TCU’s Boykin devastated by arrest, says mistake won’t define him

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Trevone Boykin was devastated by the mistake he made, getting arrested and then suspended from TCU’s bowl game in what would have been his finale with the Horned Frogs.

“But it’s a mistake that I made in my life that I know I can overcome,” Boykin said Monday night. “Right now, I’m just thinking positive and trying to move forward.”

For TCU’s record-setting, dual-threat quarterback, that is getting ready for the NFL combine later this month in Indianapolis.

Boykin earned his degree from TCU in December, and has since been working out at IMG Academy in Florida. He intends to audition at the combine solely as a quarterback, even though he was a receiver early in his college career.

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“I’m looking forward to going to Indy and fully participating in every drill,” Boykin said. “And to show that I can play quarterback and that this one mistake doesn’t define me.”

Boykin attended the black-tie ceremony where Clemson sophomore Deshaun Watson was presented the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback that was revealed in December. Boykin had been a finalist for the award that is named after TCU’s only Heisman Trophy winner.

While trying to convince NFL teams that he can be a pro quarterback, Boykin knows he will also face questions about what happened in San Antonio.

Boykin was charged with felony assault of a police officer two days before TCU won the Alamo Bowl. He was out on the famed River Walk district after the team’s curfew in the early morning hours on Dec. 31 when he was allegedly heckled at a bar and ended up being subdued by authorities who said they had to threaten the quarterback with a Taser.

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“Just look through my college career and you’ll only find that one mistake,” Boykin said. “It’s not going to be easily overcome, but it’s something that you have to take on with a straight mind and just own up to it. Know that you made the wrong decision and keep pushing forward.”

This past season for TCU, Boykin threw for 3,575 yards with 31 touchdowns and ran for 612 yards and 10 more scores. He had accounted for 56 percent of the Horned Frogs offense since 2012 before missing their 47-41 triple-overtime victory over Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Boykin finished with career school records for total yards (12,777), passing yards (10,728), passing touchdowns (86) and touchdowns responsible for (114).

Bram Kohlhausen, the senior who had only spot duty behind Boykin before getting the Alamo Bowl start, passed for 351 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as TCU overcame a 31-0 halftime deficit. The backup quarterback Boykin described as one of his best friends on the team ran for the winning score in the third overtime.

Boykin, sent home after his arrest, watched the game with his mother.

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“My mom, she didn’t want to turn it off. We wanted to see how it would turn out at the end of the day. And Bram did an amazing job in the game,” Boykin said. “It was so unbelievable to watch, to see the amount of success he’s had with everything he’s been through. He’s a real success story. The whole team’s a real success story just from having the courage to keep pushing through.”