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Apogee Acquires Naming Rights To North Texas' New Stadium
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large

Published August 11, 2011
The Univ. of North Texas will announce tomorrow that campus networking firm Apogee is the naming-rights partner for the school's new $79M football stadium, in a 20-year deal that averages around $1M a year. Austin-based Apogee has been a supplier to UNT since '08...

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The Fake Lonnie Finch
Some Big 12 boards are blowing up with news that A&M folk are meeting with SEC folk today to nail down the move. Source say OU is not part of the deal, but will go to the Pac-12 with some others in the conference. KU to the Big East, possibly K-State with them.

The reality of all football season beginning in 2012, is that there are no more BCS AQ-level conferences with multiple Texas teams - unless Baylor and Tech both end up in the Pac-12 (or 16...or however many it will be).

C-USA will have SMU, Houston, and Rice. Tulsa is a nice regional there. But, for whatever reason, C-USA doesn't excite me.

I think what I'm really hoping is that our new stadium and winning quickly under McCarney will get the attention of the Mountain West. Maybe I'm reading this whole thing wrong, but it looks like the MWC has the best chance of becoming the conference to replace the Big 12-2/Minus 2 Conference as a BCS AQ conference.

The travel is further, and it goes against what I've wanted in the past (more regional conference mates). But, it didn't hurt TCU to be the only Texas school in the MWC.

It'll be interesting to see the fallout. It'll be interesting to see whether Texas tries to make up with the Pac-12 after leading them down the path last year, or if they try to squeeze the Big 10+2 play again. They will die if they go independent because there will be fewer OOC games for all BCS AQ conferences.
cl_1_2008
Tackle: Tackle is the most questionable of the positions along the line. While we have a very talented, all-conference candidate on one side, we have a complete question mark on the other. Tomlinson will get the job done, no questions asked. He is our second best lineman, behind Johnson, and he runs a very close race with him. Tomlinson has great feet and is very strong, but I hear he has a questionable work ethic. That doesn't effect his on-field performance, but his potential is sky-high if he works hard. if he put the work in, he could potentially get drafted. However, on the other side at left tackle, we have what is, by far the biggest question mark on the offense. Unfortunately, this is also one of the most important positions on offense. Don't believe me? Just go look up the player salaries in the NFL. Other than QB, you may not find a higher paid position. Our left tackle as of now is Antonio Johnson. He has unlimited potential because he is very athletic for his size(6'5, 285), but he's not very strong. I think him and Ayodele Adepipe will compete for the starting job, even though they both have huge holes in their game. Left tackle is the only position on the entire offense that I don't feel good about. As for everyone else on the depth chart, again, I can't comment, because I haven't seen them play.

Starter Position Rating: 6.5/10
Backup Position Rating: 5/10
Overall Position Rating: 6/10

Starter: Antonio Johnson
Starter: Matt Tomlinson
2: Ayodele Adepipe
2: Grant Shaw

Guard: At guard, we have Aaron Fortenberry and Mason Y'Barbo. These are 2 of the 4 guys I feel comfortable with on the offensive line, along with Johnson and Tomlinson. Fortenberry is taller but they are both very similar in that they are both pretty big, strong guys that will do a fine job paving holes for Dunbar, and protecting for Thompson. As for the backups, Feeley has experience as a starter, so I would feel comfortable with him in the lineup because he is another big body who can move people. As for the rest, they are freshmen, so I know nothing. However, they are very large, and that is one of the improvements McCarney has made over the previous staff; recruiting larger football players.

Starter: Aaron Fortenberry
Starter: Mason Y'Barbo
2: Coleman Feeley
2: Cyril Lemon/ Travis Ellard

Starter Position Rating: 8/10
Backup Position Rating: 7/10
Overall Position Rating: 7.5/10

Center: At center, we have one of our most experienced and best linemen. JJ missed all of last year, save for a few snaps at Clemson. However, he's been in the offense for 4 years, and knows the playbook in and out. He's a technician. He's our smallest O-lineman, but his knowledge of the game makes up for that, and then some. He's the guy that I trust the most on the entire offensive line. We're in good shape with him starting. Technically, our backup is Nic Summerfield. However, if JJ gets hurt, I expect Fortenberry or Y'Barbo to shift to the center position, because we are much deeper at guard than we are at center. I don't expect Summerfield to play a snap under any circumstance, so I'm going to base my backup rating on Y'Barbo and Fortenberry.

Starter: JJ Johnson
2: Nic Summerfield

Starter Position Rating: 8.5/10
Backup Position Rating: 7.75/10
Overall Position Rating: 8.25/10
cl_1_2008
U-Back: Our starting U-Back is Daniel Prior. Even though this position isn't used on a regular basis, I feel VERY comfortable when he is on the field. Prior is our best blocker that isn't a lineman. He clears holes like crazy. I don't know the exact numbers, but I guarantee you Lance averaged more yards per carry when Prior was in the game than when he wasn't. He's a road grater. He used to play linebacker, so you know he loves hitting people, and that is exactly what we need from this position. This is another position that I am very comfortable with. I'm not sure who his backup is, so I can't comment on that.

Starter: Daniel Prior

Starter Position Rating: 7/10
Backup Position Rating: ?/10
Overall Position Rating: 7/10

Tight End: Tight End is also one of our strongest positions. Andrew Power is 6'5" and weighs 265 pounds. He's very strong and is one of our best pass-catchers on the entire team. Watching film, he looks like a phenomenal blocker, but according to McCarney, he is very raw, and needs work. After 2-a-days, I expect him to be up to speed. I think he will add a dynamic that we didn't see during the dodge era, and that is a Tight End that can make plays through the air. I expect him to be Thompson's security blanket, and convert more than a few important first downs that will keep us in ballgames. At backup we have Drew Miller, who is also a pretty large guy at 6'1" 253. He's already proven that he is very capable of playing at this level. He can make plays through the air, and is a very capable blocker. Greg Brown is the third string guy. He's one of the strongest and most athletic guys on the team, but he is very small for the tight end position at 6'1" 230. He may or may not see the field on offense, but I expect him to be a great special teams player. And again, I can't comment on the rest of the guys because I haven't seen them in action.

Starter: Andrew Power
2: Drew Miller

Starter Position Rating: 6.75/10
Backup Position Rating: 6.25/10
Overall Position Rating: 6.5/10
cl_1_2008
Wide receiver kind of worries me. My main worry is that our most talented receiver, Darius Carey, was recently kicked off the team. He'll be much harder to replace than Jamaal Jackson. Now, our best receiver, by far, is Christopher Bynes. This may come as a surprise to some of you because he's only been seen in limited action. Well, you're just gonna have to trust me on this one. His brother was the 2nd best player on the defense of the 2011 National Champions. The Bynes' family is just talented, I promise. Our next best receiver, in my opinion is Jamize Olawale. He's huge for a receiver, and very fast. The only concern with him is that he doesn't know the plays. That will come with time. Third, we have Mike Outlaw. Outlaw is very talented. Before the Ohio game he was very good. That game messed with his head I think. With an entire new coaching staff, I think and hope, that this marks a fresh start for him. Next, we have Brelan Chancellor. He's young, so he's limited in his knowledge of the offense, but you can't deny his talent. Even if he doesn't make an impact at receiver, he's still one of the best returners in the country. And he's incredibly strong. At 175 pounds, he squatted 510. That's just absurd. Next, you have Willie Taylor. He's a small, slot receiver with good hands and good quickness. He's also very shifty. I think he'll be a decent 4th receiver. Then, we have Tyler Stradford, the transfer from Oklahoma. This kid is 6'2" with unbelievable speed. Athletically, he is probably a top 20 receiver in the entire country. However, he has huge problems catching a football. Being a receiver, that is kind of an important trait. Then you have Breece Johnson. Breece has the best hands on the team and knows the playbook. His athleticism is the only thing holding him back. Although, I would rather have a guy like him out there than an athletic guy who doesn't know what he is doing. Other than that, I don't think anyone else will see the field. Chase Baine might, but I haven't seen him at the position, so I can't comment on that.

Starter Outside: Chris Bynes
Starter Inside: Willie Taylor
Starter Inside: Brelan Chancellor
Starter Outside: Mike Outlaw
2 Outside: Jamize Olawale
2 Inside: Chase Baine
2 Outside: Breece Johnson
3 Outside: Tyler Stradford
3 Inside: Jeremy Brown

Overall Position Rating: 5.75/10
Starter Position Rating: 6.5/10
Backup Postion Rating: 5/10
cl_1_2008
We've been very blessed here at UNT at the running back position this past decade. Patrick Cobbs. JaMario Thomas. Both led the nation in rushing. Who would have thought that we'd have another one come along who is, in my opinion, more talented than both of those guys, and that is high praise. Lance Dunbar can do it all. Last year, he got 29 or more carries 4 times. Our record in those games? 3-1. Coincidence? I think not. If we can consistently get the ball in his hands, we are in very good shape. He's a top ten running back in the country by all measures, and that is a luxury that I'm sure helps Coach Canales sleep easy. This time next year, he'll be in training camp. Our second string running back is James Hamilton, who could start at a lot of other schools. He's a small scatback who can make plays out of the backfield. He's a great pass-catcher with great speed. I could also see him splitting out and running few plays from the receiver position. I'm okay with that. The more talent on the field, the better. Third string is Brandin Byrd. He's not particularly big, but he serves as our power back. He's a good running back that will be used primarily in short yardage situations. As for our freshmen, we have two kids coming in; Zac Whitfield and Antoinne Jimmerson. Whitfield is the guy that I presume will take over for Dunbar next year. Jimmerson is very talented as well and I expect him to make lots of plays in the future. I think there is a chance that Whitfield will see snaps this season, but I expect Jimmerson to redshirt. The other guys on the roster will only play special teams, so I'm not going to discuss them.

Starter: Lance Dunbar
2: James Hamilton
3: Brandin Byrd

Overall Confidence Rating: 10/10
Starter Confidence Rating: 15/10(yeah, I said it)
Backup Confidence Rating: 9/10
cl_1_2008
Derek Thompson is our starter now. Even in a very limited amount of playing time, Thompson has proven that he is more than capable of getting the job done. He's a big kid with a big arm, who knows the playbook like the back of his hand. We are in good shape with him taking snaps. Backing him up, we have Brent Osborn, a junior college transfer. Going strictly by talent, I think he's just a step behind Thompson, but again, Thompson knows the playbook like the back of his hand. Talent-wise, I still feel very comfortable with him as the backup. Learning the playbook will take time, but when he does, we will have 2 very competent division 1 quarterbacks. We do have a true freshman coming in who may be the most talented of the bunch, but I expect him to redshirt, and I hope he does because that means we will have stayed healthy and had no problems at the position. There are 3 more quarterbacks listed on the roster in John Dodson, Andrew McNulty, and Derrick Teegarden. I know for a fact that Teegarden is no longer a QB. He's been playing receiver since the day he stepped on campus. As for the other two, I won't go into detail because I don't expect them to see the field. Overall, I think we look good at this position.

Starter: Derek Thompson
2: Brent Osborn
3: Cooper Jones

Overall Confidence Rating: 7/10
Starter Confidence Rating: 7.25/10
Backup Confidence Rating: 6.75/10

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