wikipedia. In 1976, it was still largely a traditional marching band, but with growing influence from the Drum and Bugle Corps scene.
  • Membership: By the late 1970s, the band had grown to several hundred members, with the 2017 season listing 245 members Wikipedia—so in 1976 it was likely in the hundreds, though exact numbers are not recorded.
  • Repertoire & Performances: The band was known for its arrangements by Don Gillis in the 1930s–40s, which had made it a national favorite Wikipedia. In 1976, it would have been performing TCU’s fight song, “TCU March,” and other popular marches, supporting football games and community events.
  • Showgirls Connection: The TCU Showgirls, founded in 1976, were created as part of the marching band program TCU 360. They were initially integrated into the band’s performances, adding dance elements to the halftime shows. Their costumes in the early 1970s were modest compared to later decades, but they were becoming more performance-oriented.

Notable 1976 Event​

The founding of the TCU Showgirls in 1976 was a significant development for the band’s identity. This group would later become a major part of TCU’s halftime show tradition, evolving into a full dance team with elaborate costumes and choreography TCU 360.
In summary: In 1976, the TCU Band was a well-established, large-scale marching ensemble with a strong tradition, beginning to influence toward the corps-style format, and introducing the Showgirls as a new performance element that would shape its halftime shows for decades.
Read less
https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=80ca...VENVX0hvcm5lZF9Gcm9nX01hcmNoaW5nX0JhbmQ&ntb=1
 
FeistyFrog

FeistyFrog

Sir FeistyFrog
Or maybe someone should let the Showgirls know that they are using the wrong date...there are multiple articles in 1977 announcing the Show Girls that year. Try to find one written in 1976.
 
F

FROGLEGHOP

KMA
Can you reference the multiple articles showing 1977 as the start year?

If 1977 is correct, why do the TCU360 articles say 1976?

2026-1976 = 50. Are you saying that TCU and the Showgirls are math challenged and are celebrating the 50th Anniversary a year early?

I was there and in the TCU Band in 1976. I had a few dates with one of the new Showgirls that fall. She was pretty dern cute! I was so impressive to her that I do not think she came back to TCU in the spring semester of 1977. That sort of thing happened more than once - that some girls I went out with transferred away. TCU was probably glad that I graduated and quit chasing away the girls.
 
FeistyFrog

FeistyFrog

Sir FeistyFrog
FROGLEGHOP said:
Can you reference the multiple articles showing 1977 as the start year?

If 1977 is correct, why do the TCU360 articles say 1976?

2026-1976 = 50. Are you saying that TCU and the Showgirls are math challenged and are celebrating the 50th Anniversary a year early?

I was there and in the TCU Band in 1976. I had a few dates with one of the new Showgirls that fall. She was pretty dern cute! I was so impressive to her that I do not think she came back to TCU in the spring semester of 1977. That sort of thing happened more than once - that some girls I went out with transferred away. TCU was probably glad that I graduated and quit chasing away the girls.
Click to expand...
What do the words New (as in There's something new with the band this year too and A new addition to this year's band are a drill team, called the "Show Girls of TCU." ) and Add (as in Band Adds Drill Team), etc. mean to you?

There is absolutely no way you dated a Show Girl in the fall of 1976.

9-14-1977 Page 3

The Daily Skiff, Vol. 76, No. 8

repository.tcu.edu repository.tcu.edu

11-4-1977 Page 4

 
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FROGLEGHOP

KMA
The Chatgpt link did not work very well, so here is what it said -

The TCU Showgirls are the official dance team of Texas Christian University, and they have been a visible part of Horned Frog spirit traditions for nearly 50 years. Their role has evolved from a marching band dance line into one of the university's most recognizable spirit organizations.

Here's a timeline of their history:

  • Pre-1976: The Bandettes
    • Before the Showgirls existed, TCU's marching band included a women's performance group called the Bandettes.
    • The Bandettes combined dance, baton twirling, and specialty routines during football halftime shows. Historical records describe members performing everything from traditional twirling to acrobatics.
  • 1976: The Showgirls are founded
    • In 1976, the Bandettes were renamed the TCU Showgirls.
    • The program was created by longtime band director Jim Jacobsen as a dance unit within the TCU Show Band.
    • The new group emphasized precision dance and entertainment while remaining closely integrated with the marching band during football games.
  • 1976–2000: Part of the marching band
    • For nearly 25 years, the Showgirls rehearsed and performed alongside the marching band.
    • They became known for energetic halftime performances and appearances at parades, pep rallies, and university events.
    • Many alumni remember the group as an essential part of the game-day experience during this era.
  • 2000: Transition to Athletics
    • In 2000, the Showgirls became an independent spirit program under TCU Athletics rather than remaining part of the marching band.
    • This change expanded their role beyond halftime performances and gave the team greater visibility across multiple sports.
  • 2000s–present: Modern spirit team
    • Today, the Showgirls perform at:
      • Football
      • Men's and women's basketball
      • Baseball
      • Volleyball
      • Pep rallies
      • Alumni events
      • Community appearances
    • They are part of TCU's Spirit Corps, alongside the cheer squad, the mascot SuperFrog, and the Rangers.
Traditions and style

The Showgirls are especially recognizable for:

  • White cowboy boots (now an iconic part of their uniform)
  • Purple-and-white costumes
  • High-kick routines
  • Jazz and pom-style choreography
  • Game-day performances that blend Texas drill-team traditions with collegiate dance
The white boots became particularly associated with the team during the 2000s and have become one of the signature visual symbols of TCU athletics.

Reputation

Over the decades, the Showgirls have developed a national reputation as one of the premier collegiate spirit dance teams in Texas. The program has also served as a stepping stone for dancers who later joined professional organizations such as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and NBA dance teams.

Today, the squad consists of about two dozen members and continues to represent TCU at athletic competitions, university ceremonies, and community events while maintaining the traditions established when the Showgirls were created in 1976.
​
 
namollec

namollec

Full Member
"The new group emphasized precision dance and entertainment while remaining closely integrated with the marching band during football games."

I remember them riding the band busses with us to away games.
 

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