Search the Community

TYLER, TX (KLTV) - Several Big 12 football programs have spent the past week in East Texas searching for some of the top talent in the state. For a non power five conference team like North Texas, recruiting can be a little tougher. But, the Mean Green have made East Texas a second home. North Texas might not compete in a power five conference, but head coach Dan McCarney doesn't back down from targeting East Texas players that have offers from the likes of a Texas A&M or Baylor. "We do not put up a white flag with any young man and say we surrender because these schools are recruiting you," McCarney said. "This is a major, major part of our recruiting right here." McCarney isn't lying. The Mean Green have over a dozen East Texans on their roster. "There is a history of this for a long time," McCarney said. "They bring toughness, competitiveness, loyalty, and are hard nosed. If you walk down a dark alley, you take a bunch of guys from East Texas with you because they will fight and compete their butts off." Read more: http://www.kltv.com/story/29300435/north-texas-puts-emphasis-on-recruiting-east-texas

It’s resulted in a booming market for recruits across the state. UCLA coach Jim Mora Jr. was amazed at the number of other college coaches he encountered in a recent visit to a Dallas hotel lobby. “I was looking around one night and noticed there were some pretty darned good football programs staying at the hotel,” Mora said. “And these weren’t little schools, either.” Mora has stepped up his recruiting in the Lone Star State, which he considers his second most important hunting ground behind California. With nine players from the state and two recruits in the upcoming class, the word has gotten out about the Bruins. They are among the finalists for Plano West running back Soso Jamabo, Rivals.com’s top Texas recruit who is expected to choose between them and Texas on National Signing Day. “There is just so much talent down there,” Mora said. “We all know there’s great high school football there. And the kids that we’ve recruited have done very well for us. It’s been a good match.” Mora’s success has convinced other coaches from around the country to enter a Texas market that is becoming more crowded. Rodgers said Maryland and Rutgers became converts shortly after joining the Big Ten Conference. “You heard Chad Morris when he was hired at SMU saying he wanted to keep everybody else out of Dallas-Fort Worth and that he was going to surround it,” Rodgers said. “With (Texas State’s) Dennis Franchione, you heard the same thing and you’ve heard (UT’s) Charlie Strong say that, too. “There’s a lot of terrific players here in the state and Texas schools obviously want to keep everybody else out. But as long as D-FW International Airport and George Bush (Intercontinental Airport) remain open, it’s going to be awfully hard to do.” Read more: http://www.expressnews.com/sports/colleges/article/Changing-landscape-More-Texas-recruits-moving-6054220.php#/0

The past recruiting week began with Flower Mound Marcus offensive line mates Keaton Sutherland and Creighton Barr signing their financial aid/early enrollment papers last Monday (Jan. 6). Sutherland, a four-star tackle, is headed to Texas A&M, while Barr, a three-star guard/center, will stay closer to home and play at North Texas. Sutherland committed to Texas A&M in mid-June, while Barr committed to UNT in mid-September. Lee Morris, 2015 WR, Allen -- one of DFW's top sleepers got his third offer this past Friday from North Texas. Read more: http://recruiting.scout.com/story/1501215-dfw-weekly-recruiting-notebook

What do you do with those spots? Best athlete available? 3-4 d-linemen? Do you sign another HS QB? How about another HS running back? I would sign 4 defensive linemen, 1 cornerback and 1 running back/athlete.

It's been quiet over the past couple of weeks but National Signing Day is Feb. 4, less than a month away... The NCAA recruiting calendar is currently in a "Dead Period" – no in-person contact between coaches and recruits, whether on- or off-campus – but when the restrictions lift Jan. 15, I would anticipate that UNT will bring in a good amount of quality prospects for official and unofficial visits. Let's hope that we have some big nasty d-linemen in on those visits! GMG!

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/school/_/id/249/class/2015