Shawn Robinson won the only start of his career last season. Now, can he officially win the quarterback job?

He left spring practice as the presumptive leader, but he’ll face a stiff challenge from Penn transfer Michael Collins if he doesn’t continue to progress in preseason camp. Collins, a more traditional passer who could let the Horned Frogs better utilize their skill position talent, came to TCU before last season. He could have been the starter at Penn in 2017. Instead, he chose to follow his high school teammate, TCU junior tackle Lucas Niang, from Connecticut.

“I always define a great player by how much everybody else gets better when they step on the field. And that’s how we’ll define the guy that plays the most at that position, because he’s going to have to make some of those wide receivers better on the field in doing things,” Patterson said. “Anytime you have new or young quarterbacks, the devil’s in the details. You’ve got to do it over and over again.”

The strength of the offense will be the skill position talent. Sophomore Jalen Reagor could be one of the nation’s best receivers as a sophomore, and the versatile KaVontae Turpin can score and ignite a stadium every time he touches the ball. Senior Jaelan Austin could play a bigger role, and early enrollee Taye Barber made an immediate impact.

Kyle Hicks is gone at running back, but Sewo Olonilua and Darius Anderson are a 1-2 punch that could be even more productive without him.

“We have some good weapons. Allow them to do it. Get the ball to them,” Patterson said. “The quarterback doesn’t have to do anything over the top to be successful.”

However, the offensive line might be the biggest concern on the entire roster. Four starters are gone, plus both tight ends and a reserve guard. While the skill position talent might make life a lot easier for a new quarterback, the youth up front could make it a lot more difficult. Left tackle Joseph Noteboom, center Patrick Norris, guard Austin Schlottmann and tackle Matt Pryor are all gone. Hulking JUCO transfer Anthony McKinney could win the left tackle job, or the Frogs could move Niang, an experienced junior, to the quarterback’s blindside and cede the right tackle spot to a new face.

There’s plenty unsettled heading into camp, but if the Horned Frogs can figure it out, the skill position talent can produce some fireworks.