Repost - Meager set to begin workouts

MeanGreen61 · June 20, 2005

DRC article.

Football: Meager set to begin fall workouts

Shoulder surgery forced freshman QB to miss spring practice

08:44 AM CDT on Friday, June 17, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

There should be a full complement of players ready to compete for the starting quarterback position at North Texas this fall.

Daniel Meager, a highly touted redshirt freshman who missed the majority of spring practice with a shoulder injury, has resumed throwing and should be ready for the beginning of two-a-day practices in the fall.

Meager underwent surgery on his shoulder in March.

“Daniel is throwing,” UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. “He is not 100 percent, but our players have 7-on-7 sessions they run by themselves, and he has been out there participating. His surgery went fine and everything else is going well.”

Sophomore Joey Byerly is also working out. Dickey said he expects Byerly to be ready to compete for the starting job in the fall after serving as Scott Hall’s primary backup last season.

Junior Cullen Mills also could return to the team and compete for a spot on the Mean Green’s depth chart.

Mills left the team during spring practice in February to consider if he wanted to continue his career.

“Cullen has inquired about the possibility of returning to the team, but we have not made a final decision yet,” Dickey said.

Meager’s recovery and the potential return of Mills will give the Mean Green several options at quarterback heading into the 2005 season when Kellen Haynes is also expected to compete for playing time.

Several other UNT players have remained on campus this summer and are taking classes to maintain their eligibility for the 2005 season.

“We have a number of kids who still have some work to do to become eligible,” Dickey said. “We won’t know until the end of the summer who will be with us. Some kids have dug themselves pretty deep holes, but for the most part we are in decent shape. We are a little better off at this time than last season.”

UNT finished 7-5 last year when the Mean Green won the Sun Belt Conference title and played in the New Orleans Bowl for the fourth consecutive season. UNT is slated to have 10 returning starters next season, not to mention the last two national rushing champions.

Patrick Cobbs won the title in 2003 with an average of 152.7 yards a game before missing last season with a knee injury. The senior will return this year to team with 2004 national rushing champion Jamario Thomas, who posted an average of 180.1 yards a game after stepping in for Cobbs.