Leaderboard

I remember when Mac used to cry about how hard it was to recruit to North Texas. Turns out Mac, you just need to be good at your job. For me this recruiting class shows that Littrell is the complete package. I sure hope he stays for a long long time.

This is exactly it. Every time an outsider (or insider for that matter) would say "It can't be done at North Texas," I would think "It can't be done when everything isn't pulling in the same direction." There was never one magic solution. Apogee wasn't going to get us there with a sub-standard Athletic Director. Bringing in a P5 wasn't going to matter if you have a football coach who wouldn't recruit or is over his head. We were always lacking in multiple areas. Even so, that doesn't mean we've arrived. It takes a few years of all cylinders going (a little good luck doesn't hurt either) to build a great foundation. However, in my twenty five years of fandom we've never had it like this. Not even close.

We don't do that kind of thing anymore :)

I agree! I demand a refund!

DRC: https://www.dentonrc.com/sports/players-unt-needs-to-come-through-countdown---/article_3907796f-ea70-5fa0-9b49-f0995524a35a.html

I haven't seen this level of professional conduct toward running the athletic department since Hayden Fry was the coach and athletic director.....and Jitter Nolan was President of the University. The exception to that statement would be Corkey Nelson and his very able colleague drex. They ran things very professionally......for all the gratitude (and financial support) they got (NOT) from the administration.

Helmet stickers...yes or no?

The fact there hasn't been a barbershop podcast @Harry to talk to @TheReal_jayD about all of this is surprising at this point. SAD!

And we are live from Pearland Shadow Creek HS where we have just witnessed a shutout! Biagi 2 Wilson 0

In the past seasons about this time or a little earlier we were discussing what uniforms to wear to our games. Nice to have other things to talk about then our uniforms. Cant wait for the season to begin. When does fail practice begin this year?

Certainly agree, but want to add that the BOR must be the unseen force behind this push. They are selecting or approving the right people and must be behind the increased investment in athletics.

He is smart to legally avoid all taxes possible, while evading none. His return is too complicated for using TurboTax at home, so he is smart to hire expert advice and leave it to them. No American taxpayer is honor-bound to pay one cent more than he legally owes.

No excuse for this for the AD. It was clear all along what C-USA TV revenue would be for this year, that didn't only come up at the fiscal end. It is also clear that it will be 200k more next season. If he thought that hiring a new SID was too expensive, there is no reason he would have needed to engage in the process in the first place. He endangered a family's economic well being with his incompetence.

It definitely feels like the engine is running on all cylinders for once. Rick

This could be solved if Congress would do their job and come up with 'acceptable, compassionate legislation'. But they do not want to do this because it would inflame their voter base, and they would rather the Executive branch have to "DO SOMETHING" so he can take the brunt of the outrage and twist in the wind. Our Congress as it stands--and has stood for years--is utterly worthless.

I think President Smatresk is the real reason for the success. When he arrived at UNT he wanted to raise the level of athletics. He gave RV a chance and when he didn't perform, he replaced him. Although Littrell was hired under RV I am convinced that it was more Smatresk's choice than RV. Before him, I do not believe any of the Presidents cared anything about athletics. I think they probably viewed it as something you need to have just to keep students here who would choose to go somewhere else if you didn't have sports. The faculty and student body never bought in because the past Presidents didn't make it a priority. Smatresk made it a priority and it is starting to show in the faculty and student body. He excused students from class the Friday before the UTSA game just to convince them to go. They had to take a picture of themselves inside the stadium with the scoreboard in the background or both teams on the field in the background and submit it to their instructors for the excuse to be legitimate. That may seem trivial, but it is small things like that, that will get the apathetic students to buy in.

Yeah, I can't blame "the ever-widening gulf between the haves and have-nots" for the terrible handing of this particular no-hire. UAB dropped the ball.

Wow. What a shit thing to do. Classless

This is so fun! This is what the off-season is when you recruit! So are we done with commits till the season??

I think at our level judging talent and development in the weight room and conditioning is the key. I would like to see all DL and OL red shirted!

That's correct especially as they differ. Illegal entry is a federal misdemeanor, punishable by a $50 fine and as much as 6 months in jail.. Illegal re-entry is a federal felony punishable by as much as 2 years in jail and a $250 fine. And if any additional criminal history exists then the felony punishment increases.. And no one is getting their kids taken from them for illegal entry unless officials find that the adults are falsely claiming to be the child's parent, or is a threat to the child, or is placed into criminal proceedings for such things as mentioned above. Apparently the fact that immigrants, even those with a criminal past are stooping to the low point of using other people's kids to enter/re-enter is beyond the left's comprehension as it over reacts with emotion and irrational parallels like "taking my sons from my arms because I step off a curb in Highland Park?".. Rick

I am not scared of a person. Where in the world did you get that? This law has been in place and the process has been the same since Clinton was in office, but since Trump is such a polarizing figure that the media likes to attack at every turn, this is now news. Jaywalking and entering the country illegally are apples and oranges. I know you know that, but it doesn't align with your narrative. Why should we, the United States, just ignore our immigrant laws because they aren't convenient? Do you think we should just have open borders? Why is this an issue now but wasn't an issue under the previous administration? Why does this seem to only be an issue on our southern border? Look, I don't like the fact that young children are being separated from their parents or the adults they are arriving with in our country, but these adults/parents know the rules and chose to break them. Why are we punishing the people upholding our laws and being lenient to those that choose to break our laws?

DRC: Jackson, high school teammate Jevin Murray are headed to UNT together to fulfill their plan to play at the same college https://www.dentonrc.com/sports/unt-picks-up-commitment-from-slot-receiver-jackson/article_3da193b6-8caf-520b-be55-03469f053212.html

This is what happens when your school is under the umbrella of one Board of Regents. We are fortunate we have our own Board and I believe the Med school in Bnhm is under UAB, but still controlled by Bama Board.

Has 'bama infiltrated the UAB offices and plotted to ruin them from the inside out?

We can also have a discussion we probably have never had before in July... 'How many scholarships do we have left for next year?'

That is bad... Having lived in the Birmingham area last year, I can tell you the return of UAB football was seen as a positive. They got a lot of local coverage and there was some buzz surrounding the program however it didnt' seem like the new stadium was seen in a positive light. A lot of complaining about spending that money. Plus now the shine is off the new thing and they'll have to get to work because even if UAB's buzz is positive, they are still DWARFED by Bama and Auburn in that area. If we think Big 12 has an impact on us, the SEC headquarters is in Bham, Tuscaloosa is 45 minutes away and Auburn is 2 hours away. Their alumni grow up in the Bham area, go off to school at Bama or Auburn, then come back to Bham for work and to raise families. I've never seen anything like it. Not to mention, Samford is located right there as well and has a lot of money and their athletics are doing really well. The football team is ranked in FCS and the baseball team is really good. UAB has an uphill climb. They have to keep winning....their first 5-7 season could have a big impact on their momentum. A lot of pressure there....

FAU nabbed a four star in 2017, along with 18 3-stars 2018 WKU signed 26, 21 of them being 3 stars

This should be front page of the Birmingham Hillbilly Paper... What crap. Every athlete in that school should be up in protest how he was treated! AD should be fired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe they'll hire him back? They cut football like a bunch of morons then brought it back. That athletic department is run really bad.

Bet you can't find what these guys were all "rated" before our offer... sure it's cool but I'm more concerned with the fact we're beating out multiple 6+ FBS schools for recruits. This staff can identify and evaluate talent prior to that talent blowing up. But some people will always find some reason to itch and gritch

🦅

This is the type of situation that bothers me about the ranking system. Roland is not rated, for whatever reason, prior to his committment to us and then they throw a number out there. Based on what? His evaluation by our coaches, offer and committment? They, 247, weren't sitting on an evauluation based on their assessment or anyone else's, saw we are signing a class full of 3 stars, figured Littrell knows what he is doing now and gave him a low 3 star rating. This young man is the third ranked DL in OK. That ranking was given by OK Preps, people that follow these kids on a consitent basis. On their evaluation, he ranks just below Cole Mashburn, a .8778 rated 3 star, so dropping to .7998 would assume the remaining on the list are high 2 stars. I find that hard to believe and to be a result of not getting seen for one reason or another.

If we get one more 3 Star we will both be at 15 and we'll have one more 3 Star. Who's counting though...

I am so going!!!

Well, there you go...

And with that, UNT moves into 4th among G5 teams, way ahead of all other C-USA teams. Really the only slightly sad part about that is that SMU is in first.

Nope, probably looking at us taking 18-20 kids, keeping 5 open for craziness late in the game (Jan/Feb). I’m hoping we can get 90% of these commits to sign in December keep P5s from poaching us late as they panic and offer bc guys they waited on went elsewhere

ONWARD & UPWARD!!!!

Starting with #1 . . . doesn't that actually make this a countup? The points on Wilson are spot-on, though.

Of course he will be considered a transfer student. But the fact that he never received a scholarship from Arkansas makes him eligible to compete immediately. Unless Arkansas were to refuse to release him for transfer, which I can't imagine given the circumstances.

Love this quote.

Just got back from vacation, and found a CBI Champions poster signed by Coach McCasland in my mailbox. I guess it was one of the prizes for filling out the basketball fan survey. Pretty cool. Better than coming home to piles of bills, that for sure!

Ain't it funny how the same folks who decry 'fake news' the loudest promote it?

Despite the fact that no one had a problem with children being separated under the Obama administration...here is an interesting read and information on the subject.. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/illegal-immigration-enforcement-separating-kids-at-border/#slide-1 Rick

LINK

How many times have you seen snopes give a negative report to anything the liberal media purports as truth?

Ah yes, protesting a policy that's been around for what, 20 years? And American children get separated from their parents through CPS, arrest, and being abandoned, but they don't protest that.