Coach Andy Mac

The USC Trojans drifted through most of the 1950s. The program which had been so powerful from the late 1920s through World War II had fallen on hard times. It needed a coach who could restore lost glories and make up for lost time. John McKay became that man, beginning his tenure as USC head coach in 1960 and — in two short years — bringing the Trojans a national championship. USC remained formidable and successful for the next decade and a half under McKay, who then handed off the program to a superb successor, John Robinson. USC football had been healed and improved. Who is that kind of figure for Iowa football? There can be only one answer: Hayden Fry. Iowa football thrived in the late 1950s but then fell on very hard times in the 1960s and 1970s. Fry had toiled in relative obscurity at SMU and North Texas. His arrival in Iowa City in 1979 elicited questions more than a sense that Iowa had found its restorative genius. LINK: https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2023/07/11/hawkeyes-wire-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-legendary-iowa-coach-hayden-fry/

https://247sports.com/player/chris-mcdermott-46128414/

2023 CFN Preseason Prediction: 7-7 2022 Record: 4-8 2023 Record: 0-0 Aug 26 OPEN DATE Sept 2 Cal L Sept 9 at FIU W Sept 16 at Louisiana Tech L Sept 23 OPEN DATE Sept 30 Abilene Christian W Oct 7 at Navy L Oct 14 Temple W Oct 21 at Tulane L Oct 28 Memphis L Nov 4 UTSA L Nov 10 at SMU L Nov 18 at Tulsa L Nov 25 UAB W Read more: https://collegefootballnews.com/cfn/north-texas-football-schedule-2023-game-predictions-scores

At the same time, a generous collective donation still has a mirage element. It is not the price of winning. There are no on-field, on-court guarantees. It’s merely the price of short-term optimism. Filling a collective’s coffers provides a jolt of adrenaline for an athletic program, however temporary. So for the garden-variety State U. collective donor, sources say, where’s the guaranteed return on investment? If the ROI is a College Football Playoff berth, that’s one thing. If the ROI is a Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl berth, that’s quite another. Well-heeled boosters have deep pockets. But those pockets are not bottomless. Leaning so heavily on donors begs the question: Is this model sustainable? “I don’t think that the current model will exist going forward,” Bubba Cunningham, the North Carolina athletic director, told On3. “The never-ending need for more resources will continue to be. But how we go about prioritizing and how we go about asking for resources is going to have to change.” More than two-thirds of NIL transactions come from school-specific collectives. Of the more than 200 collectives, some rank-and-file Power 5 school-affiliated ones raise $3 to $5 million annually, with the most ambitious SEC entities amassing anywhere from $5 to $15 million. Here’s the buzzkill: Until CFP expansion in 2024, there are only four playoff berths and only four Final Four berths. Not every season ends with a parade, so what’s the donor benefit? read more: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/what-donor-fatigue-means-as-nil-enters-its-third-year-of-impacting-college-sports-ncaa-collectives/

Finally, the much-anticipated American Athletic Conference (AAC) expansion is happening. In June 2022, the AAC announced in June 2022 that six new members would be joining its ranks. The new members are scheduled to officially join the conference on July 1, 2023. The new members are Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. This will bring the total number of members in the conference to 14. The AAC expansion is in direct response to the series of realignments that have been going on in college athletics for some years now. Several conferences have been making moves to bring on new members to boost their overall position in relation to other conferences. In order not to be left out, the AAC had to begin its own expansion to remain competitive with its contemporaries in the Power 6. Remember, the AAC was established during the 2013 reorganization as a successor to the old Big East Conference. The conference is not new to realignments. After it was originally born out of an actual reorganization of the old Big East, it has experienced movements, in and out, of members. Louisville and Rutgers departed the conference just one year after its formation. The addition of Wichita State in 2017 did not fully make up for this as it was a non-football program. Again in 2020, UConn left the conference to join up with the Big East. The latest in the series of departures from the conference will take effect on July 1, 2023, as Cincinnati, Houston and Central Florida make their way out. However, with the arrival of the six new members, the AAC expansion is projected to strengthen the conference in a number of ways. For instance, UAB and Charlotte bring some needed weight to the conference in the media market. In addition, the strong academic standing of the new members will serve to maintain the AAC’s reputation as a top academic conference. read more: https://www.sportskeeda.com/college-football/aac-expansion-news-what-colleges-moving-american-charlotte-fau-fray-latest-conference-realignments-transform-college-athletics

https://www.hudl.com/profile/15322378/masyn-howell

Elkhart native Jeff Wilson Jr. will host his “Dream Big ETX Football Camp” June 16th at the Jerry Ives Memorial Stadium. Wilson continues to pour back into the community that raised him by bringing some professional football knowledge back to East Texas. Registration is free for kids ages 8-15 years old. The purpose of this camp is to provide football players in the East Texas area with an opportunity to meet and also learn skills techniques that are used by current and former college/pro athletes. The football players will also gain an insight on how the athletes’ day-to-day lifestyle is and the tasks that have to deal with being NFL and college athletes, according to the camp’s website. The Elkhart native committed to the University of North Texas in 2014. He finished his college career fourth all-time on the program's rushing list (3,205 yards), third in career rushing touchdowns (32) and fourth in program history in all-purpose yards (4,009). Wilson signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2018. He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 24, 2018. Interested participants can visit can register on Eventbrite.com under “ETX Jeff Wilson's Dream Big Football Camp.” read more: https://www.palestineherald.com/sports/elkhart-native-jeff-wilson-jr-to-host-dream-big-etx-football-camp/article_1e37ee16-04a2-11ee-84f7-2bb33a365d5a.html

In the battle for the deepest position in the inaugural rookie draft, linebacker would come out as the easy winner. I had to make a lot of rough cuts and was psyched to get an extra pick when original list-maker Ryan Greenhagen got signed by the Philadelphia Stars. So, here’s the five that made it through. WILDCARD - KD Davis, North Texas Let’s start with a player that, if it wasn’t for one moment of misfortune, he’d be in the midst of an NFL training camp. KD Davis comes from the world of Texas High School football. He didn’t play for a powerhouse program, but his stats while playing safety were enough for 247sports to rank him as a 3-star recruit. He received offers from Memphis, Illinois, and Louisiana Tech, but chose to stay in-state, commit to North Texas, and switch to linebacker. Rather than redshirt his freshman year, KD dove in head first and played predominantly on special teams. By the next year, he moved up to the starting role and held the job from 2019 to 2022. He led the team in tackles for all four years (the first UNT player to ever do so) and set the school record for most career tackles with 428. His senior year he notched 139 tackles, the second best season in school history and 5th best nationally. Going into the Frisco Bowl, KD had been named 1st Team All-Conference USA, 4th Team All-American, and Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. In the bowl game, KD made five more tackles, but it wouldn’t be enough to top Boise State. Even worse, in the final minutes of the 4th quarter, KD tore his ACL. KD will have to wait until September to get back on his feet and restart training. Even then, there is still nervousness as to whether he’ll be the same player even after he heals. To that I say, drafting him in a late round couldn’t hurt. ACL surgeries have greatly improved and the majority of folks come back from them no problem. Plus, with the XFL season starting well after his heal-by date, it will give him plenty of time to get back his old self and show the NFL what he can do. read more: https://xflnewshub.com/xfl-news/xfl-2023-rookie-draft-dl/

When University of South Florida officials presented an initial budget for a $340 million on-campus football stadium last month, chief financial officer Richard J. Sobieray stood behind the figures being used to justify one of the biggest decisions in school history. “I’m a conservative CFO in nature,” Sobieray said then at the board of trustees’ finance committee meeting, “and I think if I had issues with this I would definitely express them.” Not everyone shares Sobieray’s confidence. As the full board prepares for Tuesday’s vote on whether to authorize $200 million in debt for the Bulls’ proposed 35,000-seat facility, the Tampa Bay Times shared the financial projections with three academics who study stadium economics. Their reactions ranged from cautious optimism to downright disbelief. “I don’t know if I’d call it economic malpractice,” said College of the Holy Cross economics professor Victor Matheson, who literally co-wrote the book on sports economics, “but it’s pretty close to it.” read more: https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bulls/2023/06/09/usf-football-on-campus-stadium-ocs-bulls-conference-realignment/

After a 30-year career coaching high school and college basketball and assistant coaching the professionals, Trammell is now headed into her first WNBA head coaching position with the Dallas Wings. Latricia Trammell only needed 30 years to become a head coach in the WNBA, starting in the high school ranks and working her way up. The Oklahoma native did stints at Denton’s Billy Ryan High School, at UNT, and at TWU. At Oklahoma City University, she won back-to-back NAIA national championships in 2014 and 2015. And now, after serving as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Stars and the Los Angeles Sparks, she leads the Dallas Wings into a season of high expectations. read more: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2023/june/meet-latricia-trammell-the-new-dallas-wings-head-coach/

The Nevada men's basketball team will open its 2023-24 season at home against Sacramento State, per Rocco Miller, a college hoops Bracketologist and analyst. The Wolf Pack will look to build upon its 22-win 2022-23 season that landed Nevada in its first NCAA Tournament under Steve Alford, who will enter his fifth season at Nevada next year. Nevada also owes a road game to North Texas, although it is unknown whether that game will be played this season. The Wolf Pack can play up to 13 non-conference games in 2023-24 since it is playing in a multi-team event. read more: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/reporters/nevada-mens-basketball-will-reportedly-open-season-at-home-against-sacramento-state

https://bvmsports.com/2023/06/12/womens-basketball-adds-three-coaches-to-staff/

The North Texas Mean Green achieved their crowning moment, defeating conference rival UAB to secure the first NIT title in program history. The championship springboards the Mean Green into an offseason of massive upheaval. In an instant, their coach was gone, though that wasn’t much of a surprise. Grant McCasland had the inside track for the Texas Tech job for some time and quickly snatched when he was done leading the Mean Green to glory. North Texas wasted no time filling the job, handing it to longtime associate head coach Ross Hodge. He’s been a big part of what McCasland has built and the program shouldn’t regress too much under the first-time head coach. That transition is far from the biggest the program is going to have this offseason. The Mean Green will no longer be Conference USA Rivals with the Blazers; instead they’ll be rivals with them in the AAC. The AAC will be virtually unrecognizable next year. Can North Texas fill the void and take the conference crown in its first year as a member? read more: https://bustingbrackets.com/2023/04/03/north-texas-basketball-mean-green-win-aac-first-year/

Deion Sanders described the team he inherited at Colorado as a "mess" that was rife with "junk" and "foolishness," prompting him to "get rid" of it to the point where only he now only has about 10 scholarship players returning from last year’s team out of a roster of 85. Sanders, who was hired as Colorado’s football coach in December, made those comments in an interview published online Monday with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback. "Coach Prime" also told Klatt that he has assembled so much talent to replace those players that he expects his new team to be able to compete with TCU in the season opener Sept. 2 despite being a three-touchdown underdog at the home of last season’s No. 2 team. "I want it now, and I want it all," Sanders said. Sanders has brought in 46 transfers from other four-year schools to build his roster, including 10 from Jackson State, where Sanders coached since 2020. Another 17 recruits are coming from high school, along with four from junior colleges. He said he has held back a handful of scholarships to award to non-scholarship players or other players who earn them to fill out his 85-scholarship limit. read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/pac12/2023/06/12/deion-sanders-colorado-roster-joel-klatt-interview/70314811007/

DENTON – Ahead of the 48th season in program history and first as a member of the American Athletic Conference, head coach Kristee Porter and UNT volleyball announced the 2023 schedule on Monday. The Mean Green will face a 32-match slate which features matches against seven participants of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including Sweet 16 finalists Houston. UNT’s schedule includes seven non-conference meetings with programs that finished last season in the top-60 RPI and three opponents from The American. North Texas plays a home exhibition on Aug. 19 against Oral Roberts before it opens regular-season play with a four-team tournament on Aug. 25 in Boulder, Colo. including the program’s first meeting with the University of Colorado. After a 13-match non-conference schedule that includes six matchups against conference champions – Campbell (Big South), UNLV (Mountain West), Texas State (Sun Belt), Houston (The American), Stephen F. Austin (WAC) and UCF (The American) – the Mean Green will host its first match in The American versus Florida Atlantic on Sept. 20 at the North Texas Volleyball Center. Porter’s team will compete in 19 conference matches with 10 home contests including two-match weekends against Tulsa (Sept. 28-29), UTSA (Oct. 13 and 15) and Rice (Nov. 10-11). North Texas takes a pair of road trips to Wichita State (Nov. 3-4) and SMU (Nov. 17-18) before it closes the regular season at home on Nov. 22 versus Memphis. UNT finished the 2022 season 16-15 overall and 9-5 in Conference USA including the first win at the league tournament since 2018 over UAB. The team returns 10 letterwinners including 2023 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Sh’Diamond Holly, first team all-conference selection Treyaunna Rush and second-team honoree Aryn Johnson. All regular season UNT home matches will be broadcast on the ESPN+. Olympic Sport Passes for next season's Mean Green volleyball, soccer and softball seasons are available now. Fans can purchase a general admission Olympic Sport Pass for $75 and receive season tickets for all three teams. Olympic Sport Passes can be purchased here. 2023 UNT Volleyball Schedule Aug. 19 Oral Roberts (Exhibition) Denton Aug. 25 vs. Campbell Boulder, Colo. Aug. 26 vs. UNLV Boulder, Colo. Aug. 27 at Colorado Boulder, Colo. Aug. 29 Texas Southern Denton Aug. 31 at Texas State San Marcos, Texas Sept. 1 vs. Houston San Marcos, Texas Sept. 4 Texas Tech Denton Sept. 6 Stephen F. Austin Denton Sept. 8 at UCF Orlando, Fla. Sept. 9 vs. Florida State Orlando, Fla. Sept. 14 at UT Arlington Arlington, Texas Sept. 15 vs. McNeese Arlington, Texas Sept. 16 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce Arlington, Texas Sept. 20 FAU* Denton Sept. 23 at Tulane* New Orleans Sept. 24 at Tulane* New Orleans Sept. 28 Tulsa* Denton Sept. 29 Tulsa* Denton Oct. 6 at UAB* Birmingham, Ala. Oct. 8 at East Carolina* Greenville, N.C. Oct. 13 UTSA* Denton Oct. 15 UTSA* Denton Oct. 20 at USF* Tampa, Fla. Oct. 27 Temple* Denton Oct. 29 Charlotte* Denton Nov. 3 at Wichita State* Wichita, Kan. Nov. 4 at Wichita State* Wichita, Kan. Nov. 10 Rice* Denton Nov. 11 Rice* Denton Nov. 17 at SMU* Dallas Nov. 18 at SMU* Dallas Nov. 22 Memphis* Denton *League Matches

UNT at Frisco currently has partnerships with the Dallas Cowboys, Toyota, Omni Hotels, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and Sam’s Club. UNT at Frisco completed its first semester of classes at Frisco Landing after the building was opened to the public in January. Frisco Landing is the first of many buildings planned at the UNT at Frisco branch campus. The University of North Texas has offered courses in Collin County for over a decade, with courses offered at Collin Higher Education Center since 2010, at Hall Park since 2016 and at Inspire Park since 2018. “Frisco is becoming a big IT and computer-focused community, there’s no two ways about it,” said Audhesh Paswan, dean of New College and vice provost at UNT at Frisco. “It would be natural, given our resources here [in Denton], that we will move some of the programs to Frisco to take care of that particular demand.” One of the main focuses of the Frisco campus is its New College, which is the newest of the 14 colleges offered at the university and its additional campuses. The project-based school is housed at UNT at Frisco but will continue to provide classes for both the Denton and Frisco campuses. The New College’s focus is interdisciplinary studies, where students are able to draw inspiration from different sources of their interests and apply it to their careers. Paswan said there are several big tech, hospitality and banking companies in the area UNT at Frisco will be looking to partner with to provide hands-on opportunities for students in cohort-based programs. “You can see students, even in the classroom, asking ‘So you’re teaching me all of this theory, you’re teaching me all these statistical procedures. How will I use it?’” Paswan said. “Our kids will actually learn how to apply it.” read more: https://www.ntdaily.com/unt-at-frisco-completes-first-semester-focuses-student-opportunity/

After back-to-back Conference USA championships, the Roadrunners are setting their sights on a third straight title — but in a different league. Behind rising star head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA is 30-10 over the last three years and will immediately push Tulane for the top spot in the American Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners welcome back nine starters on offense, including quarterback Frank Harris, arguably the best player in UTSA history. Harris is back for his fifth season after throwing for 4,063 yards and 32 TDs. Will Stein left to take over as Oregon's play-caller, but don't expect a drop in production with Justin Burke as the offensive coordinator this fall. Expect a season-ending battle with Tulane to determine the league champion. But could the Nov. 25 showdown in New Orleans be the first of two games between these two teams? With Harris and a loaded offense leading the way, a rematch in the conference title game is a strong possibility. UTSA will be tested in non-conference play with games at Houston and Tennessee, along with a tricky home date versus Army. However, the road slate in AAC play - at Temple, FAU and North Texas - is very manageable outside of the matchup against Tulane. read more: https://athlonsports.com/college-football/utsa-football-roadrunners-prediction-preview-2023