Harry

<H3 class=entry-header>Shorter, schedule, other tidbits</H3>I have been in meetings most of the afternoon, but I have a couple of tidbits to pass along. The head coach at Lake Highlands has confirmed that John Shorter has switched his commitment from UNT to Tulsa. UNT is now sitting at 25 commitments heading into signing day tomorrow. UNT has also finalized its non-conference schedule. The Mean Green will open the season at Kansas State on Aug. 30 before hosting Tulsa on Sept. 6. UNT will then travel to LSU on Sept. 13 before an off week. UNT will travel to Rice on Sept.27. UNT is set to play Arkansas State on the weekend of Thanksgiving, but is trying to move that game. That weekend is brutal for attendance. The Mean Green has also set its spring practice schedule. UNT will practice on March 6, 7, 10, 11 and 13 before taking spring break off. The Mean Green will then work out on March 25 and 27 before scrimmaging on the 28th. Practice will pick up again on April 1 and 2 before a scrimmage on the 4th. The last two practices of the spring will be on April 8 and 10 before the Spring Game at 2 p.m. on the 12th at Fouts Field. http://meangreen.beloblog.com/

<H3 class=entry-header>Willingham has an MRI</H3>UNT head coach Johnny Jones confirmed the bad news today. The injury to Dez Willingham’s knee appears to be more serious than just a dislocated kneecap. Willingham went to the doctor for an MRI today and has been ruled out for this week’s game against Western Kentucky. How long the senior shooting guard will have to sit out hinges of the results of the exam that are expected to be available today. There will be more on Willingham in tomorrow’s editions of the Denton Record-Chronicle. http://meangreen.beloblog.com/

http://meangreen.beloblog.com/ Troy, Middle pulling away in Rivals rankings Just remember you heard it here on the Mean Green Blog before it happened – Troy and Middle Tennessee are pulling away in the race for the unofficial Sun Belt Conference recruiting crown. The latest rundown from recruiting authority Rivals.com has Troy out front with 178 points, Middle Tennessee second at 166 and North Texas third at 100. UNT and Troy appear to be close to being done with their classes that stand at 26 and 25 recruits, respectively. MTSU has 21 players, which leaves the Blue Raiders room to add a couple of players late. Troy usually over-signs its class and UNT is already over the 25-man mark, so it might still be in the market for a player or two. If you are going to over-sign a class there is no sense in stopping at 26 players. I have received a few e-mails asking how MTSU and Troy pulled so far ahead even though UNT has eight three-star players, while Troy has six and MTSU five. The answer lies in the bonus points Rivals awards for landing nationally ranked players. Both Troy and MTSU landed a big-time player that boosted their ranking. MTSU landed the highest rated player among Sun Belt schools – Miami quarterback Sancho McDonald, who is rated No. 15 among dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. Troy's gem is Mobile, Ala., inside linebacker Jacoby Thomas, who is ranked No. 25 at his position. UNT got a boost from landing Riley Dodge and DaWaylon Cook, who are ranked No. 48 and No. 80 among athletes, respectively. UNT's duo just wasn't enough to push the Mean Green over the top. It is kind of funny to think back over the course of recruiting season and all the e-mail I have received. A few months ago, all I heard about was how highly UNT's recruits were ranked by Rivals and Scout. All I hear about these days is what a load of baloney the rankings are now that UNT has fallen a little in the ratings. Just remember, UNT is doing a lot better than it has in the past and no one thought that Patrick Cobbs guy was worth a Division I scholarship, let alone a national ranking, when he came out of high school. That one turned out pretty well for the Mean Green. Be sure to post your thoughts on UNT's recruiting class on the blog.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...de.3b85e59.html

keep trying it works I promise.

GMG!

I hear Garden the transfer from Navy is pretty good. We often forget about him being available at safety next year.

We will put it up tonight after attending the banquet for those who couldn't make it!

http://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=roster&...&ros_id=702

http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArticle...CRIBER_CONTENT= When: Saturday, January 26, 2008 Time: Doors Open @ 5:00pm Dinner Line Opens @ 5:30pm (Meal provided by Outback Steakhouse) Where: Super Pit Prices: Individual Tickets: $50 Table Sponsors (Round of Eight): $350 Dress is business-casual

I can tell you this, the Lake Highlands Club Soccer league is the best in Texas. I know that the DeFeeters,Sting and the Texans are superb programs that are part of that league. I love that we are recruiting in our own backyard because it has some outstanding talent.

I don't think the DeLoach idea works because Dodge has no connection with him. I doubt another high school coach either. Any thoughts of realistic possibilities?

http://media.www.smudailycampus.com/media/...u-3145882.shtml

Not official, but it appears that Jones may be who SMU is holding out for. A good coach that runs a very wide open offense.

Congrats from the Mean Green Nation Lonnie to you and your family on the new addition! You have been a great addition to the board and we all appreciate your insight. We wish you and your family the best up in Tahlequah! Go Riverhawks!

I had to do a double take! He and some other Fort Worth firefighters saved a truckdriver whose truck was hit by a crane! They cut him out of the cab and eased him out saving his life. Awesome job Rick and great interview on the front end of channel 8 news!

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/200276 RECRUITING : Cornerback Adams drawing interest of Razorbacks By OTIS KIRK Published: Sunday, September 02, 2007 PRINT E-MAIL MIAMI, Okla. —Cornerback Adryan Adams of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College showed why Arkansas and other Division I teams are recruiting him during his team’s 48-15 victory over Dodge City (Kan. ) Community College last Saturday. Adams, 6-1, 190, 4. 43 seconds in the 40-yard dash, had nine tackles and a pass breakup. He is being recruited by Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas State and others. Northeastern Oklahoma will travel to Little Rock on Thursday to face Arkansas Baptist at 7 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium. Adams moved to cornerback this season after starting at safety last season. Adams said he feels he has the speed and credentials to make the move a successful one. “I need to work on reading the plays better, such as when they line up and run the ball,” he said. “Last year, I played pretty good at free safety. I like playing corner better.” Adams also feels the move to corner will help him in December when he signs with a Division I school, but also possibly even beyond that. ADVERTISEMENT “They [major colleges ] like players who can play both corner and free safety,” Adams said. Adams signed with NEO out of Millwood High School in Oklahoma City. Adams was short on his ACT score, but he said the two years in junior college will benefit him. “The defensive coordinator here came down to my school and told me this was a good place to go if I wanted to go D-I,” Adams said. NEO secondary coach Rick Simpson said Adams has the tools to play beyond junior college. “The transition has been very smooth for him because he has played all the spots,” Simpson said of Adams moving to cornerback. “He knows how to play, and we could move him back if we got in a situation. His transition to corner has been one that is very easy for him because of his speed and footwork.” Dodge City went away from Adams most of the night, but he did show good closing speed by making tackles from sideline to sideline. “Adryan is one of our fastest kids in the secondary,” Simpson said. “He is real close to a 4. 4. The thing he has is the knack to get in a bad situation and make it a good situation.” Simpson has talked to Adams about a few things that will help him get to the Big 12 or SEC after this season. “The next level for him is just having good film to show when the coaches come in,” Simpson said. “I think that Adryan is the type player that the next level is there, but when you talk about that next level [NFL ] he’s going to have to get more size.”

http://hawkeyesports.cstv.com/sports/m-foo...s_justin00.html Evidently signed with Iowa out of high school.

http://www.eac.edu/Campus_Life/Athletics/P...osterAutoID=433

There are fewer out there and they are correspondingly the toughest to land. The best of the best get picked up early by the big boys and after that it is a dogfight. The reality is we will probably not find another diamond like Booger but it doesn't mean you don't keep trying. You also need to hope and pray that some of the guys you have, Jon Stewart, Joe Miller, Issac Thomas, Jesse DeSoto will develop. I agree 100% with you that we need about 70% of the remaining spots to go to lineman and mostly d-lineman.

Impressive hire! SMU will be tough under Johnson.

I think SMU's past problems with the NCAA make Neuheisel a longshot. That said, their AD Orsini is known to resurrect coaching careers that were thought to be over.

I don't see it as a negative about King just that he is more of an unknown commodity. There's a lot of guys who fit in that category. For instance, I hear raves about Marquis Sykes and they made a decision to keep him off the field..probably to develop. I remember Coach Dickey saying all the time that he had redshirted guys that could have helped the team that year, an example was Craig Jones. You have to wonder how many of these guys are out there that we don't know about. I like the nucleus of what we have to build on but there are some BIG holes. Defensive end is a concern because after Gilmore - who showed promise at times - who else do we have that can be an every down type of player like Chapman? Who will replace Aaron Weathers at safety? We desperately need a sprinkling of playmakers at several key positions. We also need development. If they can figure out a way to get Joseph Miller another 15-20 pounds of strength he could be a monster.

You guys are missing the point. Briles WILL recruit athletes and playmakers. At a B12 institution he will have even more success than he did at Houston. Mark my words it is all about recruiting and this guy will recruit heavily throughout the state. Baylor has a nice campus and good school. He will have success and it will be only a matter of time before he gets them turned around. This college football business is all about recruiting and Briles is one of the best.

O QB: Vizza/ Rodge RB: Mosely/Dunbar WR: Fentriss/Dibrell WR: Fitzgerald/Johnson WR: Stickler/Lewis WR: Washington/Walker T: Menard/Tomlinson G: Bailey/Banks/Rose C: Drake/Leppo G: Santiago/Banks T: Peachey/Franklin D DE: Gilmore/Sykes DT: Stewart/Thomas/Scoggins? DT: Miller/Ross?/ DeSoto? DE: Rexrode/Owosu Hemeng LB: Robertson/Mahan LB: Davis/Padron/Nwigwe? LB: Penson/Davenport/Hagar? FS: Agbottah SS: Williams/Warren/Dawson CB: Gordon/Nurudeen CB: Bush/Ealy This post has been promoted to an article