FEATURED: Anthony McKinney
10/29/2018 3:55:00 PM | Football
By Jay Hinton
TCU Athletics Communications
FORT WORTH, Texas — From the time he was in fifth grade, Anthony McKinney focused on wrestling, and it served him well.
He qualified for the Illinois state championships in the sport after going 29-10 in his senior year at Harlem High School, and along the way, he learned things in the sport that would eventually help him in football.
Deep down, however, he knew football would be his ticket to college.
"I had a couple of Div. II and Div. III offers for wrestling, but I knew my future was football," he said. "I had to give up wrestling, but as sad as it was, it's still a part of me in the way I am able to bend, and my flexibility really transitioned over to football."
As a sophomore in high school, he played nose tackle, but as a junior, he moved to offensive tackle. Two years later, he found himself at Iowa Western Community College.
His sophomore year at Iowa Western, when his team went 11-1 and the four-star recruit was ranked as the No. 3 JUCO offensive tackle in the country and the No. 14 overall prospect, there were many colleges knocking on his door requesting his talent.
"Iowa Western has a rich history of offensive linemen, and I was thankful to have two amazing offensive line coaches who knew their stuff. They did an amazing job of preparing me for the next level."
And that's one reason he chose TCU because of its ability to land offensive linemen in the NFL. Currently, the Horned Frogs rank No.1 nationally with six offensive tackles in the NFL this season, and Marcus Cannon, Marshall Newhouse and Halapoulivaati Vaitai all have Super Bowl rings.
"Coming to a program like TCU and with the success they've had with offensive tackles in the past, I knew exactly what competition I was getting myself into, and I am all for it," he said.
In his first season with the Horned Frogs, the 6-foot-8, 314-pound tackle has played in all eight games, with four starts, including the Frogs' last two games with Oklahoma and Kansas.
"I'm an unselfish person, so I understand the circumstances that coach likes to rate guys a lot and put them in the best fit, and I was perfectly OK with that," he said. "I knew what I was getting myself into before I came. I was willing to take that chance, and I knew it was going to push me to be the best that I could be. I'm progressing one day at a time."
His first career start came against No. 4 Ohio State at AT&T Stadium in Week 3, but he realizes his work isn't over.
"Progress is the biggest thing, and I think I've made slow but sure strides in my career here so far," he said. "I have to strive to continue to get better each day."
TCU Athletics Communications
FORT WORTH, Texas — From the time he was in fifth grade, Anthony McKinney focused on wrestling, and it served him well.
He qualified for the Illinois state championships in the sport after going 29-10 in his senior year at Harlem High School, and along the way, he learned things in the sport that would eventually help him in football.
Deep down, however, he knew football would be his ticket to college.
"I had a couple of Div. II and Div. III offers for wrestling, but I knew my future was football," he said. "I had to give up wrestling, but as sad as it was, it's still a part of me in the way I am able to bend, and my flexibility really transitioned over to football."
As a sophomore in high school, he played nose tackle, but as a junior, he moved to offensive tackle. Two years later, he found himself at Iowa Western Community College.
His sophomore year at Iowa Western, when his team went 11-1 and the four-star recruit was ranked as the No. 3 JUCO offensive tackle in the country and the No. 14 overall prospect, there were many colleges knocking on his door requesting his talent.
"Iowa Western has a rich history of offensive linemen, and I was thankful to have two amazing offensive line coaches who knew their stuff. They did an amazing job of preparing me for the next level."
And that's one reason he chose TCU because of its ability to land offensive linemen in the NFL. Currently, the Horned Frogs rank No.1 nationally with six offensive tackles in the NFL this season, and Marcus Cannon, Marshall Newhouse and Halapoulivaati Vaitai all have Super Bowl rings.
"Coming to a program like TCU and with the success they've had with offensive tackles in the past, I knew exactly what competition I was getting myself into, and I am all for it," he said.
In his first season with the Horned Frogs, the 6-foot-8, 314-pound tackle has played in all eight games, with four starts, including the Frogs' last two games with Oklahoma and Kansas.
"I'm an unselfish person, so I understand the circumstances that coach likes to rate guys a lot and put them in the best fit, and I was perfectly OK with that," he said. "I knew what I was getting myself into before I came. I was willing to take that chance, and I knew it was going to push me to be the best that I could be. I'm progressing one day at a time."
His first career start came against No. 4 Ohio State at AT&T Stadium in Week 3, but he realizes his work isn't over.
"Progress is the biggest thing, and I think I've made slow but sure strides in my career here so far," he said. "I have to strive to continue to get better each day."
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