Friday Night Notes: TCU’s new QB, TJ Moore’s top 13…

Friday Night Notes: TCU’s new QB, TJ Moore’s top 13 schools and more

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

TCU made it all the way to the national championship this past season, only to get blown out by Georgia. If they intend to return to the big stage, they must retool at several key positions this offseason. With starting quarterback Max Duggan having declared for the 2023 NFL draft, they’ll definitely need to include a QB on the list. Help is on the way, though.

On Thursday, Aledo (Texas) three-star quarterback Hauss Hajny announced his commitment to the Horned Frogs with the following message he shared on his Twitter account.

“After much consideration, I’m proud to announce my commitment to Texas Christian University. As someone who has grown up with purple in my blood, becoming a Horned Frog is a lifelong dream come true. I know that my success is not mine alone. I owe everything to God’s grace and guidance, as well as my incredible support system of family, friends, and coaches who have believed in me every step of the way. To the coaches who have been a part of my recruiting journey, thank you for your time and investment in me and my family. I can’t wait to begin this next chapter as a Horned Frog and make all of you proud. #GoFrogs.”

Hejny (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) also had offers from Duke, Austin Peay, Baylor, Cal, Campbell, Houston, Nebraska, North Texas, Oklahoma State, Utah, UTSA and West Virginia.

According to the composite rankings, Hejny is No. 43 among quarterbacks in the class of 2024 and No. 114 overall in the state of Texas.

Hejny marks the first commitment for TCU in the ’24 recruiting cycle.

4-star WR TJ Moore names top 13 schools

Earlier this week, Tampa Catholic (Fla.) four-star wide receiver TJ Moore released a list of his top 13 schools. On his list, Moore included Colorado, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Penn State, Tennessee, USC, Miami, and Pitt.

That’s a big list, and there isn’t a clear favorite among them as of yet. For now, On3’s prediction model has UCF (21.3%) in the lead, followed by Florida State (18.6%), Miami (16%), Pitt (9%), and Florida (4.7%) – where he visited yesterday.

I will be at the Swamp April 6th!!! @CoachBillyG @coach_bnapier @CoachDeckUF @TC_Football @JerisMcIntyre @SWiltfong247 @RWrightRivals @ChadSimmons_ pic.twitter.com/QKKssCxg3v

— 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 “𝙏𝙅 ” 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙅𝙧 (@tjmoore305) March 30, 2023

Moore (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) is coming off a strong Junior season, having totaled over 1,000 receiving yards on just 42 catches. Going by the composite rankings, he is currently No. 36 among wide receivers in his class and No. 240 in the nation.

Austin Simmons talks to Gators Wire

Perhaps the most significant commitment of the week was when Pahokee (Fla.) four-star quarterback Austin Simmons announced he’ll be playing his college ball at Florida.

The following day, Simmons sat down for an exclusive interview with David Rosenberg at Gators Wire. Simmons broke down his decision, crediting head coach Billy Napier and quarterbacks analyst Ryan O’Hara for convincing him the swamp was the place to be.

“It was the coaches, really, behind the football program, I went to UF a couple of times last month in March. I just had this one big spark. Between the coaches, the whole program and everyone behind the whole school of the University of Florida… Being in the meeting room with coach O’Hara, seeing how he coaches quarterbacks, with the approach he takes on different quarterbacks in the meeting room, I feel like he would be one of the quarterback coaches just for me.”

Simmons is ranked No. 6 among quarterbacks in the class of 2025. He joins what should be a loaded QB room, including five-star Junior DJ Lagway.

You can read more from the interview at Gators Wire.