Bulldawg Texans

FirefightnRick · November 11, 2019

Its always interesting to me to keep up with where a poorly funded yet successful program like La Tech get their players from.

Similar to their roster, nearly 1/3rd or 7 of La Tech’s 22 starters are from Texas, including 4 of their starting five O linemen.

Two of them,..Kody Russey and Milton Williams went to high school about 55 miles from Denton.

If he’s the kid I’m thinking of I believe I remember Russey when he played for my Burleson Elks because he was a major power lifter in the state? I noticed he’s only 6’1”. I’d love to know if he ever attended one of our camps and if so if his height for an O lineman was mentioned to him as being an issue? The reason it’s interesting to me is because my nephew’s height was criticized by our coaches. He was/is 6’2 1/2, and,... depending on wether he hit the buffet that day or not weighed between 315-325. But.....he was told by staff members that he was just too short for North Texas and the D1 level. He passed up a free ride to Tarleton and went on to help win a national championship at MHB before sustaining a career ending injury.

Anyhow, here’s the 7 Texan starters from Saturday.

#6 Adrian Hardy WR 6-2 200 R-Jr. 2L Houston, Texas / Dekaney HS

#55 Drew Kirkpatrick OL 6-3 310 R-Sr. 1L Uvalde, Texas / Uvalde HS Blinn College

#77 Gewhite Stallworth OL 6-8 320 R-Sr. 2L Houston, Texas / Reagan HS Navarro College

#61 Ethan Reed OL 6-4 301 R-Sr. 3L Orange, Texas / Little Cypress-Mauriceville HS

#65 Kody Russey OL 6-1 290 R-Jr. 2L Burleson, Texas / Burleson HS

#35 Collin Scott LB 6-0 231 R-Sr. 3L Houston, Texas / Manvel HS

#97 Milton Williams DE 6-4 271 R-So. 1L Crowley, Texas / Crowley HS

Rick

Edited November 12, 2019 by FirefightnRick

RBP79 · November 11, 2019

1 hour ago, FirefightnRick said:

Its always interesting to me to keep up with where a poorly funded program like La Tech get their players from.

Similar to their roster, nearly 1/3rd or 7 of La Tech’s 22 starters are from Texas, including 4 or their starting five O linemen.

Two of them,..Kody Russey and Milton Williams went to high school about 55 miles from Denton.

If he’s the kid I’m thinking of I believe I remember Russey when he played for my Burleson Elks because he was a major power lifter in the state? I noticed he’s only 6’1”. I’d love to know if he ever attended one of our camps and if so if his height for an O lineman was mentioned to him as being an issue? The reason it’s interesting to me is because my nephew’s height was criticized by our coaches. He was/is 6’2 1/2, and,... depending on wether he hit the buffet that day or not weighed between 315-325. But.....he was told by staff members that he was just too short for North Texas and the D1 level. He passed up a free ride to Tarleton and went on to help win a national championship at MHB before sustaining a career ending injury.

Anyhow, here’s the 7 Texan starters from Saturday.

#6 Adrian Hardy WR 6-2 200 R-Jr. 2L Houston, Texas / Dekaney HS

#55 Drew Kirkpatrick OL 6-3 310 R-Sr. 1L Uvalde, Texas / Uvalde HS Blinn College

#77 Gewhite Stallworth OL 6-8 320 R-Sr. 2L Houston, Texas / Reagan HS Navarro College

#61 Ethan Reed OL 6-4 301 R-Sr. 3L Orange, Texas / Little Cypress-Mauriceville HS

#65 Kody Russey OL 6-1 290 R-Jr. 2L Burleson, Texas / Burleson HS

#35 Collin Scott LB 6-0 231 R-Sr. 3L Houston, Texas / Manvel HS

#97 Milton Williams DE 6-4 271 R-So. 1L Crowley, Texas / Crowley HS

Rick

SL or Big Dan's tenure?

greenminer · November 11, 2019

I think some of y’all (not necessarily you, Rick) think the “close to home” aspect appeals to everyone. It does not, and can be very polarizing.

Some kids want to play in front of friends and family, but I think a lot of kids are like I was: eager to see something new.

My immediate family is Texas-based for one reason: my 18 yo dad couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Virginia after HS. He ended up a Longhorn. I was born and raised in El Paso, but eventually left for UNT and hope I never have to move back.

Having said that, Rick has quoted a few recruits that apparently were very vocal about wanting to stay in Denton and play for UNT, and we never pursued them.

Harry · November 11, 2019

One thing I notice is they all redshirt. That isn't always the case for us. To me it means an overall consistency of depth and quality.

The other thing is they work the juco's hard. We will add a juco here or there but not to the same level.

I have always heard that the trimesters system they have for academics is a big advantage but I never really understood why.

I think they just have a system of measurables that they stick to and they focus on guys they have a legitimate shot to land. They get on them early and stick with them.

DeepGreen · November 11, 2019

Sad. I see the name Adrian Hardey, Dekaney HS, Houston, Tx. Know where Kelvin Smith went to high school? Yep, Dekaney HS, Houston, Tx.

And it's my perception that La Tech goes back to the same recruiting areas in Texas, year after year, and snags some quality players each time. I'm no recruiting guru, but check the archives. I've been talking about recruiting East Texas harder for a long time. West-Orange Stark HS, Little Cypress-Mauriceville, Beaumont(we do have a couple from Beaumont).

La Tech has our number when it comes to recruiting linemen.

FirefightnRick · November 11, 2019

5 hours ago, greenminer said:

I think some of y’all (not necessarily you, Rick) think the “close to home” aspect appeals to everyone. It does not, and can be very polarizing.

Some kids want to play in front of friends and family, but I think a lot of kids are like I was: eager to see something new.

My immediate family is Texas-based for one reason: my 18 yo dad couldn’t wait to get the hell out of Virginia after HS. He ended up a Longhorn. I was born and raised in El Paso, but eventually left for UNT and hope I never have to move back.

Having said that, Rick has quoted a few recruits that apparently were very vocal about wanting to stay in Denton and play for UNT, and we never pursued them.

That’s the thing with me is I go to HS games, have for years. It’s fun for me. It’s what I do outside of working, playing with cars and following the Mean Green. I get out, I speak to people and ask questions. I don’t rely on some website written by someone who’s probably never stepped foot on Texas soil. And believe me....it’s bizarre how many kids never hear from us.

I recently(past two years recently) spoke to a previous coach from Aledo. Ever heard of Aledo? He said he never saw or heard from anyone from North Texas the 10-12 years he was there.

Four or five years ago McCarney admitted meeting Joey Florence at Denton Ryan?...and the two other coach’s at Denton and Guyer in person for the first time in McCarney’s third year here. How is that even possible?

GreenDozer tells a story of meeting some huge kid and his dad at a local Whataburger who had La Tech gear on. Turns out they were on their way to Ruston for a recruiting trip and admitted never hearing a word from anyone in Denton and they would have loved to get the chance to stay close to home.

UNT90 told us about the all district DL from Southlake who wanted to stay close to home and play for NT. He and his parents in fact sat behind me and my family at the ‘16 HOD bowl. But he never heard a word from NT. He’s in his 3rd year playing for Texas Tech.

......and on and on and on.

Rick

Edited November 12, 2019 by FirefightnRick

El Paso Eagle · November 11, 2019

16 minutes ago, FirefightnRick said:

That’s the thing with me is I go to HS games, have for years. It’s fun for me. It’s what I do outside of working, playing with cars and following the Mean Green. I get out, I speak to people and ask questions. I don’t rely on some website written by someone who’s probably never stepped foot on Texas soil. And believe me....it’s bizarre how at many kids never hear from us.

I recently(past two years recently) spoke to a previous coach from Aledo. Ever heard of Aledo? He said he never saw or heard from anyone from North Texas the 10-12 years he was there.

Four or five years ago McCarney admitted meeting Joey Florence at Denton Ryan?...and the two other coach’s at Denton and Guyer in person for the first time in McCarney’s third year here. How is that even possible?

GreenDozer tells a story of meeting some huge kid and his dad at a local Whataburger who had La Tech gear on. Turns out they were on their way to Ruston for a recruiting trip and admitted never hearing a word from anyone in Denton and they would have loved to get the chance to stay close to home.

UNT90 told us about the all district DL from Southlake who wanted to stay close to home and play for NT. He and his parents in fact sat behind me and my family at the ‘16 HOD bowl. But he never heard a word from NT. He’s in his 3rd year playing for Texas Tech.

......and on and on and on.

Rick

Rick great points. I truly do not believe most people understand how bad UNT's program was perceived by many high school coaches in Texas. The amount of progress we have made under Seth is amazing. A lot of bridges had to be mended and many more still need work. Basically Seth and Wren are replacing the programs foundation.

untjim1995 · November 11, 2019

1 hour ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Rick great points. I truly do not believe most people understand how bad UNT's program was perceived by many high school coaches in Texas. The amount of progress we have made under Seth is amazing. A lot of bridges had to be mended and many more still need work. Basically Seth and Wren are replacing the programs foundation.

I know one of the best high school coaches in the state that is the head coach at a high school in Frisco. This is what he told me about UNT coaches from Dickey to SL:

Dickey—a ball buster who was not real easy to talk to or feel like he cared much about North Texas. Zero passion, but was a very solid x’s and o’s mind.

Dodge—a diva. Thought he’d get players because of his legacy at Southlake Carroll. Also was known to be very pointed about his views on whatever strategies these other TX HS coaches were doing. He knew Dodge would never make it when he came to talk to him about a QB who would end up at a PAC school, but said that his scheme at SLC was going to make UNT the place for QBs for a long time (ugh).

Mac—he loved DMac. Thought he was able to relate to coaches in the HS ranks very well and understood their jobs as a leader and molder of young men. But the only thing that was bad was just too much to combat all the good—his offense was stuck in 1975. Nobody ran it anymore and none of the kids or coaches like his style of three yards and a cloud of dust.

SL—bright mind, probably the most genuine guy we could ever have, and very, very quiet/observant. He thinks he could be huge, just like we all do, but also thinks he’s a “Leach Guy, so he’ll never care about defense.” He said that is what will be tough for him because we play schools with talent and focus on both sides. And this guy also says he recognizes that TX HS is basically glorified 7-on-7 compared to when he played in the late 80s/early 90s—and he blames that completely on...you guessed it—Mike Leach. Once they saw how fun that offense was to coach and play in, nothing else even matters anymore. And look what that has done to our colleges in this state because of it.

UNT 90 Grad · November 12, 2019

During the pre-game player introductions, it was funny listening to the booing from the Green Brigade every time they introduced a LA Tech player that was from Texas.

greenminer · November 12, 2019

3 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

I know one of the best high school coaches in the state that is the head coach at a high school in Frisco. This is what he told me about UNT coaches from Dickey to SL:

My follow-up questions to your post, Jim, are:

Does said coach have a specific guy (college coach) in mind if you asked him who is incredible to talk to about recruits?
what qualities make a positive impression on today’s high school coaches? What do they like to hear in person?

untjim1995 · November 12, 2019

12 minutes ago, greenminer said:

My follow-up questions to your post, Jim, are:

Does said coach have a specific guy (college coach) in mind if you asked him who is incredible to talk to about recruits?

what qualities make a positive impression on today’s high school coaches? What do they like to hear in person?

He loves Matt Ruhle’s coaching and attitude—very little ego. Also, he likes Sonny Dykes for the reasons that he liked DMac, but Dykes runs the offense that is actually played in TX HS football 99% of the time.

He didn’t think much of Frank Wilson, really didn’t care for Dana Holgorsen, either. He said both were not trustworthy. He likes hearing that the coaches at these schools value what the HS coaches do for these young men and recognize their efforts will help these kids get better with their help. And being able to relate to them and the recruits’ parents goes a long way with him and his staff.

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · November 12, 2019

5 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Rick great points. I truly do not believe most people understand how bad UNT's program was perceived by many high school coaches in Texas. The amount of progress we have made under Seth is amazing. A lot of bridges had to be mended and many more still need work. Basically Seth and Wren are replacing the programs foundation.

I get that all the time. Coaches an players always refer to the 1-11 season or/and the dodge days. It always gets me pissed because they just see the negative, when under SL there has been way more positive. Sure we haven't won a bowl, but the coaches and mainly the kids think of us as the lower D-1 team.

Also smut fans, but I don't listen to them

Charlie NT 73 · November 12, 2019

If I run across a good player somewhere, I would report the player information to our recruiting staff.

I would like to know how the recruiting staff picks out which prospect should be recruited.

Side story - my cousin has a son that is a very good athlete. Played WR, Safety, and a little QB

He stands at 6-2, 185 as a college freshman.

Plus, his son was a track star, specialized in the high hurdles, 200 and 400. State qualifier, district champ two years in a row.

My cousin developed a football recruiting highlight CD about his son. Started sending the CD and information page to college coaches. Long story short - my cousin sent the information to the athletic office at NT to the recruiting staff.

My cousin never heard back from NT, so when Tulsa came calling, the deal was done. My cousin’s son signed with Tulsa.

Smu and a couple of other programs were showing interest but he stayed with Tulsa. He is a redshirt this season. He is also going to try for the track team too - hurtles.

Big Z · November 12, 2019

15 hours ago, FirefightnRick said:

That’s the thing with me is I go to HS games, have for years. It’s fun for me. It’s what I do outside of working, playing with cars and following the Mean Green. I get out, I speak to people and ask questions. I don’t rely on some website written by someone who’s probably never stepped foot on Texas soil. And believe me....it’s bizarre how many kids never hear from us.

I recently(past two years recently) spoke to a previous coach from Aledo. Ever heard of Aledo? He said he never saw or heard from anyone from North Texas the 10-12 years he was there.

Four or five years ago McCarney admitted meeting Joey Florence at Denton Ryan?...and the two other coach’s at Denton and Guyer in person for the first time in McCarney’s third year here. How is that even possible?

GreenDozer tells a story of meeting some huge kid and his dad at a local Whataburger who had La Tech gear on. Turns out they were on their way to Ruston for a recruiting trip and admitted never hearing a word from anyone in Denton and they would have loved to get the chance to stay close to home.

UNT90 told us about the all district DL from Southlake who wanted to stay close to home and play for NT. He and his parents in fact sat behind me and my family at the ‘16 HOD bowl. But he never heard a word from NT. He’s in his 3rd year playing for Texas Tech.

......and on and on and on.

Rick

Sounds like you better at recruiting then some of these coaches.

untjim1995 · November 12, 2019

La Tech also has the NFL advantage here—as in people get drafted from there to play at the next level. No facility upgrade can match that...

FirefightnRick · November 12, 2019

3 hours ago, Big Z said:

Sounds like you better at recruiting then some of these coaches.

Not even close. I’ve just met and know a lot of people and learn of their histories and backgrounds.

Rick

UNT Texas Hooligan · November 12, 2019

17 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

I know one of the best high school coaches in the state that is the head coach at a high school in Frisco. This is what he told me about UNT coaches from Dickey to SL:

Dickey—a ball buster who was not real easy to talk to or feel like he cared much about North Texas. Zero passion, but was a very solid x’s and o’s mind.

Dodge—a diva. Thought he’d get players because of his legacy at Southlake Carroll. Also was known to be very pointed about his views on whatever strategies these other TX HS coaches were doing. He knew Dodge would never make it when he came to talk to him about a QB who would end up at a PAC school, but said that his scheme at SLC was going to make UNT the place for QBs for a long time (ugh).

Mac—he loved DMac. Thought he was able to relate to coaches in the HS ranks very well and understood their jobs as a leader and molder of young men. But the only thing that was bad was just too much to combat all the good—his offense was stuck in 1975. Nobody ran it anymore and none of the kids or coaches like his style of three yards and a cloud of dust.

SL—bright mind, probably the most genuine guy we could ever have, and very, very quiet/observant. He thinks he could be huge, just like we all do, but also thinks he’s a “Leach Guy, so he’ll never care about defense.” He said that is what will be tough for him because we play schools with talent and focus on both sides. And this guy also says he recognizes that TX HS is basically glorified 7-on-7 compared to when he played in the late 80s/early 90s—and he blames that completely on...you guessed it—Mike Leach. Once they saw how fun that offense was to coach and play in, nothing else even matters anymore. And look what that has done to our colleges in this state because of it.

Great stuff. Only thing I'll say is that he better start caring about defense before it becomes his downfall. You can have all the personality and potential in the world but if we continue on this track of not winning anything from championships to bowl games, questions need to be asked. Not caring about defense is what it is when you are winning but when you lose every meaningful game by giving up 50 or 60 points, that isn't going to fly.

Cerebus · November 12, 2019

17 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Dickey—a ball buster who was not real easy to talk to or feel like he cared much about North Texas. Zero passion, but was a very solid x’s and o’s mind.

DD was always very passionate about the team itself. Still my fave coach here. Remember what his working environment was, not facilities or anything like that: He and his boss couldn't stand each other. A lot of stories I could share.

DD may not have loved working for who he worked for, but he always loved his team.

greenminer · November 12, 2019

52 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

DD may not have loved working for who he worked for, but he always loved his team.

Probably fueled the bunker/us-vs-the-world mantra that was associated with those teams.

UNTLifer · November 12, 2019

1 hour ago, Cerebus said:

DD was always very passionate about the team itself. Still my fave coach here. Remember what his working environment was, not facilities or anything like that: He and his boss couldn't stand each other. A lot of stories I could share.

DD may not have loved working for who he worked for, but he always loved his team.

Yep, I applaud DD for sticking it out as long as he did working for Jimmy John. I honestly don't know how he did it.

greenminer · November 12, 2019

Not gonna happen, but a fun hypothetical: would you like DD as our HC with Wren and our current resources? I wonder if we would see the same offense? What would his recruiting look like?

Edited November 12, 2019 by greenminer

UNTLifer · November 12, 2019

Just now, greenminer said:

Not gonna happen, but a fun hypothetical: would you like DD as our HC with our current resources? I wonder if we would see the same offense? What would his recruiting look like?

Maybe my view is skewed from DD's previous tenure, but I think he is better suited to be a OC than a HC. He seems much more creative as the OC.

TheColonyEagle · November 12, 2019

5 hours ago, Cerebus said:

DD was always very passionate about the team itself. Still my fave coach here. Remember what his working environment was, not facilities or anything like that: He and his boss couldn't stand each other. A lot of stories I could share.

DD may not have loved working for who he worked for, but he always loved his team.

All of this ^

TheColonyEagle · November 12, 2019

4 hours ago, greenminer said:

Not gonna happen, but a fun hypothetical: would you like DD as our HC with Wren and our current resources? I wonder if we would see the same offense? What would his recruiting look like?

Man that's a good question.....

I too have very fond memories of Dickey and like others said...he's still my favorite. The thing about DD...and a lot of successful coaches are like this....wherever he went, he seemed to shape his strategy around the personnel and situation.

He ran the ball here...at Memphis he ran a wide open offense....at A/M he sort of does both.

Look at what Coach O is doing at LSU. What Gary Patterson has done at TCU. They're not ramming a square peg into a round hole.

Dickey will never return but if he did...I'm going to say his offense would look nothing like his Sun Belt days.

greenminer · November 12, 2019

11 minutes ago, ASmallRecruit said:

I've said this for year and will continue to say it: who has more national titles, Oklahoma or Texas? Nebraska or Texas? Clemson or Texas? LSU or Texas? Alabama or Texas?

You have to face hard facts - our beloved North Texas State turned UNT is not at the top of the football chain. Therefore, we are not going to get the best players in the state.

Hence...

...your coaching staff must recruit with a small state mentality. Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama...these are not high population states. Their rosters are not filled with exclusively player from their states...for decades!

Peter's peppers, you all! Joe Namath went to Beaver Falls High in Beaver Falls, PENNSYLVANIA. Yet, he went to college at Alabama. Do you understand how far ahead of the game some small state college coaches were thinking even in 1961? Less than half of OU's Heisman winners were from Oklahoma.

Come on!

UNT must, must, must go out and get the best they can from any of the dadgum 50 states that they can. The best players in Texas are going to the power schools - in and out of state!

Boise State built by recruiting the snot out of California, not Montana and Idaho! Our coaches are not going to outrecruit the SEC and Big 12 coaches that swarm the state of Texas.

This "ties to Texas high school coaches" malarkley has got to be put to bed by someone - Mason Fine, maybe? No more coaches who fawn over Texas high school coaches and their pointless egos. It's a damn numbers game.

We've got to get who we can, when we can, and where we can! And, we need a coach and coaching staff who knows how and why to do it!

We are not trying to beat Texas and Bama for the 5 star players. There are plenty of players in Texas/AR/OK/LA, to find competitive CUSA players.

I would rather figure out why we are overlooking so many good regional players that WANT us, rather than spend money flying out to Idaho to recruit a kid who’s never heard of us.

Edited November 12, 2019 by greenminer