TCU gained some experience along the offensive line Monday when Minnesota lineman Connor Mayes announced he was transferring to TCU.

Mayes, a Van Alstyne native, was a major recruiting target for TCU for the class of 2014. He was rated as a top 60 player in the state of Texas, and the No. 5 center in the country for the 2014 recruiting class. He held close to 20 offers, including Minnesota, TCU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Baylor, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, among others.

Despite growing up a TCU fan Mayes picked Minnesota, and he found success on the field for the Golden Gophers. Mayes has played in all 26 games for Minnesota over the past two seasons, starting in 17 of those, mostly at guard. He was an impact player for an offense known for it’s running game.

Mayes will sit out in 2017 due to transfer rules, after which he’ll have one season to play. The timing for the addition of Mayes is wonderful, as TCU loses six senior linemen after the 2017 season (Patrick Morris, Matt Pryor, Chris Gaynor, Joseph Noteboom, Austin Schlottman, and Garrett Altman).