GoFrogs: Meet John Lanz

[TopFrog]

Horned Frogs First Person: John Lanz - TCU Athletics

(as told to Lily Margaret Greenway)

gofrogs.com

GoFrogs: Meet John Lanz

(as told to Lily Margaret Greenway)
I think that there are two types of leaders – those who lead with their voices and those who lead by example. I've never been the most talkative or outgoing guy, so I lead by doing. I make an effort to be one of the first guys anyone new gets to know, because at one point, I was one of the new guys, too.

When I was a freshman, a lot of the older guys took me in under their wings. The jump from high school to college is huge, and so is the knowledge gap. We all need people to help guide us along the way, and Nate Guyton was one of mine. Nate is a tremendous person who poured himself into mentoring me on and off the field. He is a great listener and was always willing to talk through things with me. He believed in me and stood by me, even during the hardest times of my life. Ultimately, I got to stand by him at his wedding. Nate taught me that mentorship is really just a daily practice of showing up for each other. I saw that truth in my family, too. My parents never missed a game, no matter what. I'll never take their countless sacrifices for granted, because their support means the world to me. One of the most important factors in committing to a football program was that I would be close enough for my family in Denton to still watch me play.

I believe that faith, family and friendships are what allow us to persevere through hard times. My career at TCU got off to a rocky start. On the fifth practice of my first Fall Camp, I tore my labrum. I knew that injury was expected for a collegiate athlete, until I ruptured my bicep on the fifth practice of my second Fall Camp the following year. Overcoming injuries grew and tested me in ways that are hard to put into words. I didn't play in a game for three years, but the friendships with my teammates are what got me through one day at a time. They reminded me to have faith in the truth that everything is going to work out, and all we can do is persevere and keep moving forward. That mindset has stuck with me years after I was cleared to cross those white lines and get back on the field.

Six years is a long time to witness the ups and downs of a program. I'm one of the only guys to have been on the team during the Cheez-It Bowl in 2018 and the Fiesta Bowl in 2022. The rough times that we support each other through make the celebrations and victories all the more surreal. I have grown into my helmet over the years as my perspective has widened and my outlook on life has matured. Those TCU letters and number 53 on my uniform are a part of me now, and will continue to be for the rest of my life. I'm walking into my last season prouder than ever to be a Horned Frog.

 

[Limp Lizard]

Nothing like a sixth-year senior on the OL. A good sixth-year senior.

 

[Eight]

glad that john has finally had a chance to get healthy and contribute to this program, he might have been under the radar a bit last year, but he did some very good things in the run game

enjoy the tone of these articles as there is that common thread of recognizing what others have done for you, the path they set, and then making sure you are doing the same for those that follow you.

reinforces that while coaches talk about building a culture inside their program, they can do things to encourage it, the players must take that upon themselves to keep it alive and continue in those that follow them

finally, how about the impact of a walk on, squadman offensive linemen who from what i could find played in less than 5-10 games in his time at tcu, but is having an impact on the guy who might be the lynchpin for the tcu offensive line this season

guyton was an all academic performer, was voted by his teammates squadman of the year three times and was twice the top offensive scout team player of the year. not trying to divert from john, but here is a clip on nate and this just reinforces the theme of these articles:

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[Not the real Steve Stamp]

I roomed with John’s father in college, great person, great family. IV is a great kid by all accounts. I couldn’t have been more thrilled for the family getting to experience that run last season after all John had been through.