Littrell to be named UNT HC per Brett McMurphy

Mike Jackson · December 5, 2015

RV will be here for 27 more months. He's not stupid enough to give up his salary. He ain't retiring. If Smatresk was gonna fire him it would have been six weeks ago. We will have a new AD in March 2018. Until then we have to hope that Littrell can overcome RVs decision making and win.

What Eagle-96 said is true. So I believe realistic measured optimism is the best response to this new hire Mean Green Fans can expect from our fanbase in general.

yeah I am pre mature to think he could have used the same offensive players and been successful. He only did it everywhere he went, going up against much better talent than what he will see here. I don't understand why it's doom and gloom. Is he perfect? Maybe not, but man I can't see how anyone looks at this guys pedigree and doesn't get excited. Has he run a program? No but he has helped managed plenty of teams, and he can bring in experienced guys.
SMU, Rice, Portland St (yes it should be a win), possibly Marshall but I won't count it, UTSA, UTEP. there's 5 you don't believe with a semi coherent OC we could score 2-3 more TDs those games? I do, because our offense looked anemic it can only get better.

As much as you don't like it my fellow Mean Green Fans it is hard to win here.

For all you spiked punch drinking Mean Green Fans answer me this question who want to talk about our "potential" all the time. Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?

Portland State was a better team period, that is how bad McCarney's recruiting and player development was. SMU destroyed UNT in the second half and it wasn't just the offense that let us down. Of the games we lost, only one I watched in real time thinking we had an opportunity to win was UTEP. Maybe with a month of practice before each of those games you mentioned with a great coaching staff we win all the games you mentioned.

For the record if UNT was going to hire a coach without head coaching experience, I think you can't do much better than Litteral. I really hope he is prepared for dealing with the toxic climate here. I hope him and his agent has been on GMG.com and have taken it all in. I hope he has the kind of professional and personal support to help him deal with new challenges he will face as a first time college football head coach. This is very challenging program to win at, if it wasn't in 100 years of football it would easy to answer the question I posed.

UNTGuy5 · December 5, 2015

Not joining any arguments...

I really hope the Littrell hire works out.

Also, thanks for all RV has done for UNT, but it's time for him to go. We need a new vision and direction for UNT Athletics.

Edited December 5, 2015 by UNTGuy5

UNT90 · December 5, 2015

What Eagle-96 said is true. So I believe realistic measured optimism is the best response to this new hire Mean Green Fans can expect from our fanbase in general.
As much as you don't like it my fellow Mean Green Fans it is hard to win here.
For all you spiked punch drinking Mean Green Fans answer me this question who want to talk about our "potential" all the time. Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?
Portland State was a better team period, that is how bad McCarney's recruiting and player development was. SMU destroyed UNT in the second half and it wasn't just the offense that let us down. Of the games we lost, only one I watched in real time thinking we had an opportunity to win was UTEP. Maybe with a month of practice before each of those games you mentioned with a great coaching staff we win all the games you mentioned.
For the record if UNT was going to hire a coach without head coaching experience, I think you can't do much better than Litteral. I really hope he is prepared for dealing with the toxic climate here. I hope him and his agent has been on GMG.com and have taken it all in. I hope he has the kind of professional and personal support to help him deal with new challenges he will face as a first time college football head coach. This is very challenging program to win at, if it wasn't in 100 years of football it would easy to answer the question I posed.

This is a very hard athletic director to win under.

Fact.

Green P1 · December 5, 2015

What Eagle-96 said is true. So I believe realistic measured optimism is the best response to this new hire Mean Green Fans can expect from our fanbase in general.
As much as you don't like it my fellow Mean Green Fans it is hard to win here.
For all you spiked punch drinking Mean Green Fans answer me this question who want to talk about our "potential" all the time. Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?
Portland State was a better team period, that is how bad McCarney's recruiting and player development was. SMU destroyed UNT in the second half and it wasn't just the offense that let us down. Of the games we lost, only one I watched in real time thinking we had an opportunity to win was UTEP. Maybe with a month of practice before each of those games you mentioned with a great coaching staff we win all the games you mentioned.
For the record if UNT was going to hire a coach without head coaching experience, I think you can't do much better than Litteral. I really hope he is prepared for dealing with the toxic climate here. I hope him and his agent has been on GMG.com and have taken it all in. I hope he has the kind of professional and personal support to help him deal with new challenges he will face as a first time college football head coach. This is very challenging program to win at, if it wasn't in 100 years of football it would easy to answer the question I posed.

k

UNTcrazy727 · December 5, 2015

Here ya go. In new, updated, fashion d'jour gif form.
Now then. People. Please. When the contract is finally and actually signed, and the announcement is finally and actually made, can we get back to discussing the important things? You know. Uniforms and band formations?

I firmly expect us to have some new unis next year...Thank God.

Harry · December 5, 2015

What Eagle-96 said is true. So I believe realistic measured optimism is the best response to this new hire Mean Green Fans can expect from our fanbase in general.
As much as you don't like it my fellow Mean Green Fans it is hard to win here.
For all you spiked punch drinking Mean Green Fans answer me this question who want to talk about our "potential" all the time. Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?
Portland State was a better team period, that is how bad McCarney's recruiting and player development was. SMU destroyed UNT in the second half and it wasn't just the offense that let us down. Of the games we lost, only one I watched in real time thinking we had an opportunity to win was UTEP. Maybe with a month of practice before each of those games you mentioned with a great coaching staff we win all the games you mentioned.
For the record if UNT was going to hire a coach without head coaching experience, I think you can't do much better than Litteral. I really hope he is prepared for dealing with the toxic climate here. I hope him and his agent has been on GMG.com and have taken it all in. I hope he has the kind of professional and personal support to help him deal with new challenges he will face as a first time college football head coach. This is very challenging program to win at, if it wasn't in 100 years of football it would easy to answer the question I posed.

We went to and won a Jan. bowl here less than two years ago I thought? I know things have been tough around here lately. But jees man, you make it sound like this place is the 9th level of hell and RV is Asmodeus. Do you have to take your usual UNT dump on the day we hire our new coach?

Edited December 5, 2015 by Harry

GRN-WHT · December 5, 2015

History tells us how this hire will probably work out. Hopefully this time it's different, but I have no faith in any RV hire.

TheTastyGreek · December 5, 2015

But jees man, you make it sound like this place is the 9th level of hell and RV is Asmodeus.

Unless the object of lust is a godawful chain sandwich... I don't think so.

HOWEVER, if you are on to something, we may finally have a plan for solving our problems.

Does anyone have a fish liver and heart???

Green92 · December 5, 2015

Rode my bike 101 miles this morning through beautiful central Texas and got home to finally some great news. Perfect day so far! All you guys being negative because we didn't hire an experienced guy who's rebuilt programs just need to get over it. Today is a day to be happy and celebrate. If it doesn't work out then you can you can jump up and down and say how right you were. So what, we still won't like you. :-)

oldguystudent · December 5, 2015

We went to and won a Jan. bowl here less than two years ago I thought? I know things have been tough around here lately. But jees man, you make it sound like this place is the 9th level of hell and RV is Asmodeus. Do you have to take your usual UNT dump on the day we hire our new coach?

I discredit using the whole "January" qualifier for our bowl. We played a 7-5 UNLV team in a bowl that now resides in mid-December. Don't get me wrong. I loved that season and the bowl experience, but the HOD bowl was hardly a premier event relative to any other bowl game.

Wag Tag · December 5, 2015

What Eagle-96 said is true. So I believe realistic measured optimism is the best response to this new hire Mean Green Fans can expect from our fanbase in general.
As much as you don't like it my fellow Mean Green Fans it is hard to win here.
For all you spiked punch drinking Mean Green Fans answer me this question who want to talk about our "potential" all the time. Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?
Portland State was a better team period, that is how bad McCarney's recruiting and player development was. SMU destroyed UNT in the second half and it wasn't just the offense that let us down. Of the games we lost, only one I watched in real time thinking we had an opportunity to win was UTEP. Maybe with a month of practice before each of those games you mentioned with a great coaching staff we win all the games you mentioned.
For the record if UNT was going to hire a coach without head coaching experience, I think you can't do much better than Litteral. I really hope he is prepared for dealing with the toxic climate here. I hope him and his agent has been on GMG.com and have taken it all in. I hope he has the kind of professional and personal support to help him deal with new challenges he will face as a first time college football head coach. This is very challenging program to win at, if it wasn't in 100 years of football it would easy to answer the question I posed.

An OC with a proven track record as an OC ,hired from a top 10 program with the announcement made on national TV!

Put your thumb back in your mouth!

rcade · December 5, 2015

Name the last head coach at UNT not named Hayden Frye to coach multiple seasons here and leave with winning percentage above .500?

That takes some searching. Jerry Moore was 11-11, Bob Tyler 2-9, Corky Nelson 49-51-1*, Dennis Parker 11-21-1, Matt Simon 18-26, Darrel Dickey 42-64, Todd Dodge 6-37, Dan McCarney 22-32 and Mike Canales 3-8.

Frye was 40-23-3. Before him in reverse order, we had Rod Rust 29-32-1, Odus Mitchell 122-85-9, Lloyd Russell 3-5, Jack Sisco 74-38-11, John B. Reid 17-18-3, Theron J. Fouts 23-14-2, James W. Sinclair 20-11-2 and J.W. Pender 3-4.

So it's the great Odus Mitchell, who got tired of being awesome after 21 years and retired from coaching at age 67.

* - We beat Texas. Anyone who tells you different is a damn liar or a Longhorn.

Cerebus · December 5, 2015

How is nothing in athletics named after Odus Mitchell?

UNT90 · December 5, 2015

Rode my bike 101 miles this morning through beautiful central Texas and got home to finally some great news. Perfect day so far! All you guys being negative because we didn't hire an experienced guy who's rebuilt programs just need to get over it. Today is a day to be happy and celebrate. If it doesn't work out then you can you can jump up and down and say how right you were. So what, we still won't like you. :-)

First... Braggart.

Second, we have to post this today otherwise the sunshine pumpers will accuse us of supporting the hire when it happened thus making the hire a good hire (I know, nonsensical, but that's what they, and RV for that matter, do).

So just skip past what you don't wanna see and keep convincing yourself that 15 years of history means nothing.

Edited December 5, 2015 by UNT90

GrandGreen · December 5, 2015

I am not particularly excited by this hire, but I am not sure I would have been with anybody that NT could hire. He seems to have a lot of what most have stated NT needs: exciting offensive, Texas ties, relatively young, etc. He does not have hc experience but most of the candidates people were excited about, don't either.

The key is recruiting, and I think even with a very late start that he needs to show improvement this year. Yes, I think recruiting has been so bad that even someone with about 2 months can do significantly better.

oldguystudent · December 5, 2015

I just hope to all things holy that he remembers there are two more sides to football beyond offense. A certain oracle from Southlake showed utter and complete disregard for those, and I do not wish to relive those days.

NorthTexan95 · December 5, 2015

I discredit using the whole "January" qualifier for our bowl. We played a 7-5 UNLV team in a bowl that now resides in mid-December. Don't get me wrong. I loved that season and the bowl experience, but the HOD bowl was hardly a premier event relative to any other bowl game.

It was bowl game played on New Years Day. It ... was ... awesome.

Mike Jackson · December 5, 2015

We went to and won a Jan. bowl here less than two years ago I thought? I know things have been tough around here lately. But jees man, you make it sound like this place is the 9th level of hell and RV is Asmodeus. Do you have to take your usual UNT dump on the day we hire our new coach?

Dumping is citing the facts and asking questions? Literal is the best hire if you are not hiring someone with a winning record as a college football head coach. So whoever made the decision to hire him made a good decision based on the preset criteria they had. But isn't quite problematic that we have to say "whoever made the decision to hire him". At most winning programs you know who the decision maker is. We don't here and everyone knows why so I won't restate it now.

Whoever they are they have run me out of the MGC and turned my fandom into measured optimism. But I for one won't be trying to run Literal off after 2 below .500 seasons especially if he wins 3 or more games each year. In contrast I think the overly optimistic people in this forum will be and that isn't realistic. Any coach here should get a 2 year mulligan or more as long as RV is nominally in charge the Athletic Department. Yes, the Heart of Dallas Bowl was a great season but it is only great because of all the garbage that preceded it. If you cook a decent meal for a starving person you are the greatest cook in the world until he gets another decent meal.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Mike Jackson

HoustonEagle · December 5, 2015

I doubt Fritz was ever contacted. The parameters for this hire were announced early on. P5 OC or bust.
It's very possible we bust.

Of course it is.... It's naive to think otherwise. But, that is true with a proven coach as well. I really liked the idea of Willie Fritz but we have no clue if he was even a possibility. Putting him aside I think a rational person would look at Littrell and see why he is a solid hire. Time will tell and a well run AD (maybe one day) will pull the plug on a bad hire. It's an imperfect science.

GRN-WHT · December 5, 2015

Yes, the Heart of Dallas Bowl was a great season but it is only great because of all the garbage that preceded it. If you cook a decent meal for a starving person you are the greatest cook in the world until he gets another decent meal.

That wasn't even a great season, it was a good season. What would have made it great is if we had taken care of business against weak Tulane and UTSA teams and hosted the CUSA championship.

Mike Jackson · December 5, 2015

That wasn't even a great season, it was a good season. What would have made it great is if we had taken care of business against weak Tulane and UTSA teams and hosted the CUSA championship.

Shut up GRN-WHT here on GMG.com pointing out the fact that we couldn't beat a team that didn't have a program the year I began my UNT education in 2000 is dumping on the program. They don't want to acknowledge today its hard to win here.

rcade · December 5, 2015

That wasn't even a great season, it was a good season.

We don't get to argue very often over whether a UNT season was a great one or merely a good one.

Proceed.

Mike Jackson · December 5, 2015

We don't get to argue very often over whether a UNT season was a great one or merely a good one.
Proceed.

So when was the last great season? The 2003 Season winning the Sun Belt and beating Baylor? Or the 2002 season undefeated in the Sun Belt and winning the New Orleans Bowl? Oh, that is right that is the coach RV didn't hire but the coach he inherited and fired. Great track record, now I am certain that Literal will will 3 straight CUSA titles and get us nationally ranked in the top 25 at the end of the regular season.

greenb.o.g. · December 5, 2015

Meh ...

rcade · December 5, 2015

So when was the last great season? The 2003 Season winning the Sun Belt and beating Baylor? Or the 2002 season undefeated in the Sun Belt and winning the New Orleans Bowl? Oh, that is right that is the coach RV didn't hire but the coach he inherited and fired. Great track record, now I am certain that Literal will will 3 straight CUSA titles and get us nationally ranked in the top 25 at the end of the regular season.

I think 2002-04 were great seasons -- going undefeated in your conference is always pretty special -- particularly 2002 since we won a bowl game for the first time since the '50s. Going 9-4 in 2013 and winning another bowl is great too.