North Texas gets strong finish with 2023 signing class

[Coach Andy Mac]

North Texas had a late start to the 2023 recruiting class but finished extremely strong.  Many thanks to Mean Green Fan @jtm0097 who put together a great overview of this excellent class in a post on the Mean Green Football Board that we are re-posting here.

2023 Signees:

Marcus Moore-Coffeyville C.C. (The Colony, TX) Defensive Line 6-1 / 295

Marcus is originally from The Colony, Texas. He spent 2020 at ULM before transferring to Coffeyville CC. In high school he was the district 5-5A DL of the year. This past year he was an honorable mention All-KJCCC selection. North Texas beat Arizona State for his services. I imagine he will immediately be in the DT rotation.

2022 JUCO Stats:33 Tackles 3.5 Sacks

Offers out of HS: Arkansas State, Army, Grambling State, Hawaii, Houston Baptist, NMSU, Northwestern State, Southern, Texas Southern and Toledo
 

Landon Sides-Guyer (Denton, TX)   Wide Receiver 6-0 / 180

Landon played his ball at Denton Guyer. He was OU signee Jackson Arnold’s top target at WR. First team 6-A All- State WR. He also excels at track. Ran a 10.54 100 Meter dash as a junior. Chose North Texas over Incarnate Word.

2022 Stats: 60 receptions for 1,358 yards and 16 touchdowns

Offers: Incarnate Word, Army, and Colorado School of the Mines
 

Damon Youngblood - McKinney (McKinney, TX) University of Louisiana Lafayette  Safety 5-10 / 180

Damon played his high school ball at McKinney High. After a redshirt year at UL-LA he decided to enter the transfer portal.  Impressive high school tape. He made several INTs and pass break ups. A little undersized, but he’s not afraid to tackle in space. Our new defense has 5 DBs on at one time. He will compete for playing time.

2021 HS Stats: 77 tackles, 7 PBUs, 8 INT and 3 FF. He also scored 2 TDs

Offers out of HS: UL-La, Air Force, Army, Arkansas State, Buffalo, Colorado St, Dartmouth, Furman, Liberty, Navy, New Mexico, North Texas, Rice, Tulane, and Utah State

Larry Moore-Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City, TX) Texas Tech  Offensive Tackle 6-5/ 275

Larry played his high school ball at Fort Bend Marshall. He committed to Texas Tech and was eventually on their depth chart as a back up OT. Larry has great size and should compete for playing time.

Offers out of HS: Texas Tech, Kansas, Colorado St, Georgia Tech, Houston, UL LA, ULM, NM St, Oklahoma St, SMU, Tulsa, Toledo, TX Southern, Tulane, UTSA, and Utah State 
 

Phillip Hill-Klein Collins (Spring, TX) UNLV Safety 6-0 / 183

Phillip played his high school ball at Klein Collins in Spring, Texas. He has spent the last 4 years at UNLV. He didn’t play last year as he was recovering from an injury. Phillip had a productive 2021 season at UNLV. He should compete to be a starter this upcoming season.

2021 Stats: 46 tackles, 3 int, and 1 sack 

Offers out of HS: UNLV

Trey Cleveland-Arlington (Arlington, TX) Texas Tech Wide Receiver 6-3 / 175

Trey played his high school ball at Arlington HS. Emmett Jones found him and extended him an offer. Played at Texas Tech the past 4 seasons. He appeared in all 12 games for the Red Raiders. I imagine he is in the WR rotation this season.

2022 Stats: 22 receptions for 344 yards

Offers out of HS: Texas Tech and Southern Illinois
 

Paula Vaipulu-Channelview (Channelview, TX) Georgia Tech Interior Offensive Lineman  6-3 / 305

Paula played his high school ball at Channelview High School. His high school coach was Jalen Hurts’ father Averion Hurts. Paula is also the cousin to Manase Mose. Paula played at Georgia Tech for the last 3 seasons. He started 9 games at guard and center. I imagine he will be either our starting center or guard next season.

Offers out of HS: Georgia Tech, Arizona, Boston College, BYU, Colorado St, FIU, Hawaii, Houston, Liberty, Louisiana Lafayette, Missouri, Nebraska, North Texas, Rutgers, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulsa, Utah State, and UTSA
 

Chandler Rogers-Lake Ridge (Mansfield, TX) University of Louisiana Monroe  Quarterback 6-0 / 194

Chandler played his high school ball at Lake Ridge HS in Mansfield. Fun fact, he was the QB that shared playing time with Jason Bean. Originally signed with Southern Miss and took a redshirt. After 1 year, he transferred to Blinn, where he started 4 games. Chandler transferred to ULM  for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he was very productive. I see him as QB 1 next year. Very excited for this addition. I forgot to mention, 68% completion percentage this past season.

2021-2022 ULM Stats: threw for 3714 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INT. He rushed for 720 yards and 6 TDs. He also had 1 receiving TD. 66% career completion percentage

Offers: Cal, Indiana, Sam Houston, and “every Sun Belt school per his Mean Green Show interview”
 

Dietrich Moore-Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, OK)  Linebacker 6-0 / 205

Dietrich played his high school ball at Broken Arrow HS in Oklahoma. Number 24 prospect in Oklahoma. Number 1 LB in Oklahoma according to his Twitter page. He flew to the ball in his highlight tape. An injury during his junior slowed down his recruiting process some. I think he will be a solid LB for us in a few years.

2022 Stats: 80 tackles, two sacks, four int, and one FF

Offers: Incarnate Word, ULM, New Mexico St, Southeast Missouri St, Lindenwood, and JUCO

Desmond Magiya-McKinney (McKinney, TX)  Offensive Tackle 6-4 / 270

Desmond played his high school ball at McKinney High. First Team All-District 5-6A OL. I was impressed by his run blocking. He is not afraid to get in a 3 point stance and block down on a LB or DE. I liked the effort he was giving on runs that were several yards down field. He was still sprinting downfield looking to make a block. His pass blocking was not bad against the small DEs he was facing. I imagine he will need a year in the weight room to add strength for blocking FBS DL. Overall, I think he has a lot of potential. This is a good pickup for 2-3 years down the road.

Offers: Alcorn, Pittsburg State, Weber State, Northern Arizona, Kilgore JC, Abilene Christian, Southern Arkansas & Incarnate Word

Evan Jackson-North Shore (Houston, TX)  Safety 5-10 / 170

Evan played his high school ball at North Shore. First Team All-District 21-6A DB and Returner. Very athletic DB and played for one of the top high schools in the country. He might be a redshirt candidate but I could see him contributing down the road.

2022 Stats: 62 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 7 PBU  3 punt return TDs

Offers: Grambling State, Lamar, Marshall, Northwestern State and SFA
 

Brian Nelson-Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX)  Cornerback 6-0 /181

Brian played at Shadow Creek in Pearland, Texas. He had 27 offers and we beat several G5 schools for his services. 7 INTs on the season. I was impressed with his coverage skills and how he would jump routes for INTs. There were a few plays where he fought off WR blocks and made tackles. That is a skill he definitely will need at this level. It's good to see that he is not afraid of contact. He didn't have a ton of tackles the year, but that could be due to QBs not throwing his way (7 INTs).  Great addition to the defense!

2022 Stats: 14 Tackles 7 INT 4 Passed Defended (I assume this is similar to pass break ups)

Offers: Akron, Coastal Carolina, Miami (OH), New Mexico, New Mexico St, North Texas, Old Dominion, Texas St, ACU, Air Force, Navy and 16 FCS offers (Yes 16, I am not going to list them all).
 

Isaac Sohn-Aledo (Aledo, TX)   Offensive Tackle 6-5 / 280

Played his high school ball at state powerhouse Aledo. He has more pancakes than IHOP. Ok, that was a corny joke, but he was mauling guys in almost everyone of these cherry picked clips. Aledo played a lot of schools with FBS talent and he even labeled some of the guys "3 star DT of 5 star LB" that he was going against in the video. I was impressed seeing him go out and block on screen plays. This is a good addition to the OL. He is recovering from an injury and could be a redshirt candidate.

Offers: UTSA, Air Force, Lamar, Dartmouth, La Tech, New Mexico St, Sam Houston St, San Diego St, SMU, and Texas St
 

Matthew Moore -Ellison (Killen, TX)  Linebacker 6-2 / 210

Played his high school all at Killeen Ellison High. Two-Time First Team All- District LB. He runs track and is a very good student. I was impressed with his closing speed on plays. He did a good job fighting off blocks and making tackles.  He's very athletic and should be a solid contributor in a few years for us. Honestly, I think this is one of the kids that is getting hurt by the transfer portal. OU, Texas Tech, and TCU were all showing interest. I bet if his high school had a better year, he would have had more offers. This staff is turning over rocks to find kids and I like it.

2022 Stats: 129 Tackles 17 TFL 3 Sacks 3 PBU 1 FF

Offers: Arkansas State, Midwestern State, Cisco College, Blinn, Kilgore JC, Southwestern, McPherson College and Texas Lutheran

Kollin Lewis-Gladewater (Gladewater, TX)  Defensive Back / Wide Receiver 5-11 / 170

Kollin is the lone East Texas recruit this year. He played at Gladewater High School and was the 6-3A Co-Offensive Player of the year. He is very athletic and plays DB and WR. Kollin is a coaches kid. He also plays basketball and runs track. He has speed and decent hands. He reminds me of Loronzo Thompson that is currently on the roster. He was previously committed to Texas State and recruited by Clay Jennings.

2022 Stats: 37 tackles, one sack and two interceptions; 12 total touchdowns;  41 receptions for 693 yards; 74 carries for 514 yards

Offers: Arkansas St., LA Tech, TX State, and UTSA
 

Jayven Anderson-North Shore (Houston, TX)  Safety 6-0 / 205

Jayven played his high school ball at North Shore. He was high school teammates with Evan Jackson. This is the highest defensive recruit that we have signed in the modern era. He had 4 INTs on the year and 64 tackles. It seems they either had him deep covering guys or brought him down in the box to defend against the run. He was very explosive and a bully on the defense. There were several plays where he took great angles and made solo tackles. I really liked his film and I imagine he would probably compete for playing time as a freshman. He has offers from 7 P5 schools. This is a big win for the defense.

2022 Stats: 64 Tackles, 16 PBU, 4 INTs (if I am reading the stats correctly, they were all returned for TDs)

Offers: Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado, Houston, Indiana, Ole Miss, Purdue, SMU, Texas, UTSA, and Grambling
 

Ethan Miner-Kingswood-Oxford School (West Hartford, CT) Arkansas State  Center 6-2.5 / 283

Ethan played his high school ball at Kingswood-Oxford in West Hartford, CT. He was a 2 star recruit out of of high school with offers from Arkansas State and Navy. Ethan played 32 games and started 24 of them at Arkansas State. Last season he started at center, but he also has experience playing guard. Ethan should be a starter for us at guard or center.
 

Noah Rauschenberg-Union (Tulsa, OK) Baylor  Kicker 6-2 / 185

Noah played his high school ball at Union High School in Tulsa Oklahoma. He spent the last 4 years at Baylor where he was their kickoff specialist. Noah chose us over an offer from Oklahoma State. No. 1 rated kickoff specialist for 2022 according to Pro Football Focus. He should compete to be our starting kicker.

HS Stats: Owns every Union High School record including 185 career PATs … Converted 10-of-16 field goals as a senior … Had a long of 54 yards … Also booted two field goals from 53 yards … Connected on 52-of-54 PATs … Had touchbacks of 50-of-65 kickoffs with an average of 67.95 yards per kickoff (Source Mean Green Sports)

Offers out of HS: Baylor, Tulsa, and Houston
 

Keith Smith-South Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX)  Defensive Line 6-2 / 280

Keith played his high school at South Oak Cliff, where he was a part of back to back state champion teams. I couldn’t find his 2022 stats, but he had 17 sacks over the last 2 years. I know he was a big reason for their dominance. Keith is a solid addition to our defense and should be a key contributor in the next few years.

2021 stats: 64 tackles, 19 TFL, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and three recoveries

Offers: Arizona State, Arkansas State, Incarnate Word, La Tech, ULM, Morgan State, Sam Houston State, Texas State, and Toledo
 

Taylor Starling-South Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX)  Cornerback 5-10.5 / 170

Taylor played his high school at South Oak Cliff, where he was a part of back to back state champion teams. I couldn’t find his 2022 stats, but he played on a loaded defense. Taylor is very fast and athletic. During track season he ran a 10.49 100 Meter dash. Taylor chose us over Texas State and UTSA. He was previously committed to Colorado. Since our new scheme is a 3-3-5 there is a chance that he gets to play early. I look forward to seeing him play at UNT.

2021 Stats: 51 Tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack. 1 PBU, 2 INT, 1 INT TD

Offers: 

Colorado, Arizona, Buffalo, Grambling State, Houston Christian, Kansas, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Purdue, Texas State, Toledo, UAB, and UTSA

View full article

Edited February 2, 2023 by Coach Andy Mac

[p_phelps]

As much as I love Anderson and starling... kollins has to be my pet cat

[MeanGreenTexan]

As far as Plug-&-play, immediate impact, it’s gotta be Rogers, Vaipulu, Miner, Cleveland, & Rauschenberg right?

As for the HS class, I dunno, I think Anderson & Starling obviously have potential early, but I think I’ll say I’m most intrigued by Magiya since he’s only been playing football for 2 years.  Upside with him could be enormous.

[jtm0097]

21 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

As far as Plug-&-play, immediate impact, it’s gotta be Rogers, Vaipulu, Miner, Cleveland, & Rauschenberg right?

As for the HS class, I dunno, I think Anderson & Starling obviously have potential early, but I think I’ll say I’m most intrigued by Magiya since he’s only been playing football for 2 years.  Upside with him could be enormous.

If Phillip Hill can play like he did in 2021 for UNLV, I could see him playing right away.

[Danish43]

Wasn't there another player from South Oak Cliff that NT wanted but he signed with another school?

[greenjoe]

Dylan Brown Turner.  He was offered by  Florida State ?  The FSU recruiting board said he had a NIL value of $6,100.

Edited February 2, 2023 by greenjoe

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

This class has Coach O's fingerprints all over it. Can't wait to see what they can pull off in time. 

[SUMG]

Kollin Lewis signing event in Gladewater. 

 

[Glory to the Green]

12 minutes ago, SUMG said:

Kollin Lewis signing event in Gladewater. 

 

I love seeing all of the green!  Cowboy hat is next level. GMG!

[untcampbell]

Thanks SUMG. Love these signing day pics. 

East Texas does it right.

 

GMG

[GrayEagle]

14 hours ago, p_phelps said:

As much as I love Anderson and starling... kollins has to be my pet cat

Wait until you have seen the latest recruit.  His name is Blake Fann and he is one badass linebacker.  He was 1st Team All-State in Class 6-A.  Apparently he is a PWO which tells me that they are out of scholarships until after spring training.  He has a Huddle video from his junior year at Denton Braswell.  He transferred to Frisco Lone Star as a senior and I didn't find any videos for last year.  

[meangreenfaninno]

6 minutes ago, GrayEagle said:

Wait until you have seen the latest recruit.  His name is Blake Fann and he is one badass linebacker.  He was 1st Team All-State in Class 6-A.  Apparently he is a PWO which tells me that they are out of scholarships until after spring training.  He has a Huddle video from his junior year at Denton Braswell.  He transferred to Frisco Lone Star as a senior and I didn't find any videos for last year.  

I agree with you @GrayEagle, he was a 1st team all state 6A selection and has great size.  Here is some video I found.  I apologize in advance as it is only one clip but he is double teamed by two linemen and makes the play.  Dude is a beast!

https://www.maxpreps.com/tx/frisco/lone-star-rangers/athletes/blake-fann/media/videos/?careerid=1rtmlubg6ptue&videoid=25034743-c308-42b3-b8c7-13f6090d293b

Edited February 2, 2023 by meangreenfaninno

[meangreenfaninno]

Here is his HUDL from senior year @GrayEagle

http://www.hudl.com/video/3/17555657/637ee90d3df58405202cdf24

[MeanGreen13]

22 minutes ago, meangreenfaninno said:

Here is his HUDL from senior year @GrayEagle

http://www.hudl.com/video/3/17555657/637ee90d3df58405202cdf24

Linemen seem to have a hard time getting their hands on him. That's a good sign. 

[SilverEagle]

On 2/2/2023 at 10:40 AM, GrayEagle said:

Wait until you have seen the latest recruit.  His name is Blake Fann and he is one badass linebacker.  He was 1st Team All-State in Class 6-A.  Apparently he is a PWO which tells me that they are out of scholarships until after spring training.  He has a Huddle video from his junior year at Denton Braswell.  He transferred to Frisco Lone Star as a senior and I didn't find any videos for last year.  

He looks like the second coming of Cody Spencer. And that's about as badass as you can get.

addendum:  For the younger fans on this board who don't remember Cody Spencer, here is a video done when he and Scott Hall were inducted into the HOF......

Both guys were "badass".  The example given about Scott Hall in this video was a game against Idaho. But I remember (and I've told this story numerous times) during a slug fest with LaLa at Fouts, Scott Hall was helped off the field by his teammates several times only to be taped up on the sidelines and putting himself back into the game. This is not much of an exaggeration, but by the end of the game, Hall was almost completely taped up from the waist down.

Edited February 3, 2023 by SilverEagle

[El Paso Eagle]

What I like watching his film is that he takes a second to see what is happening before he steps in a direction that makes it harder for him to adjust, and then attacks.

[Danish43]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:10 PM, greenjoe said:

Dylan Brown Turner.  He was offered by  Florida State ?  The FSU recruiting board said he had a NIL value of $6,100.

Thank you Joe. I knew there was a recruit that NT wanted badly from SOC but could not remember his name. 

[GMG_Dallas]

Dave Campbell's top 10 transfer pickups in Texas.

Edited February 16, 2023 by GMG_Dallas

[greenminer]

Cannot find any indication/proof that JT is related to former Mizz QB Chase Daniels.

[UNTLifer]

2 hours ago, greenminer said:

Cannot find any indication/proof that JT is related to former Mizz QB Chase Daniels.

Chase Daniels played at Southlake Carroll.  JT is from Santa Anna, CA

[greenminer]

3 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

Chase Daniels played at Southlake Carroll.  JT is from Santa Anna, CA

I noticed that.  doesn't rule out a possible relation.  I think it's unlikely, because you would probably see anything like that mentioned in JT's bios.

Edited February 17, 2023 by greenminer

[mustangfan]

Nice first class.  Welcome to the AAC.