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The Mean Green Collective (MGC) has a primary focus on UNT basketball (both men's and women's). That said, if a donor wants to direct resources to other sports, we 100% will make that happen. Ernie Kuehne, Curtis Clinesmith and I are UNT alums who run the MGC and 100% of every dollar we receive goes to the players except for online banking transaction fees which allow our fans to donate simply and securely. We 100% self-fund the administration of this Collective and have 0% overhead. The other collective is Light the Tower, which was originally started by RV and is now being run by a group called TheLinkU. Light the Tower does primarily football but also other sports for UNT. I believe they are being run by University of Houston graduates and to my understanding they charge 20% of every dollar donated to their administration. Light the Tower or TheLinkU represents in some capacity the following schools: University of Houston, College of Charleston, Florida Atlantic, Texas State, UCLA, and South Alabama. TheLinkU appears to be an NIL aggregator and the more schools they can add to their group the more potential money they can make. I have not seen any aggregate numbers in terms of specific dollars raised for UNT players through this organization. We started the MGC back in Oct of last year and we were able to raise $225K in both large and small donations which had not been done at UNT before. We have distributed $200K of those funds as of today. We are proud of that, and we appreciate every donor who has and continues to support the MGC. As Ross Hodge shared with us just a couple of weeks ago, we would not have landed the new class of players without the MGC funding that was provided. That said, despite all the recent success UNT has had in basketball, it has still proven difficult to raise money in this NIL/Portal environment. The funny thing is, we run an NIL, and we really don't like the NIL system and what it is doing to college athletics. What was supposed to be a way to support the players and their families has become a pay-for-play scheme that the richest schools primarily benefit from. Despite our fundraising efforts, we could not compete with players receiving 600K, 400K, 150K... I don't blame them for taking that kind of life-changing money and I wish them well. The program will move forward and continue. I think Ross Hodge is a good coach and I am excited to see the new team he is building. Jason Burton is a big-time coach for women's basketball, and we expect him to do some remarkable things very quickly. Our efforts did, however, help us land an extremely competitive replacement group that some prognosticators believe could better position us in the coming season. So, the money we raised and provided for the players was not for naught. The NIL landscape has changed quite a bit since we started this, and I expect it will continue to evolve. Thanks to everyone who has and continues to support us and GMG!

"Getting messed around?" How about not winning a starting spot/getting beat out/not being good enough?

Yep. I used to enjoy posting all our new offers and then tracking our commits. Done with that.

I have to imagine the coaches told him they are going with Chandler Morris and he was tired of getting messed around. He’ll probably head back to ACU in the hopes of winning that job in fall camp.

I realize that. To clarify my comment, these kids can earn money through marketing deals, etc. using their NIL, but can't just be paid to be a part of the team. The intent is for them to have the ability to earn money , not to guarantee an income because you are part of the team.

... you line up the best of the rest. Oregon State, Washington State, San Diego State, Boise State, CSU, Air Force, Army, Navy, Tulane, UConn.... There are a few in the quote above that I wouldn't consider the "best of the rest" including their own CSU.

JUCO players and probably most FCS and DII players don't play for NIL. Hundreds of players would love the opportunity to play at our level for just a scholarship. We would get more National media for going 6-6 as a non-NIL program than as 6-6 with NIL. We could be the "Rudy" of FBS! Apply all Athletic donations to facilities for all sports and the AC renovation instead. Transfers out (portal) will always happen, but Screw NIL!

Yup. Then go hire a flex coach and go get the baddest bark eating 270lb Olinemen you can find that would LOVE to come to UNT. Then go get some 5'7" 200lb 4.7 40 fearless running backs that no one would take a chance on. Let's go mash on people with a 0 dollar salary cap. Matter of fact... go hire Harding University's entire staff. Tell them to keep doing exactly what they're doing. Jared can put this together and present to the fanbase. People will love it or hate, but they'll pay attention to it. He can even call it his idea, I'll allow it.

Agree with that. We'll never know what our record would be.....if we didn't pay any NIL money....versus if we do. NIL money doesn't guarantee success. I guess it might....at an already established power like Georgia or Michigan. But, they're gonna win no matter what the system. A & M was spending millions on NIL....when Jimbo went 4-8 (in his next to last season?) Who do you think had more NIL money last season....Auburn or New Mexico State? NMSU beat them by 21. So yeah....I too wish we'd stop wasting money on NIL.

I don’t mean this as a negative comment towards Stone, but he’s had an odd past year. Transfers to UNT, wins the starting job, chosen as a team captain, loses the starting job, enters the transfer portal, exits the transfer portal, and now this. I wish him the best.

Oh no... whatever are we to do!!??!!

Coaching is a paid career. Playing college football is not employment anymore than junior high football is.

In Cash we trust

So both Mooney and Earle gone. That means QB1 Morris, QB2 Cash, and...? In addition to Cash, we have two other freshman QBs on the roster, Tom von Grote and Drew Mestemaker. Neither of them look particularly polished (though von Grote looks very athletic on tape). Just briefly reviewing hudl vids for both, von Grote looks like the better fit for QB3. Mestemaker's arm is underwhelming. However, I doubt Morris wants to put them on the depth chart. Ruder is still on the roster at linebacker. With the added depth at LB, I bet he gets put back to QB. That's still a frighteningly small and inexperienced QB room. EDIT: We also have Ashton Gray as a true freshman. He played QB in High School but the staff has him on the roster at RB, which is probably more appropriate for his skillset, but he could be a candidate for the QB room as well.

That is bad speculation without any proof

Sucks to lose Rausaw he was a decent contributor on the DL. West Wilson was a walk on and I believe he got a scholarship to go to Abilene Christian.

I would choose number one. But let's say a bunch of G5s broke away from NCAA and formed an association that went back to scholarship-based athletics. It seems to me that if a group of athletes sued for NIL the precedent has been established -- we'd be right back where we are now. We're screwed either way.

Well shit…

Stone Earle leaving again

Ridiculous.

Here is the article https://www.denverpost.com/2024/06/09/csu-rams-should-leave-mountain-west/

It may be less than that actually.

Unbelievable to go 4-8 with that type of NIL investment.

Where are you all seeing this? Still listed on our roster.

No idea. First I heard of him being gone was your post. That’s why I went with the phrase “now this”, because I don’t know what’s going on.

Did he hop into the portal again after spring when the window was open? I’m curious if he is transferring again, or simply quit.

Go into the season with one average G5 QB with some experience and 2 freshmen, it appears.

It's all just a money grab now. The lawyers are circling the NCAA like hungry sharks. Bankruptcy may be the only way out for the NCAA soon. Start over with a new organization.

I'm ready to live in a world where players play in empty stadiums/arenas and no one watches on TV. One would think that's the direction of all of this. Rather, for the time being, the NCAA, athletic departments, and the courts are treating fans like drug addicts in the sense of they believe they can dilute the product, overcharge for the product, change the chemistry of the product and us addicts will still come get our fix no matter what. They're missing a very huge variable to all of this: consumer based market correction.

They'll just make the G5's pay.

Yeah, this could get real messy. Does/did any college athlete (or cheerleader or band member for that matter) sign a release to allow the networks to film them or use their likeness in any advertisements promoting the event?

I was a freshman in 61' when we were in the MVC, where we stayed until Hayden Fry took us independent 50 years ago. Your reference to North Texas being is the Valley is way past ancient history as is dropping down to 1AA as a excuse for lack of alumni and student support for our athletic programs. Everyone refers to Fry's coaching tenure as the golden age of Eagle football forgetting that our average home attendance in his 6 years here was only 13,300.

If I'm being completely honest, I don't even really care who turns into commits. I've had a hard time caring about the recruiting cycles in football lately. You get guys, several don't even make it to campus or leave before the fall, and others end up being busts so the hype isn't even worth investing in emotionally. Basketball is more steady, IMO.

Per Brett Vito. Quarterback Reece Mooney has also been removed from roster. He fell behind Cash McCollum during spring practice.

Pretty impressive...

I was lamenting this whilest drinking some coffee this morning. We made such huge strides that differentiated us from the pack when we the practice facility. And for what? Only to be sideswiped by stupid NIL? I just think nowadays players would play on a high school field if you threw them some greenbacks. Hope I am wrong!

Nowhere. Told.

I think it might be wise for UNT to go belly up on NIL and invest whatever they can heavily into facilities. The hope here would be that sanity enters back into the game and UNT would be setup really nicely. What I know UNT can't do is try to do what everyone else is doing. That's not going to work for us or for dozens of programs like ours. Doing the status quo is just going to run fans off more than our on the field results already do.

Stone gone

"I’m a sixth-generation Texan. I grew up in a town called Plainview, which is a farming community in the Panhandle. The school district is what we call “property poor.” For generations, most of my people were farmers, but my parents were schoolteachers. Like a lot of teachers’ kids, I grew up in their classrooms. I became a good student, mostly unaware of how the lack of resources available to my schools affected the opportunities that were available to me. By high school it became clearer, especially when I ran out of math courses to take my junior year. Still, when I went away to college I was feeling pretty confident. My freshman year at the University of Notre Dame was a reality check. I’ll never forget what it felt like to get that first paper back with the first ‘D’ I’d ever seen in my life, and to realize that although I hadn’t had math my senior year, most of the students sitting next to me had AP Calculus. It took about three semesters and a lot of suffering to recalibrate to the new expectations. Fortunately, I had a lot of support from family, friends, and faculty. And, Notre Dame let me count my suffering toward Purgatory time." chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/correspondence/commissioner-correspondence/h-keller-leadership-address/

I can’t imagine this wasn’t covered ion some early agreed contract. I recall when the back of ticket Stubbs mentioned that ‘you might get your photo taken.’

Why would anybody donate to just to have players just come here for year then bounce? I wouldn't even put the players' names on the back of the jerseys...

One thing to keep in mind. No one is forcing these kids to play football. Sometimes we all act as if that’s their only option. It’s not. Let them get a job. Go to work. If they truly want to educate themselves then fine. Pay for your tuition. If that’s by working in a grocery store, do it. If it’s by earning an academic or athletic scholarship fine. But don’t ask me to pay you to come and play at my school and then expect me to pay again at the ticket office to watch you play. I’m no fool

I want one!

who?

This will help with Cash's development by getting him more practice reps. Mooney still has a desire to play baseball and he wasn't going to play football for us. That is an example of how the transfer portal can be a good thing. Good luck to him.