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"Good news for the Mean Green secondary. Zed Evans was granted a waiver by the NCAA and now has two years to play with North Texas." https://twitter.com/MeanGreenSports/status/342688614116892673

We must have left the north off the application! All joking aside...this is great news!

I thought it was only two. Who is the third?

Don't worry, Peterson will make the announcement soon

My point was that the recruiting class can only be judged in hindsight. Perception of the team at the end of the season will dictate the value of this class. If your predictions are correct, you can claim that you had foresight at this time. But we will have to wait until that time.

Well, you're right about Trilli. He was something else! As nice a guy as you could meet but could not coach if his life depended on it. From the outside looking in on this and knowing how desperate we are at North Texas to have success in anything athletically, yet I am not sure 1 year is enough time for anyone to even unpack all their luggage. I mean look how much time we've given others across the board in UNT athletics to not succeed over past decades and they all to the person had much more than just 1 year. Having an NBA caliber player who for whatever reason could not lead our team out of the losing or could not mesh with the talent we had was a frustration for all of us who call themselves Mean Green. I used to watch Elvin Hayes down at UH be "the leader" of that team and his supporting cast all looked good because of "the Big E" but more important is how they meshed as a team. (Of course, many of that group other than "the Big E" such as Don Chaney, Theodis Lee, Kenny Spain, George Reynolds, etc, were talented and even more important they all seemed to stay healthy as a group, too). Being facetious here, but it seems all Coach Guy Lewis had to do was throw out the basketball to these guys, chew on his famous towel and watch players who meshed and had great chemistry do the rest. I think Benford is looking for that chemistry factor. Even during Coach JJ's last season in Denton it seems we had the injury bug or the "no pass/no play" bug as well in Mean Green Country and that has not helped, either. Hope all is well for you in TinselTown, CMJ. GMG!

If the MWC approached UNT, we would/should be gone in a heartbeat. "We've already gone West before and blah, blah, blah". This MWC is not the same as the Big West. Simple facts: The BCS busters consistently come out of the MWC The MWC network payout is larger The MWC is viewed by just about everyone as the best conference not in the "gang of 5". The MWC is stable. But, that invite has not come, and we are in C-USA. I'm very excited about that.

he's in 4th going into the finals at the NCAA championships http://www.flashresults.com/2013_Meets/outdoor/06-05-NCAA/live/130605P010.htm he ran a school record 49.82 in the semi's to clinch a berth in the finals. White was also named an all-American...pretty freakin cool! Finals are Friday at 4:40PM http://www.flashresults.com/2013_Meets/outdoor/06-05-NCAA/live/evtindex_friday.htm

How about the Marrriage of Figaro? Saw that one evening at the Dallas Civic Opera in what now seems like another life. Happy Birthday to a great UNT alum like letsgiveacheer! GMG!

You know what I thought was odd, and maybe a bit off-putting/disappointing? We didn't give Waters the Outstanding Alumnus award until after the NFL already gave him the WPMOTY award. Shouldn't we have recognized him and his accomplishments on and off the field sooner?

HBD!

Happy B-Day! Whatever you do, remember to do it with lots of flourish and showmanship!......

I remember this being mentioned, but it was underrated. This is great news! Can't wait to see Zed on the field.

Bring down Estee Lauder, Revlon, and Avon. Got it. ;-)

I think a better analogy would have been a CEO or better yet, the head coach of a sports team.

This is a mute conversation. I have not heard any chatter about the MWC wanting anything to do with Texas. Conferences seem to be wanting to move together to carve out rivalries and attendance - oh wait, that's what we did! Love me some CUSA. Time to compete in it. Work to dominate. GMG

sooooo he plays bass?

Please Baby Jesus. Let this Kid Be a Mean Greener!

I've had this theory for quite awhile as to why North Texas seems to get the short end of the stick with the College Licensing Company as far as its Mean Green sports merchandising in places and for our school a dearth of such products where schools like Slippery State, Grambling, Towson State, U of Buffalo have even had merchandise in places you'd least expect it....like various areas in the state of Texas? Read the link below and just check out the man who actually started "College Licensing Company" as a business and what part North Texas played in his career as a head football and even what influence our school had on his having a last stop as an NCAA D1 head football coach. Conspiracy here? Oh, probably not, but hell hath no fury as a person who (perhaps) for a lifetime may have had the propensity to carry a grudge toward someone or some school who had a negative affect on a prior career. http://www.clc.com/About-CLC.aspx

maybe if you went to church it'd change your mind.

Good God People! Who care about travel! It would be a far better conference. Only if there was an example of a team from the DFW area that benefited from the move to the MWC........If anyone thinks that Cusa and MWC are on the same level now are only kidding themselves. I know in the next few years we can position ourselves to be sitting pretty in the next round of realignment, but we can't settle for what we have now. Yes, cusa is a great place to be, and no we haven't positioned oursleves well in the best, but travel should be the least of our worries.

It's not about not wanting to move up. It's about the MWC being the same as CUSA but with travel and unknown opponents.

Screw the MWC. When we were in the Big West it sucked going out west all the time. Besides, we are in a new conference.

The football forum is becoming a joke. When did we become so involved with UH? They have beat us down the past two times (and probably more than the past two times) we have played them. Is this a new bit that I have missed being away from the forums? Someone please explain to me why we are devoting threads to talk crap to UH like we are superior to them? Frankly, it makes the board look like a joke.

Offered by UNT & UTSA, couldn't find much on him other than he was first team 22-3A last season. http://rivals.yahoo.com/northtexas/football/recruiting/player-Kevin-Strong-152857;_ylt=Api_k9nvQJL2ihqvmJZZ01zNSMJ_

So, Harry, is the TSU-SM A.D. blaming "Bush" league fans and alums for their apparent shortcomings?

Harry's right, but aside from that, they seem to have a pretty good grasp on things. We've been doing this much longer but for some reason the level of salience in our own community regarding such issues has remained at a standstill. Time to get moving forward in more than just the new stadium and conference affiliation.

Welcome to being the only Texas-based football playing school in the Sun Belt Conference, Bobcat Nation. We gladly pass that torch to your school. UTSA has dropped the Bobcats from their football schedule and cannot think of re-scheduling them until 2020 which adds insult to injury. Only time TSU-SM may ever get to play a CUSA school will be in some bowl game. Still, LBJ's alma mater's road to the NCAA D1 (FBS) level has been so much easier than ours ever was. They should be glad with how easy it became which was: Expand Your Stadium To NCAA D1/FBS critieria ='s NCAA FBS level membership; and average 15k per home game with a minimum of 4 home games every 2 years). Coach Fran will one day have 2 winning seasons in a row at TSU-SM and then boogie once again to another outpost unless he decides he wants to break that cycle and stay more than 2 or 3 years.. GMG!

How do you become academically ineligible at Cougar High? http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9339762/houston-cougars-leading-receiver-dewayne-peace-academically-ineligible-source-says Troll bait set out and Cougar King appears in 3...2...1...

Thanks so much, Harry. Gomeangreen.com is a big part of my life! My opera company is in France preparing for performace at the historis Opera Theatre D'Avignon. Sorry Silver, no Wagner fanfare here!

Featherstone II?

Here is an image of him. http://www.maxpreps.com/athletes/NCMlu7lkMUy6McrF_oVuGw/football-fall-12/profile-kevin-strong.htm

You think we can apply for an NCAA waiver and get another 2 years out of Waters?

He has a chance to actually win judging from those times. That would be awesome.

Yeah, anyone can play at lowly NT. A load of bull from a coach that moved a player for a perceived better one. We can hope that Gaines is much better than his old coach thinks.

Yep, that pretty much nails it.

Here are the forums for C-USA. Rice: rice.csnbbs.com UAB: uab.csnbbs.com ODU: odu.csnbbs.com & monarchfans.com Charlotte: ninernation.net FAU: fauowlsnest.com FIU: fiugoldenpanthers.com La Tech: latechbbb.com MTSU: blueraiderzone.com Marshall: herdfans.com & marshall.rivals.com USM: eaglepost.net & southernmiss.rivals.com UTEP: kyyotesden.com/Den/index.php & utep.rivals.com UTSA: rowdytalk.com & utsa.scout.com WKU: hilltopperhaven.com

What makes you think the MWC is that big of a step up?New Mexico,UNLV,Wyoming,San Jose State,etc.? The Big West did not work for us because of the reasons I posted. Time and Travel. The MWC may have Boise,but who from North Texas would go to a game their?50,100 fans or so?This Board,regardless of whether or not I agree with opinions posted,is a prime example of why people are no longer satisfied "with so little".We actually care what happens,and from a longtime fan thats a BIG change from my freshman year of 1961.

http://licensing.unt.edu/retail/resources-for-consumers

I've never met you, but you seem like one heckuva guy and UNT fan. I've been a fan since 1990 and I can tell you that it has been nothing but heartache and a beating, except for 1994 and those 3.5 years you mentioned under Dickey. I never cared much for either Simon or Dickey as people, but they had their own small successes here and they should be treasured, just as you all remember fondly the Corky Nelson years of beating major programs while operating on a shoestring budget. Our return has been disastrous because we weren't really ready to make the jump to 1-A, IMO, in 1995. Sure, we pieced together Fouts with donated alumnum seats to get just over 30K, but the administration didn't care to put anything into the program. I'd love to believe that we should have done what we did earlier than 1995, but the reality is that the 1-aa purgatory was self-inflicted and was encouraged by the administration, BOR, and the community, so as much as I hate to say this, I think our best time to have moved upward to FBS was probably when we got Norval Pohl here as President, which was in 2000 IIRC. He wanted football to be something at UNT, which put him in a very small group of leaders in our history. I believe that he would have found a way to have gotten a new stadium built earlier than it did, if it had been with a promise to move up to FBS ball. Matt Simon might have actually been a better head coach if he had time to continue building his program in the old SLC for more than one year.Maybe Darrell Dickey would have been hired to take over a program that was more ready for FBS ball than what he got, with attendance at home games in the years 1998-2000 as abysmal as you could get (See NMSU game in 2000 at Fouts). Maybe DIckey doesn't get the anti-UNT stance in his brain that so irked the few diehard fans still around. We haven't been very good at football, both on the field or off, since Hayden Fry left. That's why I am jealous of the guys who have the stories to tell about them. I encourage you to always tell us about the wins over Tennesse, San Diego State, Houston, SMU, OSU, and all the others in that time. That is the only time North Texas even became a blip on the college football radar. Even Dickey's years were shrugged off as nothing by everyone in college football because of the SBC being looked at so negatively--which is why a guy who basically performed a miracle in Denton never got that head coaching offer he thought was coming from anywhere else in I-A at the time. Our timing has never been good, nor has our funding--both are leadership failures from all responsible parties, but it hits on the fact that the university hasn't ever put any priority on athletic success. Whether its short term (since 2007), intermediate term (1995-2006), or long term (since 1979), we showed the entire college football world that we just didn't give a crap about football success. And unless things turn around big time in the next 5 years, I suspect that we will get back to the equivalent of FCS ball again. And the question will be asked over and over if Apogee was worth the cost to build for a program that was never close to being an AQ school. To me, it should have been built 20 years earlier, but the naysayers of Denton that hate football are going to go crazy screaming about the $78 million dollars spent to build that stadium and the tuition hikes even louder than now if we go back to being a FCS team again.

Looks like Peterson had him hid away! The Big recruit?

No, I pointed out that some people are blaming Bush for the debt/deficit just like some people are blaming Obama for the same. Just calling a duck a duck.

I present Exhibit A: The defense rests your Honor.

Turn about is fair play? Lots of people give Bush grief over deficit spending.

NT isn't likely to get the elite in track any more than any other sport. At least not from Texas, if you do follow NT track I think you have seen some big improvements in performance since the coaching change. Actually track is easier to evaluate recruits than any other sport, even with the differences in marks due to conditions and timing methods; there is a lot of comparability and a big funnel leading to the state meets. Also being a partial scholarship sport, there is a little better chance to land a higher evaluated recruit by offering more than the big guys. NT track is getting better so they are bringing in recruits that are upgrading the program. I think and hope this will continue.

Trice should be hired as recruiting coordinator after he graduates!

Now all we need is an All-American DT to transfer in.

How do you like them apples!

Ok, where to start... The original post was to talk about 2013 high school recruits that are coming in. Not guys that were ready to compete on the college level while they are currently in high school. They wil have 4 to 5 years to improve for college. If you are one of the best in the state of Texas in high school track, then you are probably one of the tops in the nation. Most of these athletes I mentioned went to the state track meet. Out of thousands of track athletes in the country, they are ranked in the top 10%. That's better than good. OK, the final point of not being close to competitive on the college level...I will take their best times IN HIGH SCHOOL, and see how they stack up against college competition. I will compare their times to the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships. My post stated that they may not be able to run open events, but can become strong leg on the relays. John Shelleci ran a 10.56 this year. No wind. 10.50 Won the Gold in the Sun Belt TFC. 10.56 would have won Bronze and gave UNT 6 extra points. UNT did not even field a 4x100 but the winning time was 40.54. Bronze was 40.75. 4th place was 41.20. Chad Davis's state 4x100 team that placed 3rd at state ran faster with a 41.01. With the winning time being 40.54 athletes that are spliting 10.00 or lower are very competitive. Chad Davis and John Shelleci can split below a 10.00... Darvin Kidsey jumped a 6'9 which ranks amoung the nation's best. 2nd place at the Sun Belt TFC was 6'9. He scores points and possibly medals. in the 4x400, 3:15.76 placed 5th at the Sun Belt TFC. Davis and Fort Bend Bush's best time this year was 3:15.64. They would have beaten 4 college teams at the SBTFC. North Texas 4x400 placed 8th with a time of 3:20.66. They can use all the 48s and 47s they can get. I'm not even sure if all these guys plan on running track, but if these guys are added to the track team and they can build on what they have done in high school, UNT has made a significant improvement in the depth of the team and can surely put together some competitive relays that can lead to a conference championship and possibly something bigger in the future.

Good article on Godboldt from WCM during playoff run w/Decatur when he was a junior. The Eagles were the #1 ranked 3A team in the state that year...lost to Abilene Wylie...eventual State Champ. A place to call home Family’s love gives DHS athlete a second chance at life Published Thursday, November 25, 2004 By Robert Morgan Three years ago, Devin Godboldt was a kid who was abandoned by his father and spent many nights wandering his Florida neighborhood pondering where he would sleep or get his next warm meal. This Thanksgiving, the Decatur junior has everything he never had and will enjoy a warm feast with his new family and the most important man in his life. Devin Godboldt has become an icon at Decatur High School. The junior tailback’s quickness and knack for making defenses look silly have helped guide the Eagles’ football team to an unbeaten record and to the top of the Class 3A state rankings. The 17-year old is enjoying his time in the limelight as a community celebrity. He has lots of new friends, has captured many headlines and is a popular kid since moving to Wise County in 2001. Life for Godboldt has not always been a touchdown. In fact, his life before Decatur was one that most will never understand or even believe. Growing up in a broken family in Jacksonville, Fla., Godboldt never had the chance to enjoy the holidays with a traditional family. He had a father who never wanted him and a mother who could not care for him. That prompted Russell and Laura Spain of Decatur to adopt the Florida native and bring him to Decatur. “The only person he really had in his life was his grandmother who took care of him and a few of his eight brothers and sisters,” said Laura Spain. “It got to the point where she could not handle him anymore so we wasted no time getting him.” Godboldt, who moved in with his grandmother at age 9, has never gotten to know his father; he has not been around his entire life or provided any support. “He has never been a father to me. He left us when my mom was pregnant with me,” Godboldt said. “He has never cared to see me, help me as a kid or anything so I never felt I ever even had a dad. I don’t feel like that with Russell. He is the father I always wanted and needed and he is there for me.” Godboldt lived with his mother through age 9. However, she had more personal problems than she could handle so she left him with his grandmother who opened her home to several of his eight siblings at one time or another. “After all that had happened, I was happy to be at my grandma’s,” he said. “I couldn’t be around my mom anymore.” Godboldt moved in with his grandma in 1998 where he was in a more stable environment and learned responsibilites. She also allowed him to join a local youth football program, a decision that changed his life. A year later he joined a new team that was coached by Russell Spain, the man who would eventually become the father he never had. “Devin was like part of the family,” Russell Spain said. “His grandma couldn’t get him to practices so we started taking him, and then before long he was staying with us on the weekends.” Godboldt developed a strong friendship with the Spain’s children, Justin Else and Jordan Spain. He and Justin were inseparable the next two years on and off the playing field. “The Spains were like my family. They took me everywhere and I was always with them,” Godboldt remembered. “I had so much fun and Justin and I were always hanging out, I never wanted to go home.” The bond they formed was tested in 2001 when Laura Spain, retired from the military, was transferred to Texas. The job relocation brought the family to Wise County, and Godboldt felt his life was being taken away from him again. “I can’t explain how I felt when I heard they had to leave,” he said. “I asked if I could go but I couldn’t. There was no way my grandma would let me go and my mom told me I could not live with white folks.” He lost the only family he says he has ever had. It was just as hard on the Spains as it was for the 14-year old Godboldt. “He was like our son already but we had no control of where he lived. His grandmother was his legal guardian and made the decision,” Laura Spain said. “We sent him calling cards so he could call and he did just about every day.” Even though the Spains were just a phone call away at all times, Godboldt rebelled. He consistently got in trouble, ran away from home or would just not come home at all on some nights. Life in Forida got worse for Goldboldt. Legal troubles started to follow him as he was arrested and even landed in a juvenile detention center — a visit that served as a warning if he got into any more trouble. He consistently got into fights in school and around Jacksonville. Godboldt would also leave home for days at a time with friends who were involved in drugs. It all helped him forget about the loss of the Spains. “It hurt me a lot,” he said. “I cried more than I ever have and it seemed like I cried all the time because I lost the people I cared about the most. I didn’t know what to do. A social worker told me if I made my grandma mad enough she would kick me out, and then I might be able to move to Texas.” That day came; Laura Spain received a call from Devin’s grandmother who told them if they did not come get him, he was out on the street or going to a foster home. “Russell was there that same day,” she said. “He not only went to get him, but he took the paperwork for us to adopt him. They signed the papers and the power of attorney, and he was ours.” Russell Spain met with Godboldt’s mother, Sherlean, to discuss them taking over guardianship. Though she still was not fond of her son moving in with “a white family,” she agreed to let him live with the Spains. Godboldt packed all of his belongings into one suitcase. His possessions included a few pants and shirts, a Sega game machine and the only mementos he has of his childhood – three blurry photos. “My three pictures are all I have of my brothers and sisters,” said Godboldt. “I hope one day I get more.” Because he was so far behind in school, Godboldt had to repeat part of the eighth grade when he moved to Decatur three years ago. However, he made up for lost time and was moved to the ninth grade during Christmas break which allowed him to get back on track. That was also the year DHS football coach Kyle Story met Godboldt for the first time. “We were in the middle of practice and he was running laps with Justin,” Story remembered. “He referred to Justin as his brother. Naturally, it was kind of funny because they obviously don’t look alike. But he referred to him as his brother, and not Justin, so I thought that was pretty neat.” Godboldt got to know Story a lot better that year when he played for the freshman “B” team. “I figured he would be a good football player but he just did not understand our system so he played on the ‘B’ team,” Story said. “Besides, he could not hold on to a football for anything. Every time he carried the ball it would go flying in some direction. He carried it like a loaf of bread. It was funny.” Times have changed on and off the field since then. Godboldt, who has more than 1,400 yards rushing for the varsity team, is one of the top running backs in the Metroplex. He is even gaining attention from colleges for his quickness and speed. “My parents say our dog, Saige, helped me with my speed and quickness,” Godboldt said. “They would make him chase us around the yard and I would have to ‘juke’ her to get away. It was so funny.” Regardless of where he got his speed, Story is glad to have him on his side. “He has become a very good football player,” Story said. “I knew he would be good, but he has passed my expectations and is a very important part of this football team.” He has also become a different person off the field. Godboldt is not only passing his classes consistently these days, but he is also expecting to make the A-B honor roll for the first time. He is also a popular kid on campus and has a smile that can light up a dark hallway at DHS. “I’m happy. Things are going good for me,” he said. “I have everything I want. I have my new mom and dad, a brother and sister and I get to play football.” Godboldt still gets in trouble at home, like any kid, but it’s a far cry from life in Jacksonville. “He still has his days,” Russell Spain said. “He still has a lot to learn and he gets in trouble like any kid does, but we love and care about him like we do for all of our kids. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”