Great ESPN Story On Drew Mestemaker

SUMG · January 4

I'm calling him Drew "Breeze"

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/43278528/north-texas-mestemaker-opens-eyes-first-responder-start

Wag Tag · January 4

Is this another Cam Ward discovery by Morris? Like I had mentioned put 25lbs on him and he could be really special. Oh, and keep him!

edcollopy · January 4

The poise, the accuracy, the power in his arm was incredible. How the hell did Morris not sit when he hurt his shoulder. We may have something cooking w/ this kid. The team seems to gravitate towards him too.

3_n_out · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 1:30 PM, Wag Tag said:

Is this another Cam Ward discovery by Morris? Like I had mentioned put 25lbs on him and he could be really special. Oh, and keep him!

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I’m glad for the early success, but we all need to pump the brakes a bit.

MeanGreen_MBA · January 4

Kids the real deal

SUMG · January 4

By the way, that story is on the front page of the ESPN website. (at the time I am posting). So the kid got us great national publicity.

https://www.espn.com/

Coffee and TV · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 2:00 PM, edcollopy said:

The poise, the accuracy, the power in his arm was incredible. How the hell did Morris not sit when he hurt his shoulder. We may have something cooking w/ this kid. The team seems to gravitate towards him too.

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Especially when our season seemed to take a turn after that injury.

Wag Tag · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 2:35 PM, SUMG said:

By the way, that story is on the front page of the ESPN website. (at the time I am posting). So the kid got us great national publicity.

https://www.espn.com/

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Hope we can keep him. Morris can sell be here a year and then transfer

vpackrats · January 4

@SUMG - THANK YOU for posting this. I was going to do the same thing so you saved me some time. Glad to see the national media sees what occurred yesterday at the same time we had moronic hot sports takes tagged under "We picked the wrong quarterback" and "So sick of the crap this football program slings us". Pretty sure most of us expected to get blown out (let me raise my hand) with so many hitting the portal, so IMO we played a really solid game and barely lost.

For those people that constantly berate all things UNT and are never happy, it's a New Year -- find something that DOES make you happy. Back to the point, great article by ESPN. Very eye opening and well done! 🙂

Edited January 4 by vpackrats

Jonnyeagle · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 2:35 PM, SUMG said:

By the way, that story is on the front page of the ESPN website. (at the time I am posting). So the kid got us great national publicity.

https://www.espn.com/

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Thank you for posting this SUMG!

C Rod · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 2:35 PM, SUMG said:

By the way, that story is on the front page of the ESPN website. (at the time I am posting). So the kid got us great national publicity.

https://www.espn.com/

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This feels like a double-edged sword. Happy to see UNT on the ESPN front page with this headline stealing the thunder from TX State. However I'd also like to keep our breakout QB a secret until after the Spring portal window closes.

I rewatched the game on TV and saw SMU HC Rhett Lashlee was in attendance. He had prime seats for the Drew Mestemaker show.

greenminer · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:04 PM, C Rod said:

However I'd also like to keep our breakout QB a secret until after the Spring portal window closes.

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Keeping it off ESPN isn't going to keep it a secret.

Glory to the Green · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:04 PM, C Rod said:

This feels like a double-edged sword. Happy to see UNT on the ESPN front page with this headline stealing the thunder from TX State. However I'd also like to keep our breakout QB a secret until after the Spring portal window closes.

I rewatched the game on TV and saw SMU HC Rhett Lashlee was in attendance. He had prime seats for the Drew Mestemaker show.

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Yeah, the secrets out. How much of our NIL are we going to give a likely back up? I think he’s gone. If not now, then after spring. This part sucks.

emmitt01 · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 2:05 PM, 3_n_out said:

I’m glad for the early success, but we all need to pump the brakes a bit.

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If we’re already comparing him to Cam Ward, we need to slam on the brakes like we’re trying to avoid rear ending a semi on the freeway

C Rod · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:16 PM, emmitt01 said:

If we’re already comparing him to Cam Ward, we need to slam on the brakes like we’re trying to avoid rear ending a semi on the freeway

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Umm, tell that to Coach Morris. He's already talking about Drew being a franchise QB in the NFL.

Quote

"I've been around some good ones, been blessed to be around a lot of NFL guys in my career, and he has some traits that are just as good or better than some of those guys playing on Sundays right now," Morris said. "I think you saw the athleticism, the accuracy, the decision-making. I wouldn't be surprised if in 15 years, Drew Mestemaker's playing football still."

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emmitt01 · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:19 PM, C Rod said:

Umm, tell that to Coach Morris. He's already talking about Drew being a franchise QB in the NFL.

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Then EM has a whole lot of explaining to do if he kept a “franchise NFL quarterback” on the bench all year.

And, by the way, he never said he was a franchise QB in the NFL, he said he shared some traits with NFL quarterbacks he’s been around. There’s a key distinction there.

I’m not saying the kid didn’t ball out yesterday, he was a very very pleasant surprise and the team MVP, but he doesn’t have a Cam Ward body of work.

C Rod · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:24 PM, emmitt01 said:

Then EM has a whole lot of explaining to do if he kept a “franchise NFL quarterback” on the bench all year.

And, by the way, he never said he was a franchise QB in the NFL, he said he shared some traits with NFL quarterbacks he’s been around. There’s a key distinction there.

I’m not saying the kid didn’t ball out yesterday, he was a very very pleasant surprise and the team MVP, but he doesn’t have a Cam Ward body of work.

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I agree. Cam is Cam and his body of work speaks for itself.

I'm reading between the lines when Coach Morris says Drew could still be playing football in 15 years. I guess technically he could be a 10 - 12 year career backup NFL QB but that's not the vibe I'm getting from Coach.

Coach is clearly excited about what he saw yesterday out of Drew. If he keeps talking like this, Drew won't be here to start the season.

NT93 · January 4

What a turnaround!!! From “we’ve got a backup QB who couldn’t even play for his high school team” to “we’ve got a future all-American that we’ll never be able to keep.”

In the new year, I’m thankful for all of the over the top, knee jerk reactions on this forum. Very entertaining🤣🤣🤣

EagleD · January 4

How is it that he ran for 55 yds with a long of 70. Those two things make no sense. Unless he had like 50 negative yards.

NT93 · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:57 PM, EagleD said:

How is it that he ran for 55 yds with a long of 70. Those two things make no sense. Unless he had like 50 negative yards.

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Sacks

GMG_Dallas · January 4

I'd love to have him for 4 years and I wonder if he won't choose to stay because our coaches actually trusted him. He and his high school teammate Coleman can be special here.

Cam stuck with Morris until he landed the job here and SHSU guys have followed Cassity here. Loyalty still exists. Drew has waited a long time for his chance. I don't see him bouncing on the first coach to give him a shot just to end up in a QB battle elsewhere.

Regardless, I'm going to enjoy this ride. We've got 3 capable QBs on the roster this spring when Poffenbarger and Jimerson show up. When's the last time we could say that?

greenminer · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 6:19 PM, C Rod said:

Umm, tell that to Coach Morris. He's already talking about Drew being a franchise QB in the NFL.

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That was coach speak. waaay different.

C Rod · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 7:10 PM, greenminer said:

That was coach speak. waaay different.

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I understand coach speak and it goes both ways.

I did not expect Coach Morris to speak so glowingly of Drew. I expected something more measured like:

"Drew had a great game all things considered. He showed poise, awareness, and threw the ball well. Are there some throws he'd like to have back? You bet. But this is a learning process and being his first start since high school, I think he handled himself well and the team rallied around him. And we fell just short of the win. As a 6-7 program, we all have work to do to get better and it begins tomorrow."

Mean Green 93-98 · January 4

On 1/4/2025 at 7:26 PM, C Rod said:

I understand coach speak and it goes both ways.

I did not expect Coach Morris to speak so glowingly of Drew. I expected something more measured like:

"Drew had a great game all things considered. He showed poise, awareness, and threw the ball well. Are there some throws he'd like to have back? You bet. But this is a learning process and being his first start since high school, I think he handled himself well and the team rallied around him. And we fell just short of the win. As a 6-7 program, we all have work to do to get better and it begins tomorrow."

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I agree. I think Morris's over-the-top praise of Mestemaker was the diametric opposite of coachspeak.

Edited January 4 by Mean Green 93-98

SilverEagle · January 4

So Coach Morris is overstating things regarding Mr. Mestemaker? How many more are going to come on and pick apart Coach Morris's expertise regarding QB's? He may or may not have been a significant part of the development and ultimate skillsets of two very impressive QB's (Mahomes and Ward) but he was certainly around them long enough to recognize traits of outstanding QB's. And so because of this experience (and expertise), he named Mr. "M" the first back-up to CM, way back at the beginning of the season. And this was with two QBs in the mix with state championships in their resume.

SO, after Friday's performance by one of the most unlikely QB candidates in North Texas history, who the hell knows what he's talking about? Coach Morris, or the "my $100 bill is wrinkled" crowd?

Edited January 4 by SilverEagle