Our Kinda Guys

[Eagle-96]

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/28016546/low-ranked-football-recruiting-class-our-kinda-guys

Back in 1990 Dick Tomey recruited a class that was 6th in the Pac-10. A group of guys that were too slow, or too short, or not strong enough. They were what they called OKG's(Our Kinda Guys) They were guys that fit the scheme. Guys that prouced in high school but were an inch or two too small. Ten pounds too light. I'll take guys like Fine and Pirtle that may not have been recruited by the big boys but have produced record-setting numbers. I just want guys that can play. I don't care what their measurables are. I care what they produce. Johhny Quinn was lightly recruited, maybe went 5'11" but was a monster producer in high school. Booger Kennedy was maybe 5'9" as a DT. Casey Fitzgerald was too small and too slow to play in D1A. SMU didn't even want him and he was a legacy there. They all produced in high school but were a little too short or not fast enough for the big programs. These are three of the greatest players to suit up for UNT. Gimmie OKGs any day over measurables guys. That kind of thinking is what doomed Mac. 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Eagle-96

[JesseMartin]

He seemed to go back and forth on it.  It looked like he was going that way, then we'd find out his QB requirements.  So maybe he was okay with it in some positions and not in others?  Either way, I agree with you.  If they can outplay the guys the P5 are recruiting, then they can obviously play, so let's take them.

[VideoEagle]

Last year I was reading complaints to the effect we'll never get a QB if we won't look at guys who don't fit a certain height and weight requirement. Now, the complaints are we ARE going for guys who don't fit the height and weight requirements. 

There is no doubt height and weight are important factors, but they aren't the ONLY factors. North Texas is very unlikely to get the "perfect" QB but we certainly should be able to get one that will win in CUSA. Right now, that is what we need - just win in CUSA. Once we are doing that, THEN we can worry about beating P5 schools. Frankly, if we can get to be a consistent winner in CUSA we probably will be good enough to knock of a lower P5 school on occasion! 

Football is full of stories of guys who were too small and too slow but still had great college and pro careers. 

[HarringtonFishSmeller]

Yes...but, you can't OKG all 85 spots on the roster.  At some point, you have to have speed, size, agility, etc.  You can't take a dice roll on every scholarship.  Unfortunately, though, that looks like where we are.

[Tyler Maryak]

7 hours ago, HarringtonFishSmeller said:

Yes...but, you can't OKG all 85 spots on the roster.  At some point, you have to have speed, size, agility, etc.  You can't take a dice roll on every scholarship.  Unfortunately, though, that looks like where we are.

THIS^

I trust that Littrell and Co. have a plan in place and are executing it to the best of their ability.  They very well could come in here with what they've got and take us to 6-6 and I'll believe they will until they don't.  I imagine they have their reasons for getting the guys they are getting, but any rational person is going to measure the odds and see that, as it stands, traditional wisdom says we're not exactly winning the national title in 2016. We aren't the team from "The Sandlot" and these kids can't all turn out to be a Doug Flutie.  

Many (or most) of us who bought in to Coach Littrell and became optimistic early on really hoped that he would make some moves to shock our peers.  Flip some 3-stars, get some big time recruits early in the recruiting period, etc.  That hasn't happened, and that's not to say that it should have happened or anyone is failing at their job because it hasn't.  It just means that some of us, as we observe how it is playing out, are realizing that our hopes were a little too high.  Now we have to temper our expectations in recruiting and see what he will do with what he has. 

I saw someone saying that we're already turning on the new coach.  That's not what is happening.  We just had sky-high hopes and reality isn't panning out that way.  Now we're re-setting our hopes and expectations the only way we know how - by throwing word-bricks at a digital wall and screaming at the unforgiving gods that made us North Texas fans.

Edited January 26, 2016 by Tyler Maryak

[GMG24]

7 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

Last year I was reading complaints to the effect we'll never get a QB if we won't look at guys who don't fit a certain height and weight requirement. Now, the complaints are we ARE going for guys who don't fit the height and weight requirements. 

There is no doubt height and weight are important factors, but they aren't the ONLY factors. North Texas is very unlikely to get the "perfect" QB but we certainly should be able to get one that will win in CUSA. Right now, that is what we need - just win in CUSA. Once we are doing that, THEN we can worry about beating P5 schools. Frankly, if we can get to be a consistent winner in CUSA we probably will be good enough to knock of a lower P5 school on occasion! 

Football is full of stories of guys who were too small and too slow but still had great college and pro careers. 

People on here would itch and gritch if we won 10 games because we called that one bad play that should have been win number 11.  It is just something to gripe about.  The negativity is ridiculous.  Let the man have a year or two of coaching and games before we say "He can't do this, or his recruits are to small etc etc" 

[HarringtonFishSmeller]

Agree that "not all these kids can turn out to be a Doug Flutie" and, I'll add that the vast majority of them don't.

We've got a QB who had an offer from Austin Peay...and have visited Emporia State.  I never had visions of grandeur about Littrell when he was hired.  Like  everyone, I did think we needed some new blood because after Portland State, it was obvious that Mac had lost the team. 

Littrell has had some offensive success on many losing teams.  We need offense.  But, we sorely need defense. 

In the earlier poll, I gave the Littrell hire a C+.  I'm still there.  He's not a rah-rah guy.  He's more of a steady hand kind of guy - which this team also needs.  But, on the recruiting trail, it's hard to see his personality flipping many guys.

Kind of numb to the recent recruiting news.  The two best are the FBS transfers.  The depth doesn't seem to be building well, though. 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by HarringtonFishSmeller

[Eagleisland]

2 minutes ago, HarringtonFishSmeller said:

Agree that "not all these kids can turn out to be a Doug Flutie" and, I'll add that the vast majority of them don't.

We've got a QB who had an offer from Austin Peay...and have visited Emporia State.  I never had visions of grandeur about Littrell when he was hired.  Like  everyone, I did think we needed some new blood because after Portland State, it was obvious that Mac had lost the team. 

Littrell has had some offensive success on many losing teams.  We need offense.  But, we sorely need defense. 

In the earlier poll, I gave the Littrell hire a C+.  I'm still there.  He's not a rah-rah guy.  He's more of a steady hand kind of guy - which this team also needs.  But, on the recruiting trail, it's hard to see his personality flipping many guys.

Kind of numb to the recent recruiting news.  The two best are the FBS transfers.  The depth doesn't seem to be building well, though. 

 

I prefer to wait until signing day. In fact, I prefer to wait until this class shows what it can do on the field. Right now I have no way to really judge how well Littrell is at evaluating talent. The only way to know that for sure is to see how his signees turn out. It will take two recruiting classes and at least a couple of years for us to have any good information on that factor. As they say, "time will tell".

[VideoEagle]

6 minutes ago, Eagleisland said:

 In fact, I prefer to wait until this class shows what it can do on the field. 

YES! I think the best way to judge a class of recruits is how are they contributing in four and five years. I say "contributing" rather than "starting" as a number of positions - lineman, DBs and other - can make significant contributions as the #2 guy in a depth chart. 

[EagleMBA]

46 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

Last year I was reading complaints to the effect we'll never get a QB if we won't look at guys who don't fit a certain height and weight requirement. Now, the complaints are we ARE going for guys who don't fit the height and weight requirements. 

There is no doubt height and weight are important factors, but they aren't the ONLY factors. North Texas is very unlikely to get the "perfect" QB but we certainly should be able to get one that will win in CUSA. Right now, that is what we need - just win in CUSA. Once we are doing that, THEN we can worry about beating P5 schools. Frankly, if we can get to be a consistent winner in CUSA we probably will be good enough to knock of a lower P5 school on occasion! 

Football is full of stories of guys who were too small and too slow but still had great college and pro careers. 

Exactly. Give me character, guts and heart. Talented guys who have been overlooked and have something to prove.

[SilverEagle]

7 minutes ago, Eagleisland said:

I prefer to wait until signing day. In fact, I prefer to wait until this class shows what it can do on the field. Right now I have no way to really judge how well Littrell is at evaluating talent. The only way to know that for sure is to see how his signees turn out. It will take two recruiting classes and at least a couple of years for us to have any good information on that factor. As they say, "time will tell".

If you're hoping for more info at signing day, it's my understanding that the signing day event will not include highlight film of the signees. So if you want more info you'll have to corner one of the coaches and ask specific questions. Or look at their highlight films on-line. 

What I prefer to do is go to the spring practices. That is where you'll see what's really going on. The new guys and last year's red shirts are trying to get the coach's attention and everyone is trying to make a big play. You also get to see how the coaching staff is going to evaluate and handle the players, and at what pace they will be going.

[UNT90]

51 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

Last year I was reading complaints to the effect we'll never get a QB if we won't look at guys who don't fit a certain height and weight requirement. Now, the complaints are we ARE going for guys who don't fit the height and weight requirements. 

There is no doubt height and weight are important factors, but they aren't the ONLY factors. North Texas is very unlikely to get the "perfect" QB but we certainly should be able to get one that will win in CUSA. Right now, that is what we need - just win in CUSA. Once we are doing that, THEN we can worry about beating P5 schools. Frankly, if we can get to be a consistent winner in CUSA we probably will be good enough to knock of a lower P5 school on occasion! 

Football is full of stories of guys who were too small and too slow but still had great college and pro careers. 

No, the complaints are he has zero other offers.

We just beat out Imporia St. (Whoever the hell THEY are) for a recruit. At the most important and most need position on the team. This is how we got to 1-11.

The saving grace is at least Fine was mega-productive in High School. I just hope that isn't his ceiling, as this apparently is the only HS QB recruit this class. 

[JesseMartin]

With him getting a late start, this class will have a couple of diamonds in the rough, a couple of highly touted transfers (which we already know anyway), and probably a couple of nice surprises that either decide right at the end or had their offers pulled from a P5 school and need a mid-major to sign with fast.  Then next year will be about using the best assets and "coaching up" the rest.  If that yields moderate to good results, then next year's class should be sufficiently impressive.

[GMG24]

7 hours ago, HarringtonFishSmeller said:

Agree that "not all these kids can turn out to be a Doug Flutie" and, I'll add that the vast majority of them don't.

We've got a QB who had an offer from Austin Peay...and have visited Emporia State.  I never had visions of grandeur about Littrell when he was hired.  Like  everyone, I did think we needed some new blood because after Portland State, it was obvious that Mac had lost the team. 

Littrell has had some offensive success on many losing teams.  We need offense.  But, we sorely need defense. 

In the earlier poll, I gave the Littrell hire a C+.  I'm still there.  He's not a rah-rah guy.  He's more of a steady hand kind of guy - which this team also needs.  But, on the recruiting trail, it's hard to see his personality flipping many guys.

Kind of numb to the recent recruiting news.  The two best are the FBS transfers.  The depth doesn't seem to be building well, though. 

 

Think this OC (edit) disagrees.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by GMG24

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

I remember reading these threads during McCarney's recruiting classes. 

[Christopher Walker]

5 hours ago, UNT90 said:

No, the complaints are he has zero other offers.

We just beat out Imporia St. (Whoever the hell THEY are) for a recruit. At the most important and most need position on the team. This is how we got to 1-11.

The saving grace is at least Fine was mega-productive in High School. I just hope that isn't his ceiling, as this apparently is the only HS QB recruit this class. 

- as of yet.

[Got5onIt]

Maybe Littrell has a few tricks up his sleeve. Stealth recruiting?

[UNT90]

17 minutes ago, Christopher Walker said:

- as of yet.

Travis said that Fine's parents were told by UNT staff that we are only taking one HS QB this class. I hope we take at least two.

[HarringtonFishSmeller]

4 hours ago, GMG24 said:

Think this HC disagrees.

 

 

Wigington is DeSoto's OC/OL coach, not the HC.  And, of course he's happy with Littrell - he went to OU about the same time as Littrell and pitched for the Sooners' baseball team.  Add that Littrell gave a scholarship to one of his kids who had no other FBS offers, and how could he not say something glowing about his old OU athletic dorm buddy?

So, again...

[Dr. Seuss]

I honestly don't know who's more irrational... Y'all or Women.. Give Littrell a break, its his first class with nothing to sell but himself and his vision. 

[MGNation92]

Kinda reminds me of the whole Mac quote saying "When I got here we had the slowest, smallest team in FBS, Florida, Iowa, Florida" and then went out and won a bowl game with those small and slow players. Just goes to show if you get the right kids that will fit your system, you can win, regardless of size/speed/star ratings.

[GMG24]

56 minutes ago, HarringtonFishSmeller said:

Wigington is DeSoto's OC/OL coach, not the HC.  And, of course he's happy with Littrell - he went to OU about the same time as Littrell and pitched for the Sooners' baseball team.  Add that Littrell gave a scholarship to one of his kids who had no other FBS offers, and how could he not say something glowing about his old OU athletic dorm buddy?

So, again...

I hit the wrong button.. typing while in class lol OC my apologies.  

[TheReal_jayD]

36 minutes ago, Dr. Seuss said:

I honestly don't know who's more irrational... Y'all or Women.. Give Littrell a break, its his first class with nothing to sell but himself and his vision. 

[UNT90]

1 hour ago, Dr. Seuss said:

I honestly don't know who's more irrational... Y'all or Women.. Give Littrell a break, its his first class with nothing to sell but himself and his vision. 

Excuses... 

That word really should be somewhere in our athletic teams official name.

[Dr. Seuss]

Its called setting a SMART goal, not something that unrealistic and irrational.