MGB: Today's DRC editorial on the state of UNT athletics

MeanGreenHoops · October 13, 2015

I want to be positive. I really do. I spent 5 years on this campus thinking things were changing and it's right back to 2010 again.

This is how life go. Welcome to it. You can give up and be part of the problem, or do something about it.

THOR · October 13, 2015

Mac spoke the truth. He said that UNT is hard to recruit to. Which is true.

dodge recruited players that could win here

Quoner · October 13, 2015

1 & 2. I would disagree, the BOR has shown absolute loyalty to Rick. The fact that he still is here shows it will continue.
3. Have you read our Facebook? or /r/unt? Our students loathe this university. It's mostly freshmen at the games. The older students get worn down and defeated by reality that the university pipes money into our athletic program which is perpetually underperforming at an astronomic level.
I want to be positive. I really do. I spent 5 years on this campus thinking things were changing and it's right back to 2010 again. This is one of the best schools in the country. We deserve the same for sports.

Please don't introduce GMG to /r/. We need everything nice and contained here as much as possible.

untbowler · October 13, 2015

please UNT is easier to recruit to than many other schools, I mean who wants to go to Toledo, Buffalo, Jonesboro, Hattiesburg. DMac was lazy even though he had a brand new stadium and bigger budget, tired of that excuse and whining. DMac was just lazy and wanted a cush job to retire and that became obvious with his suck recruiting

Caw Caw · October 13, 2015

I want to be positive. I really do. I spent 5 years on this campus thinking things were changing and it's right back to 2010 again. This is one of the best schools in the country. We deserve the same for sports.

Some of these guys have been following the team for 50 years of these cycles, and you want to quit following after 5 years? Thanks for tagging along, don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Caw Caw

GMG24 · October 13, 2015

He did that one year, solely off of his reputation as the best offensive mind in high school football. Then it was right back to the basement.

Umm... 2013 was his last recruits, which was quite awhile after he was fired so it definitely wasn't his first class. This place is NOT hard to recruit to, McCarney misspoke. It is hard to recruit kids to play in an offense that is stuck in the Pre-Forward pass time of the sport of football. Kids all run spread stuff and mostly tempo at the HS level, who would want to come here and block for 50 plays a game and maybe have a chance at 20-25 passes a game?? That means they may have 3-5 targets MAYBE. No kid who is worth their weight in salt, (unless unrecruited) would want to do that. That is a fact of life. We could easily have done what Auburn has done offensively still a Power run team but do it out of pistol or gun. It is not different at all but it allows you to do it out of 4 WR essentially clearing the box. Heck, I am a MS coach and every team we play now is spread. It is difficult to defend, and easy to coach.

KingDL1 · October 13, 2015

1 & 2. I would disagree, the BOR has shown absolute loyalty to Rick. The fact that he still is here shows it will continue.
3. Have you read our Facebook? or /r/unt? Our students loathe this university. It's mostly freshmen at the games. The older students get worn down and defeated by reality.
I want to be positive. I really do. I spent 5 years on this campus thinking things were changing and it's right back to 2010 again.

In 2001 when I first bought my Season tickets we had games where there had to be less than 3000 fans in the stadium period including opponent fans and far less by the end of a game. That has really changed, tailgating has really changed, expectations are raising. I will again guarantee you RV will not get an extension, he is an embarrassment.

KingDL1 · October 13, 2015

I got here in 2010, we had 21,000 fans against Rice and had a P5 school play us at home.
Here we are.

Yup and that is a change in the right direction, we start winning consistently and it will speed up

GMG24 · October 13, 2015

http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020608aaa.html

http://www.texasfootball.com/inside-north-texas-2009-recruiting-class/

http://www.meangreensports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/020310aab.html

It is not hard to recruit at NT, remember the studs on the 2013 team? Check out his 2009/2010 classes. Pretty easy to see why we were successful that year.

Christopher Walker · October 13, 2015

what is "/r/unt"?
and yes, the older students do get worn down...so lets change that with the hiring of a fresh, energetic coach that speaks the truth, doesn't bitch about everything, and gives us something exciting to watch...

http://reddit.com/r/unt/

Please don't introduce GMG to /r/. We need everything nice and contained here as much as possible.

oops.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Christopher Walker

ColoradoEagle · October 13, 2015

GMG24 · October 13, 2015

You are amazing..... Those players led our 2013 team to a bowl win, remove those guys and we have another McCarney type 3-4 win season. You wanna take Macs big rough and tough recruits and I'll take those two dodge classes and we can see who wins? Please be serious, I understand you aren't happy but The 2009 and 2010 classes were pretty solid classes (2010 only HS obviously) I really was interested to see what Dodge did in 2010, but losing 17 starters in 4 games (again thanks RV's schedule) we had no chance.

rcade · October 13, 2015

Mac spoke the truth. He said that UNT is hard to recruit to. Which is true. Instead, he got lambasted for saying it.

No one wants to hear a head coach complain that it's hard to recruit. McCarney knew the challenges of the job when he took it. He also had more advantages than any of his predecessors.

MeanGreenHoops · October 13, 2015

So your argument is that "meh this is how things go?" Like, it's not at all concerning that we have Canales as interim 5 years later? Like the same situation?

No that's not my point. My point is sometimes things are hard. Sometimes there are many people involved and egos get in the way so things may not get better as fast as we'd like. You seem to not know that yet, or you are saying well I tried for 5 years and it didn't change so i give up.

I'm saying that this is how life goes. Sometimes it's hard and that sometimes good people make mistakes. Sometimes things don't work out. You can either quit, or keep fighting.

With pro teams, sure why not quit. You don't have any skin in that game you just live there or picked the team but it's not a part of your resume as a person. But this school is. If you don't want to fight for it, then that's too bad. Turns out you are no different than the thousands of others who would rather bad mouth the school because they don't have the guts to stick up for it when it's much easier not too. The same people you said you tried to give it a go for 5 years against.

When it comes down to it at the end of life the only things that matter are family. And you are part of the UNT family. You should always fight for that. Even when it's hard. Which, and we agree on this, it usually is when it comes to UNT.

Edited October 13, 2015 by MeanGreenHoops
typos

TIgreen01 · October 13, 2015

Serious question here, and maybe this has been answered by those who closely follow recruiting, but I always assumed that Mac's health issues the first 2-3 years he was here would have been used against him in recruiting.

2011, he lost his freaking eye. Not trying to be a dill, but imagine trying to close on 18 year old recruits with a jacked up eye.

2012, had a stroke.

2013, had a heart attack

Maybe I have the years mixed up, but if I'm an 18 year old, those health issues scare the crap out of me. If I commit will the coach be around?

After the bowl win he finally had a solid year without any health issues becoming national public news, and we landed what would be his best class the year following.

I always have and always will like Mac, so I don't bring this up to talk negatively about him. Just a question on whether or not that stuff was used against us.

As to the editorial, it's a great piece. UNT is funding this program at a level that should have us competitive with the top end of our G5 peers. We're simply not getting what we're paying for. The fact that we just shelled out $3 mil to buyout a mostly still well liked coach (by the fans and donors) says that things aren't just starting to change around here---they have already. Donors aren't still needing to be cultivated. They are here and they are active. Sucks to be staring down the barrel of a lost football season not even halfway through it, but taking such swift action does give me hope for the future.

Edited October 13, 2015 by TIgreen01

smoothfresh · October 13, 2015

Any doubts about the effects a strong athletic department can have on an university and community needs to read this article.

http://m.cjonline.com/sports/2014-08-28/manhattan-project-how-bill-snyder-transformed-kansas-state-and-entire-community#gsc.tab=0

Edited October 13, 2015 by smoothfresh

UNT90 · October 14, 2015

Some of these guys have been following the team for 50 years of these cycles, and you want to quit following after 5 years? Thanks for tagging along, don't let the door hit you on your way out.

Except this is what happens with 95% of our fan base. They come, wait for good things or surely at least change when things go bad.

What they get is 15 years of the Hattiesburg Hustler. It tells them that the university doesn't care, so they leave.

This university has a VERY brief window to show fans that they are truly serious this time. They need to fire RV by the end of October or they will lose a lot of fans, some forever.

But they have never really cared about that. Will they start now?

untjim1995 · October 14, 2015

Except this is what happens with 95% of our fan base. They come, wait for good things or surely at least change when things go bad.
What they get is 15 years of the Hattiesburg Hustler. It tells them that the university doesn't care, so they leave.
This university has a VERY brief window to show fans that they are truly serious this time. They need to fire RV by the end of October or they will lose a lot of fans, some forever.
But they have never really cared about that. Will they start now?

I'm one of them--if RV stays, I'm gone...

GMG24 · October 14, 2015

They were solid looking back after Mac had a guy now working at a P5 school pump them up to actual football size. Look at the rankings. Dodge had one initial bump then it spiraled downhill after he went digging through JuCo.

you know what our combine stats were under him? He didn't pump anyone up to any size ever. Check stats. Dodge never had a bump his last classes were better than the first. Even with his Juco binge. You sir are blind.

UNTLifer · October 14, 2015

I don't care about losing. I root for my teams through the thick-and-thin. I'm a Texans, Astros, Browns, Stars, and Indians fan. It literally doesn't get any worse than that. Difference is those teams at least are trying to perform better and while maybe they fail, there's a true effort there.

Sorry chief, the Stars don't fit with that group. Aren't you the same kid that came on here a couple of years ago with nothing but glowing terms for all things Houston and all things negative about DFW? Move on back to Houston and hook up with the Texans GM that is nothing more than RV on the professional level. Idiot.

http://reddit.com/r/unt/
oops.

There are more idiots posting on there than in the DRC and NT Daily combined.

TheWestie · October 14, 2015

The DRC got a new Managing Editor last June. He is a UNT alum who came to the paper after years of being a writer and editor at the DMN. He pays attention.

And currently about half the newsroom reporters and one photographer are North Texas alums.

FirefightnRick · October 14, 2015

The DRC got a new Managing Editor last June. He is a UNT alum who came to the paper after years of being a writer and editor at the DMN. He pays attention.

And currently about half the newsroom reporters and one photographer are North Texas alums.

Good news.

Rick

VideoEagle · October 14, 2015

There are more idiots posting on there than in the DRC and NT Daily combined.

I would not have thought that possible.

Green Mean · October 14, 2015

I love the Stars. And you're delusional if you think they aren't nothing but a massive failure over the last coming-up-on-20-years. They're no different than any of the teams mentioned.

The Stars have been nothing but a massive failure for the last 20 years? You're not serious are you?

Caw Caw · October 14, 2015

Except this is what happens with 95% of our fan base. They come, wait for good things or surely at least change when things go bad.
What they get is 15 years of the Hattiesburg Hustler. It tells them that the university doesn't care, so they leave.
This university has a VERY brief window to show fans that they are truly serious this time. They need to fire RV by the end of October or they will lose a lot of fans, some forever.
But they have never really cared about that. Will they start now?

I here you, but with each graduating class you get a few more hardcore fans. Growth occurs just slowly. I'd love to be a "football school". I'd also like to see a new face in RV's comfy chair. My point is we aren't there yet, and at this point it's probably going to take a new coach some time to get acclimated. If you aren't ready to be a die-hard this isn't the place for you AT THE MOMENT. If you want decades of success just hop over to Alabama and they will take care of you. Your disappointing seasons will be 2 losses. The culture is changing in my short window of being here, but the only head coaches i've known are Dodge and McCarney. I'm also a cubs fan, so maybe i've adapted to being a little more patient. I've been here about the same window of time as Munthe, so I don't get what the tantrum is about. Changes are being made now, more need to be made, but quitting being a fan isn't going to change any of that.