DRC: UNT picks up commitment from Antonio Gage

Brett Vito · April 20, 2017

DRC: Highly regarded three-star wide receiver had offers from Power Five programs

http://beta.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/04/20/highly-regarded-wide-receiver-antonio-gage-commits-unt

MeanGreen13 · April 21, 2017

According to twitter, Gage says he is a 3 star CB...

Travis · April 21, 2017

Fantastic!

djohnnie · April 21, 2017

I am hoping the recruiting fire is about to be lit. GMG

akriesman · April 21, 2017

We have to take at least a small step forward this year to show that our football program is on solid footing to recruits. Everyone was fooled by the one 9-4 Heart Of Dallas bowl winning team that Coach Mac had, which still did not improve recruiting.

I just have a great feeling about this coaching staff. You hear so many positive things about Littrell being one of the bright minds in college coaching.

UNTLifer · April 21, 2017

RV and Mac, although stating differently, treated to HOD Bowl as a an ultimate accomplishment never working to capitalize on it.

This staff and administration has treated the HOD 2.0 as our launch point. Totally different approach and finally the correct one.

Caw Caw · April 21, 2017

1 hour ago, akriesman said:

We have to take at least a small step forward this year to show that our football program is on solid footing to recruits. Everyone was fooled by the one 9-4 Heart Of Dallas bowl winning team that Coach Mac had, which still did not improve recruiting.

I just have a great feeling about this coaching staff. You hear so many positive things about Littrell being one of the bright minds in college coaching.

will be difficult to keep them, even the assistants. Look at how we got raided this offseason. I hope Litrell has a long list of talented friends.

Mad Hatter · April 21, 2017

We already have two 3-Star recruits? Is that some kind of record this early in the process? Just imagine if they could keep getting those folks to commit.

Go Mean Green!

Ben Gooding · April 21, 2017

1 hour ago, Caw Caw said:

will be difficult to keep them, even the assistants. Look at how we got raided this offseason. I hope Litrell has a long list of talented friends.

I'm not worried about assistants coming and going. We need to figure out who our ace in the hole recruiters are going to springboard up with this current staff. Then, compensate them accordingly. I still don't know who our best recruiter is. I thought it was Kevin Patrick and then he was hired away. Closely behind him was Perry and he was shooed away. Right now, I am not sure who it is. But an assistant that can't recruit is a sitting duck as far as I'm concerned. An assistant that can recruit at a high level is worth twice his weight in gold.

MeanGreenTexan · April 21, 2017

18 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

I'm not worried about assistants coming and going. We need to figure out who our ace in the hole recruiters are going to springboard up with this current staff. Then, compensate them accordingly. I still don't know who our best recruiter is. I thought it was Kevin Patrick and then he was hired away. Closely behind him was Perry and he was shooed away. Right now, I am not sure who it is. But an assistant that can't recruit is a sitting duck as far as I'm concerned. An assistant that can recruit at a high level is worth twice his weight in gold.

It's rather apparent who our best recruiter is, and reading your other comments about compensation, it seems you would not be very happy with the news... so I wont say. Because I like you, and I don't want you to have a bad day.

MGNation92 · April 21, 2017

25 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

I'm not worried about assistants coming and going. We need to figure out who our ace in the hole recruiters are going to springboard up with this current staff. Then, compensate them accordingly. I still don't know who our best recruiter is. I thought it was Kevin Patrick and then he was hired away. Closely behind him was Perry and he was shooed away. Right now, I am not sure who it is. But an assistant that can't recruit is a sitting duck as far as I'm concerned. An assistant that can recruit at a high level is worth twice his weight in gold.

I would say Mainord or Nate Brown are currently our two best recruiters. Although Biagi might take that over in time. Same with Koonz. Heard good things about both recruiting abilities

Ben Gooding · April 21, 2017

50 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

It's rather apparent who our best recruiter is, and reading your other comments about compensation, it seems you would not be very happy with the news... so I wont say. Because I like you, and I don't want you to have a bad day.

So in other words, with @MGNation92 help, our best recruiter is Nate Brown. Which is, in typical UNT fashion, our lowest paid or one of our lowest paid assistants. Then when he is inevitably hired away after the Fall, we will lose (yet again) our top recruiter. Not due to him necessarily wanting to leave, but because he's being paid something around 80 or 85k. To the majority of people, that is a good living. But for a FOOTBALL COACH, that is peanuts. This World, it's a funny place with its priorities perfectly in line.

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · April 21, 2017

18 hours ago, MeanGreen13 said:

According to twitter, Gage says he is a 3 star CB...

Perhaps the other schools were recruiting him as a CB and we promised him a shot at WR. He is another little guy.

Aldo · April 21, 2017

4 hours ago, akriesman said:

We have to take at least a small step forward this year to show that our football program is on solid footing to recruits. Everyone was fooled by the one 9-4 Heart Of Dallas bowl winning team that Coach Mac had, which still did not improve recruiting.

I just have a great feeling about this coaching staff. You hear so many positive things about Littrell being one of the bright minds in college coaching.

3 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

RV and Mac, although stating differently, treated to HOD Bowl as a an ultimate accomplishment never working to capitalize on it.

This staff and administration has treated the HOD 2.0 as our launch point. Totally different approach and finally the correct one.

They pulled in a solid class after the HOD bowl iirc. (J Wilson, McClain, Ivery, Goree, Garner, etc).

Capitalize on the recruits themselves? No that's a different story.

MGNation92 · April 21, 2017

48 minutes ago, Ben Gooding said:

So in other words, with @MGNation92 help, our best recruiter is Nate Brown. Which is, in typical UNT fashion, our lowest paid or one of our lowest paid assistants. Then when he is inevitably hired away after the Fall, we will lose (yet again) our top recruiter. Not due to him necessarily wanting to leave, but because he's being paid something around 80 or 85k. To the majority of people, that is a good living. But for a FOOTBALL COACH, that is peanuts. This World, it's a funny place with its priorities perfectly in line.

Well you also have to understand Nate Brown's positioning too. He PLAYED for Reffett at ULM, then coached for him. If there's anyone that has ties to Reffett and his defense, it would be Brown. I can guarantee you Littrell isn't an idiot. He will reward the guy for busting tail on the recruiting trail. You can also look at Mainord and see his jump from 75k to 120k in one season? He's clearly viewed as a high level recruiter too

Aldo · April 21, 2017

1 hour ago, MGNation92 said:

You can also look at Mainord and see his jump from 75k to 120k in one season? He's clearly viewed as a high level recruiter too

While I agree with you about being viewed as a high level recruiter, he was being paid $200k last year by Kentucky.

Wag Tag · April 21, 2017

5 hours ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Perhaps the other schools were recruiting him as a CB and we promised him a shot at WR. He is another little guy.

6' wether WO or DB is not a little guy.He is now 170, a year and a couple of off seasons could easily get to 190. D hair is the water bug! Love getting athletes that gives us options!

Aldo · May 5, 2017

h/t to @BTG_Fan1 and @MeanGreen_ATX.

Give him the Mean Green Twitter love.

(and by that I meant fav and/or RT)

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · May 5, 2017

On 4/21/2017 at 6:58 PM, Wag Tag said:

6' wether WO or DB is not a little guy.He is now 170, a year and a couple of off seasons could easily get to 190. D hair is the water bug! Love getting athletes that gives us options!

They list him at 6'. We used to list Riley at 6'. My guess is, the kid is 5-9 or 5-10 and tips the scales at 160 if he's soaking wet and has a pocketful of rocks...

...and, that's okay. That's what we've been recruiting for decades now.

Crazy that back in the early I-AA days/Corky Era, when many of us posters attended, we were getting guys bigger than we are getting now. But, time will tell. Maybe the kid will eat his Wheaties and have a final growth spurt between now and then.

It' just that year after year, now decade after decade, coaching staff after coaching staff since our return to Big Boy Football status, we don't seem to get much bigger when it comes to recruits. We're always taking on little guys and telling ourselves, "Think of all those schools that overlooked this guy!"

Every now and then it works. Every now and then. But, it won't happen 85 times to match our scholie limit, or even 22 to match the offensive/defensive starting allotment.

If everyone listed at 6', but who is really 5-9 or 5-10 plays like Tomur Barnes, that would be nice. But, more often than not that not the case.

Winning. That's what attracts bigger and better. Got do it, and do it consistently for years. Cannot have a fall back year this season. We need to hit six and then some. We have the schedule to do it. If we can't win six or seven with this schedule, then ladies and gentlemen (and, those who can't tell the difference), we are simply pissing into the wind.

MeanGreenTexan · May 5, 2017

2 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

They list him at 6'. We used to list Riley at 6'. My guess is, the kid is 5-9 or 5-10 and tips the scales at 160 if he's soaking wet and has a pocketful of rocks...

...and, that's okay. That's what we've been recruiting for decades now.

Crazy that back in the early I-AA days/Corky Era, when many of us posters attended, we were getting guys bigger than we are getting now. But, time will tell. Maybe the kid will eat his Wheaties and have a final growth spurt between now and then.

It' just that year after year, now decade after decade, coaching staff after coaching staff since our return to Big Boy Football status, we don't seem to get much bigger when it comes to recruits. We're always taking on little guys and telling ourselves, "Think of all those schools that overlooked this guy!"

Every now and then it works. Every now and then. But, it won't happen 85 times to match our scholie limit, or even 22 to match the offensive/defensive starting allotment.

If everyone listed at 6', but who is really 5-9 or 5-10 plays like Tomur Barnes, that would be nice. But, more often than not that not the case.

Winning. That's what attracts bigger and better. Got do it, and do it consistently for years. Cannot have a fall back year this season. We need to hit six and then some. We have the schedule to do it. If we can't win six or seven with this schedule, then ladies and gentlemen (and, those who can't tell the difference), we are simply pissing into the wind.

Except, his offers show that those schools DIDN'T overlook this guy... He just chose us over those other schools' offers, which, I know, is odd for us... and difficult to understand... but, it happened!

Ben Gooding · May 5, 2017

33 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

They list him at 6'. We used to list Riley at 6'. My guess is, the kid is 5-9 or 5-10 and tips the scales at 160 if he's soaking wet and has a pocketful of rocks...

...and, that's okay. That's what we've been recruiting for decades now.

Crazy that back in the early I-AA days/Corky Era, when many of us posters attended, we were getting guys bigger than we are getting now. But, time will tell. Maybe the kid will eat his Wheaties and have a final growth spurt between now and then.

It' just that year after year, now decade after decade, coaching staff after coaching staff since our return to Big Boy Football status, we don't seem to get much bigger when it comes to recruits. We're always taking on little guys and telling ourselves, "Think of all those schools that overlooked this guy!"

Every now and then it works. Every now and then. But, it won't happen 85 times to match our scholie limit, or even 22 to match the offensive/defensive starting allotment.

If everyone listed at 6', but who is really 5-9 or 5-10 plays like Tomur Barnes, that would be nice. But, more often than not that not the case.

Winning. That's what attracts bigger and better. Got do it, and do it consistently for years. Cannot have a fall back year this season. We need to hit six and then some. We have the schedule to do it. If we can't win six or seven with this schedule, then ladies and gentlemen (and, those who can't tell the difference), we are simply pissing into the wind.

A realist. Refreshing.

30 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Except, his offers show that those schools DIDN'T overlook this guy... He just chose us over those other schools' offers, which, I know, is odd for us... and difficult to understand... but, it happened!

Also, true. This kid isn't the gem under the hidden rock playing 3a ball just outside of El Paso. He's good and other schools have taken notice. He wants to play at the U of NT and I think it's a good decision if we fit him and he fits us.

El Paso Eagle · May 5, 2017

6 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

A realist. Refreshing.

Also, true. This kid isn't the gem under the hidden rock playing 3a ball just outside of El Paso. He's good and other schools have taken notice. He wants to play at the U of NT and I think it's a good decision if we fit him and he fits us.

Did you have to go there? :zonk: