MeanGreen61

From the muts board. Troy football notebook: Recruiting begins with a whimper The first day came and went in the signing period for mid-term junior college enrollees, but no one was added to Troy’s roster. The Trojans, Sun Belt co-champions for the second straight year, were scheduled to sign junior college quarterback Chris Todd, among others, but Todd followed ex-offensive coordinator Tony Franklin to Auburn. “We haven’t gotten anybody yet,” head coach Larry Blakeney said. “We lost a nose tackle to Louisville and a quarterback to Auburn.” Under NCAA regulations, Blakeney isn’t allowed to talk about recruits that haven’t signed letters of intent. According to Louisvillesports.com, the Cardinals are adding just one signee on the defensive line — Tyler Jessen from Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan. Troy, which is still waiting word from other recruits, has recently benefited from mid-term transfers such as quarterback Omar Haugabook, cornerback Elbert Mack and wide receiver Kennard Burton. Grayshirt update: Blakeney said four of five 2007 signees who grayshirted will enroll at Troy next month. If they are academically eligible, cornerbacks Stacey Williams and KeJuan Phillips, offensive lineman Jacob Creech and defensive lineman Brandon Boudreaux are on track to join the program in January. Richie Henderson, a wide receiver, decided not to play college football, Blakeney said. One leaves: Blakeney said Wednesday that defensive lineman Jeremy Jenkins is academically ineligible. “He was a conditional admittance and he didn’t come up to standards of conditional admittance,” Blakeney said. “His best bet would be to go to a junior college and get eligible.” Hawkins played in two games in 2007 and recorded one tackle. Still waiting: A new offensive coordinator to replace Franklin probably won’t be named until after the new year, Blakeney said. “We’re probably going to try to promote from within and hire the best position coach available,” Blakeney said. ARTICLE http://www.dothaneagle.com/content/gulfcoa...12-20-0014.html

Froggie board thread. Typical reaction. http://www.killerfrogs.com/msgboard/index....=73902&st=0

DaWaylon Cook, athlete, 6-2, 185. Sez he decommitted from TCU ? http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewp...mp;pr_key=58210 MEAN GREEN COMMITTMENTS http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/commi...&School=163

Off the Muts board. Arkansas State: A defensive lineman who can get into the backfield, and an offensive lineman who can prevent the quarterback from getting blasted. Florida Atlantic: Miami players who want to stay at home to start to realize Da U is a dead program walking. FIU: A remotely efficient passer and more Golden Dazzlers with FIU on their chests (oh wait, that’s my holiday list) UL Lafayette: A wee bit of a passing offense to keep the heat off the running game. UL Monroe: To play as well over the first two months of the season as it does in November. Middle Tennessee: A clutch Sun Belt win. North Texas: Some semblance of a defense and the passing game to consistently do what it did against SMU and Navy. Troy: A redo of the third quarter against Florida Atlantic. Part Two of the Cavalcade of Whimsy, the Holiday Wish List for all 119 teams http://allsportlive.com/2007/12/19/cavalca...s-holiday-list/

Who woulda thunk ? http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=28954

Dennis Parker 1991-93

Received this from a friend in an e-mail. CONGRATS to Brian ! BRIAN WATERS NOMINEE FOR NFL MAN OF THE YEAR http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2007/12/14/ch...the_year_honor/

DRC article. Football: JUCO safety commits to Mean Green 10:46 PM CST on Sunday, December 16, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer Justin Edwards spent a combined three years in Iowa and Arizona in a college football career that hasn't turned out as expected. After that experience, all the former Garland Naaman Forest standout wanted to do was get back to the Dallas area to finish out his college career. North Texas offered that opportunity and Edwards jumped at it by orally committing Sunday to play for the Mean Green beginning in 2008. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a recruit can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 6. Edwards (6-2, 175) spent last season playing for Eastern Arizona College, where he earned NJCAA All-Region I and All-American honors. He led the team with 120 tackles. "North Texas was close to home," Edwards said. "I can't remember the last time my family came to see me play." Edwards began his career by spending two years at Iowa, where he ran into academic problems before transferring to Eastern Arizona, where he spent last season. He will have two years to use his remaining two seasons of eligibility. New Mexico State and Mississippi also offered Edwards a scholarship. Hawaii and Tennessee State showed interest. Edwards, who will graduate in the spring, played safety last year at Eastern Arizona, but can play all four spots in the defensive secondary. UNT has commitments from three defensive backs projected to play safety in Kylee Hill of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, Darien Williams of Vernon and John Shorter of Lake Highlands. James Hamilton of Cedar Hill is also projected to move to safety in college after playing quarterback in high school. "I played cornerback at Iowa," Edwards said. "The coaches want to take a look at me there, too." Edwards is the 16th player to commit to UNT for its 2008 class. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

UNT fills its need for CBs, MTSU loses its top guy One of the last holes in UNT's 2008 recruiting class appeared to be at cornerback heading into the weekend. The void is one the Mean Green addressed with the addition of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's Adryan Adams. I never got in touch with Adams, but I did talk to Eastern Arizona's Justin Edwards. It turns out that Edwards could end up as a cornerback at UNT as well. Edwards played corner at Iowa before heading to Eastern, where his team needed him at safety. UNT has already loaded up at safety with Kylee Hill, John Shorter, Darien Williams and James Hamilton. Edwards said UNT's coaches wanted to take a look at him at cornerback when he gets to campus. By the way, MTSU didn't have nearly as good a day as UNT on the recruiting front. The Blue Raiders’ prize recruit was quarterback Jaybo Shaw, who bolted for Georgia Tech when its new head coach Paul Johnson offered a scholarship. Shaw is a three-star recruit. With MTSU having lost its top recruit and Troy having lost its offensive coordinator Tony Franklin and its top quarterback recruit in Chris Todd to Auburn, it is looking more and more like UNT is going to run away with the unofficial title of Sun Belt recruiting champion.

It appears that two of the three JUCO committments , Adryan Adams and Kylee Hill, are December graduates & can sign LOI's on December 19th.

Doesn't the JUCO signing period start Wednesday (12/19) ?

WOW. Pony board already has comments on this recruit. North Texas got another quality CB JUCO commitment from Adryan Adams who at least was scheduled to visit A&M this weekend. Also recruited by Kansas St., Kansas, Oklahoma St. and Tulsa. Tulsa offered a visit. Not sure if this is the full story but he said he had to cancel the trip due to poor weather in Oklahoma. He said the Aggies tried to reschedule for later this week before signing date but he got tired of trying to reschedule and just committed to North Texas. Not sure-could be a cover story but at least the Aggies were interested enough to offer a visit. I'd settle for a recruit that A&M offered a visit to.

ADRYAN ADAMS http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewp...mp;pr_key=75053 MEAN GREEN COMMITTMENTS (At 17. Show 18 but Tomlin hasn't been removed) http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/commi...&School=163

Interesting post by Stallion on the pony board. North Texas got another 3 star from a JUCO DB Justin Edwards who originally signed with Iowa out of Garland Naaman Forest with offers from SMU, Tech, TCU, Kansas, and Tulsa. At one point had a Mississippi offer although it was unclear from the report if that was still on the table. North Texas is up to Four 3 stars which is more than all CUSA teams other than UCF. Unlike SMU they have immediately addressed their weakest part of their team with two 3 star DBs.

Per Rivals. NT has ANOTHER 3-star verbal ! Way to go ! JUSTIN EDWARDS http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewp...mp;pr_key=63504

Another perspective on recruiting needs Keith wanted to respond to the recruiting wish list I posted from another blog regular, but unfortunately our system is still not working. Here is what he had to say: Commenting on "A recruiting wish list from a blog regular" "NT should have anywhere from 6-8 ships left to offer. We need playmakers across the board on the defensive side. That being said here is the breakdown of what I would like to see happen: 1-RB Tre Newton There have been grumblings that he is unhappy with UT. Chances are unlikely, but you never know. Tre or another highly rated recruit is the only reason to offer another ship here. Hopefully Cam gets his redshirt. " You can never have too many running backs and hopefully we will get Tre Newton who looks like a great prospect but I wouldn't count out Cam Montgomery who only played in only 3 games and carried the ball only 3 times this year. As I recall he was the 3rd most productive Junior College running back in 2006. Freshman Micah Mosley was exceptional this year at running back and returning kickoffs. He has good speed and is a North - South runner that is hard to bring down, lots of second effort and punishes tacklers. He should be even better next year. He runs like the Cowboys Marion Barber. "1- DT Hopefully a JUCO who can step in and take a starting spot. Gumm would have been ideal, but not likely now. Otherwise go after a high school recruit. We're starting to get some depth here; lets keep in going. " We do have good depth here and Troy Franklin from Celina is a big boy from a very good high school program and could make an impact next year. "2- D-End We need someone who can come in and take the spot opposite Gilmore, most likely a JUCO. It appears as though we should be able to land Anthony Barnes. Add a high schooler in there for much needed depth and we're good. Jaquies Smith would be nice but doubtful." Let's not forget about redshirt freshman Kyle Russo who could make an impact at either defensive end or defensive tackle with his speed and agility. He doesn't have a lot of height being 6'3" but is very quick and fast and knows how to shed blocks. All Conference Jeremiah Chapman was only 6'4" and was listed at 243, which is lighter than Russo. He will probably be 20 lbs heavier next year, which would make him at about 265. He was awesome at Southlake Carroll. Freshman Jesse DeSoto could also step up and make a big impact. "1-CB Go after a JUCO who can step in and secure a troubled spot for NT. Then go after a kid from high school with speed. We got burned way to much this past season." Looking at the list of commits and possible recruits it appears that is where the emphasis is and looks like we are recruiting players that can be switched to defensive back. The Safety from Vernon is a good player from a good program. 1-K The comment about the kicking game killing us all year. I think that our Defense not being able to stop or hold our opponents was the real culprit and blocked punts were a big problem also. The comment about the kicker not being able to make an extra point or a field goal longer than 20 yards is a gross exaggeration. I think you need to be careful when allegedly stating facts. The facts are after checking the kicking stats of our present true freshman kicker he did make 34 of 36 extra points and as I recall from the game on TV with La. Lafayette, the miss in that game hit the goal post trying to kick out of the mud after a heavy rain that kept the teams off the field until game time and the other in the rain at Florida International that radio announcer George Dunham commented about the bad snap and later Mean Green Sports reported that the kick was partially blocked. Let's not forget the 8 PAT's against Navy and the 1 point win against Western Kentucky. In that game we had to kick the point the second time from 35 yards out because of a penalty. That 35 yard extra point in a cold rain was ultimately the difference. As far as field goals, 8 of 15 is not what you would like but 1 was blocked in the FAU game and as reported in the Denton Chronicle a bad snap caused another miss. Don't jump on the snapper because that job isn't easy either in the rain. All Field Goals made were from 20 yards or more. For fun I checked and they were 20, 28, 29, 29, 36, 37, 37, 37. Moreland was second on the team scoring with 58 points. Ranked 72nd out of the top 120 Division 1 Kickers in total PAT's. Lou Groza Award nominee Senior Garrett Hartley of OU missed 3 extra points this year. We must not forget that Kickers coming from high school have to adjust to kicking off the ground and the width of the goal post being narrow as compared to high school goal post

A recruiting wish list from a blog regular Drew -- one of our loyal blog readers -- had some trouble posting a comment this afternoon, so I volunteered to put it up for him. This is what he believes UNT should do with the rest of its open scholarships: NT should have anywhere from 6-8 ships left to offer. We need playmakers across the board on the defensive side. That being said here is the breakdown of what I would like to see happen: 1-RB Tre Newton There have been grumblings that he is unhappy with UT. Chances are unlikely, but you never know. Tre or another highly rated recruit is the only reason to offer another ship here. Hopefully Cam gets his redshirt. 1- DT Hopefully a JUCO who can step in and take a starting spot. Gumm would have been ideal, but not likely now. Otherwise go after a high school recruit. We're starting to get some depth here; lets keep in going. 2- D-End We need someone who can come in and take the spot opposite Gilmore, most likely a JUCO. It appears as though we should be able to land Anthony Barnes. Add a high schooler in there for much needed depth and we're good. Jaquies Smith would be nice but doubtful. 2- CB Go after a JUCO who can step in and secure a troubled spot for NT. Then go after a kid from high school with speed. We got burned way to much this past season. 1- K The kicking game killed us all year long!! Get a kid in here who can make an extra point and make a FG longer than 20 yds. One player I would like to see brought in purely because of his size is Robert Griffin of Euless Trinity. He weighs in at 6-7 360, the same size as Leonard Davis!! That gives you options, either at OL, or D-tackle. He is uncommitted, so why not? Or how about Mao Leota?

The News-Enterprise COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Franklin's change has Todd thinking about future By JOSH CLAYWELL Wednesday, December 12, 2007 10:52 PM CST -> http://www.newsenterpriseonline.com/...s/sports02.txt AUBURN, Ala. — Former Elizabethtown High School quarterback Chris Todd could be on the move again n but at least he won’t have to change states this time. Todd, who quarterbacked the Panthers to the Class 2-A state title game in 2003, verbally committed in November to Troy University and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. But now that Franklin has been named to the same position at Auburn, the former Elizabethtown star may be rethinking his future. And that may include Todd wearing the blue-and-orange of the Tigers instead of the red-and-black of the Trojans. “Right now we’re just going to see what happens,” said Todd while on his way to Elizabethtown for Christmas break. Todd spent the past semester at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas after transferring from Texas Tech. Todd said he picked Troy in part because of his relationship with Franklin and because of the offense the Trojans run. If Todd winds up at Auburn, he would likely compete for the starting job right away. The Tigers lose senior quarterback Brandon Cox, but return three freshmen and one junior next year. And there’s also the possibility of playing against a former teammate n Brandon Deaderick n in the annual Iron Bowl, the grudge match between Auburn and archrival Alabama. “That would be something,” Todd said. “I would look forward to that. However things work out, I look forward to challenging him and I’m sure he’ll be as excited about as I am. I’m kind of looking forward to his reaction.” If Todd chooses Auburn, he’ll be the third Elizabethtown graduate this decade to play in the Southeastern Conference along with Deaderick and Kentucky junior Zipp Duncan. “If that happens, it will definitely be exciting,” Todd said. “I think it’s the top conference in the country. You get to play a lot of good teams and play in a lot of great places.” The junior college signing period begins Wednesday, and Auburn begins practice for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl against Clemson on Friday. Todd’s decision could come as early as Wednesday. “It feels great to be back it again,” Todd said. “I’m excited about it. Obviously they’re a great football school. They have a great tradition down there in Alabama. It’ll be an exciting place to play.”

Great article from the Chattanooga newspaper on the power of having a successful program. App State shows power of success Thursday, December 13, 2007 Here's how football can unify a campus. How one game can capture the hearts and wallets of an entire nation. How applications can increase, average SAT scores rise and retail sales multiply with the right leadership, a marketing plan with vision and, of course, a pretty darn good football team. Here's a story you wish could happen to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. If it can happen at a tiny resort town in the Blue Ridge Mountains named after Daniel Boone, it can happen here, right? The fervor over Appalachian State athletics used to be confined to the mountains in Boone, N.C. Come down the mountain, and the black and gold colors faded into the blues of North Carolina and Duke. Black and gold meant Wake Forest away from the Blue Ridge. People didn't know much about the Mountaineers. North Carolina and Duke fans just knew they probably didn't want to play them in football. Appalachian State came to Chattanooga and won the I-AA title in 2005, but the echoes from the roar couldn't be heard down the mountain. You could not find much national championship gear outside of Boone. "It was disappointing," said athletic director Charlie Cobb, who came to Appalachian State from N.C. State that year. But the school's chancellor, Dr. Ken Peacock, said he wanted a new era for Appalachian State athletics. And Peacock, who can often be seen doing push-ups on the sideline or riding a wave of hands in the student section, knew that a lively football atmosphere was one of the best ways to brand a school. Cobb's first mission was securing Boone as an Appalachian State town. He helped enhance the game day atmosphere, make Saturdays an event. He tabbed his buddy from N.C. State, Lewis Hardy, to serve as a liaison between the school and retailers who sell its product. Hardy, the president of Licensing Resource Group, began a movement to get Appalachian State products into stores across the state. The Mountaineers came to Chattanooga and won another title last season. Momentum continued to build. Applications skyrocketed. And then 34-32 happened. Hardy was on the Appalachian State team plane leaving for Ann Arbor, Mich., and he was with the players on the way back after stunning Michigan on Sept. 1. "I don't think they needed a plane," he said. Did they ever really land? Isn't the school still on a high? The local Wal-Mart could not keep new Appalachian State merchandise on the shelves for a week. Not just after the Michigan game. Any week. "By the time we get a shipment, it's all gone before the next weekend," Wal-Mart associate Tammy Dickenson said. "It's been like that pretty much all season." The school needed to hire more staff and open a warehouse to handle all the merchandise requests. Sure, a sizable percentage of sales headed toward Ohio and Michigan for those giddy Buckeyes and Spartans fans. Vendors in those states received permission to print Appalachian State shirts in Ohio State and Michigan State colors. One style of Michigan State shirt -- in green, of course -- reads, "At least we didn't lose to Appalachian State." Average attendance for regular season games this year was 27,140, double the average in 2004 of 13,556. The school is doing close to $10 million at retail. Sales are up 250 percent to 300 percent, and that's coming off of a national championship season. The same fans aren't stocking their closets with shirts. The school is making new fans in places like Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Raleigh. Freshmen enrollment was about 2,900 last fall, but the school received almost 18,000 applications. Admission is more difficult and average SAT scores are up. Appy Mania is sweeping across North Carolina. And the passion only intensified in Boone. "If you walk through campus," safety Corey Lynch said, "more than 50 percent of the students have some kind of championship gear or something representing the football team. It's fun going on campus and seeing everyone." So there's your formula, Chattanooga: A chancellor committed to football, a visionary for an athletic director, an inspired marketing plan and one heck of a football team. And a win over a top-5 school wouldn't hurt, either. Oh, and three straight national championships would be helpful. Just ask Hardy. His plan is to ready the shelves in Boone at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, you know, just in case. ARTICLE http://www.timesfreepress.com/absolutenm/t...&zoneid=140

Newcomer of the Year (Sun Belt ) QB Giovanni Vizza, North Texas In a season of few bright spots at North Texas, Vizza boosted hope for the future with a solid performance under center. The 6-foot-1 true freshman wound up third in the league in passing (238.8 ypg) and sixth in quarterback rating (115.1). He set the NCAA single-game freshman record for passing touchdowns with eight against Navy. Florida Atlantic redshirt freshman cornerback Tavious Polo (7 INTs) was another notable newcomer. Biggest disappointment (CUSA) SMU The Mustangs were picked third in the West division before the season but ended up advancing the theory that the program will never recover from the death penalty sanctions. SMU went winless in league play and 1-11 overall, prompting the firing of coach Phil Bennett with four games remaining. The nation's 116th-rated defense doomed SMU, which once again got decent production from quarterback Justin Willis. Preseason East division favorite Southern Miss had a wave of injuries and finished 7-5, though the bigger disappointment was the idiotic dismissal of longtime coach Jeff Bower. Biggest disappointment (MWC) TCU Tabbed as this season's non-BCS darling back in August, TCU dropped two of its first games and finished a pedestrian 7-5 despite returning nine starters from a defense that ranked second nationally last year. Star defensive end Tommy Blake twice took a medical leave from the team, and TCU struggled with ball discipline (27 giveaways, minus-.5 turnover margin). Colorado State dropped nine of its first 10 games in coach Sonny Lubick's final season. HIGHLIGHT NON-BCS SEASONS http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3149256

Shucks, you guys are just toooooooo kind.

OOPS, 'ur rite.......senior moment.

Actually the Belt is 4-5 vs the Big XII. You left out ULM's win over Iowa.

From the report. GETTING INSIDE With the loss of three starters and eight letter winners from last season's NCAA Tournament team it would not have been surprising to see North Texas struggle in the early stages of the season. Instead, the Mean Green are off to a 6-2 start that includes wins over Oklahoma State and New Mexico State and a competitive performance in a loss at then-No. 4 Texas. Some of UNT's early progress was also evident in its most recent game, a 105-97 home victory over Hartford on Dec. 8. The Mean Green played without two injured players, senior center Keith Wooden and junior guard Collin Dennis, who combine to average 25.7 points per game. Then the Mean Green lost two more players to foul trouble in the second half and fell victim to 17 Hartford 3-pointers. "It's a good sign when you can find another way to win," UNT head coach Johnny Jones told the Denton Record-Chronicle. "That is the sign of a good basketball team. With them shooting as well as they were, our guys could have questioned themselves, but we bore our necks and continued to grind. To score 105 points says a lot about our team." MEAN GREEN REPORT http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/men.../northtexas.htm