Search the Community

We will start out the breakdown with the linebacking core. This is a group that is losing two long time contributors in KD Davis and Larry Nixon. That is 671 career tackles that new LB Coach Colby Kratch is tasked with replacing. With his Iowa State variation of the 3-3-5 defense, we will see a third linebacker on the field. Last Season at Iowa State they ran out a LB core that had sizes of 5-11 231, 6-2 260 and 6-4 242. We will not see a LB trio with that same kind of size this season. But I do believe they will make up for it with speed. Here are my overall thoughts on the LB group. TOP RETURNERS Jordan Brown and Kevin Wood are the veterans of this group. They are the top returning players in this group. Both have seen extended periods of playing time in the last few seasons. Woods and Brown combined for eighty-nine tackles this last season. I can see one of the two along with Oklahoma State transfer Carson Kropp locking down the MLB spot this upcoming season. BREAKOUT STAR Redshirt Freshman Ethan Wesloski from McKinney Boyd could very well have a breakout season. He has the measurables at 6-1, 229. While at Boyd, Ethan was a tackling machine. He had almost three hundred tackles in his Jr and Sr years. After a year on campus and redshirting this past season, he will look to take a leap this upcoming season. Wesloski made great strides this spring. If the growth continues this fall, I would not be surprised to see him starting at WLB come September 2nd. SAME FACE/NEW POSITION A name that is new to the Linebacker room but not to the North Texas program is Jaylen Smith. Smith has played in 27 games the past two seasons for North Texas, mostly on special teams. But the new defensive staff moved Smith to linebacker from defensive back this past spring. He will add speed to the linebacking core. Smith, who is a Jr., goes a solid 5-11, 212. Smith could also be in line to break the 2-deep this fall at the SLB position and if he does remember you heard it here first. If he does not, then I will not recall ever saying it. NEW ADDITIONS Three names that are new to the North Texas program that could break the 2 deep this fall are Chavez Brown, CJ Garnett and Matthew Moore. Brown and Garnett both came from the JUCO ranks. Chavez Brown is an interesting story. He is a converted TE coming from Butler CC. He has size and athleticism that should be able to contribute early at North Texas. I had the privilege to interview CJ Garnett after he committed from Blinn this spring. He is a super intelligent kid that is super excited to be a part of the North Texas football program. He had an impressive tape out of Blinn. I think he will battle for the SLB position come fall camp. The third and final new addition on my list is HS addition Matthew Moore from Killeen. Moore is one of my favorite signees from the 2023 class for North Texas. He is a super smart kid that flew around the field like a missile. If you watched his high school film, you could not miss it. Moore not only brings speed but decent size for a true freshman, coming in at 6 ft 218. He and Brown will be battling for a chance to break the two deep out of fall camp at the WLB position. GOMEANGREEN OVERALL THOUGHTS I think even though North Texas is losing some key contributors in the linebacking core, this group has the potential to be a bright spot this season. I believe due to several players with high ceilings and a new defensive scheme this group could surprise a lot of North Texas fans this season. Interview Links CJ Garnett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tOS3CBUvwo Matthew Moore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuFoj5EqcM

Seth Littrell | North Texas Total compensation: $1,897,500 Although making nearly $2 million is nothing to sneeze at outside the world of college football, North Texas’ play on the field lately doesn’t even justify Littrell making that. Hovering around .500 with a losing record in each of the last three years would be pink-slip time for most coaches. Plus, Littrell has lost all five of his bowl games. He came into 2022 with the oldest starting quarterback in the nation with a chance to make some noise in Conference USA. Should the Mean Green fail to show significant progress, the buyout would be $1.575 million if he is relieved of his duties on Dec. 1. Follow Scooby Axson on Twitter @ScoobAxson READ MORE: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/sports/ncaaf/2022/10/13/overpaid-college-football-coaches-contracts-jimbo-fisher/8130700001/

We all know the current situation Seth Littrell and the UNT Football team are in, currently sitting at 1-6 the Mean Green would have to win out to qualify for a bowl game. This puts UNT in a weird position, because Littrell's big contract, firing him means a 2 million dollar buyout. With a looming conference change, UNT is probably wanting a fresh start. Down below I've listed 3 strong candidates that UNT should go after to replace Littrell, to start the American Conference era on the right foot. Doc Hudson The Hudson Hornet knows one or two things about winning. Doc won the Piston Cup three times in his lengthy Racing Career, he also holds the most wins in a single season (16). My favorite thing about Doc is his leadership ability, in Lighting McQueen's 2015 final race for the Piston Cup he put together a group of cars with no experience. They almost won but McQueen opted for sportsmanship over winning the big race. Doc can bring a winning attitude to the athletic department and the Mean Green football team. His track record is flawless and reminds me a lot of Tom Landry. Jon Gruden I know you are probably thinking "why would we want a guy facing so many allegations" well two words.... Super Bowl. Imagine the next person to coach the Mean Green has won a Super Bowl. Bringing a NFL level coach to the American conference would give UNT such a great advantage. Gruden probably has no interest from any NFL or D1 athletic program, so this is our time to pounce. People will forget about what happened in the past month with Gruden by the time the season finishes. Ride Littrell out for the rest of the season then snag Gruden. George Dunham Former Mean Green play by play voice for 20 years and morning show host at the Ticket needs to make a change from the brodcast booth to down on the field. Dunham screams UNT, donors would have no problem paying him a contract like Littrell. The one thing that separates Dunham from the other two candidates on this post is his ability to keep a listener. With that ability he could change the culture and gravitate the players towards him. Dunham is a no brainer for this job.

A television ad for this Saturday's Michigan-Michigan State showdown refers to the Spartans as "Mean Green." An athletic director in Texas isn't happy about that. Wren Baker, the athletic director at North Texas, tweeted on Tuesday night that he's sending Michigan State and ESPN a cease and desist letter over what he calls the unauthorized usage of a trademarked nickname. North Texas says it has been using the moniker for its athletic teams since the 1960's, when its defensive line featured future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Greene. Baker told USA Today on Tuesday night that the school's attorneys planned on sending letters to Michigan State and ESPN on Wednesday morning. He also referenced a basketball game last year, when Michigan State wore lime green uniforms that were referred to as "Mean Green Hyper Elite." According to a Michigan State spokesperson, Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis reached out to Baker on Wednesday morning "expressing MSU's and the athletic department's awareness of the importance of the trademark, and assuring him that we would not intentionally intrude upon its connection to North Texas." read more: http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2017/10/north_texas_upset_over_tv_ad_t.html

Experience a spirited, family friendly evening by joining the Mean Green Club and the UNT Alumni Association for the 2017 Coaches Caravan. Catch up on the latest athletics news while enjoying a relaxed pep rally atmosphere. Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker will discuss the future of the UNT athletics program and will share highlights from the new strategic plan. Coaches and student athletes will mingle with the crowd to personally meet attendees and discuss UNT and athletics. While in attendance, you can also visit tables hosted by the UNT Alumni Association, the Mean Green Club, the Barnes and Noble Bookstore and the ticket office. The 2017 Coaches Caravan will have a total of six stops. Select the one that best fits your schedule and location and we’ll see you there! May 8 - Collin County Park Place Lexus 6785 Dallas Parkway, Plano 75024 6-8 pm FREE parking on-site RSVP below by May 7 May 9 - Dallas County Dot's Hop House 2645 Commerce St., Dallas 75226 6-8 pm Self parking on streets and in surrounding lots RSVP below by May 7 May 10 - Denton County Audacity Brew House 1012 Shady Oaks Dr., Denton 76205 6-8 pm Public parking in lots and on street RSVP below by May 7 May 11 - Tarrant County Collective Brewing Project 8112 St. Louis Ave., Fort Worth 76104 6-8 pm Public parking in lot RSVP below by May 7 May 17 - Houston Karbach Brewing Company 2032 Karbach St., Houston 77092 6-8 pm Public parking in lot RSVP below by May 14 May 18 - San Antonio Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling 4834 Whirlwind Dr., San Antonio 78217 6-8 pm Public parking in lots RSVP below by May 14 Admission for each event: UNT Alumni Association and Mean Green Club members - $5/person Non-members - $10/person RSVP below now! For more information, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 940-565-2834. https://www.untalumni.com/coachescaravan

Hello everybody, UNT alumni here. I'm helping build a video platform which promotes all things Denton (food, activities, businesses, people). I was curious to whether or not you could help out by LIKING our DentonLocal.tv Facebook page? Even 1 LIKE will help out. Thanks so much everybody...and GO MEAN GREEN!