DMN/DRC article on Byerly & others out

NT80 · July 17, 2005

Four UNT players out for '05

Projected starter at quarterback among three who are ineligible

09:46 PM CDT on Saturday, July 16, 2005

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

DENTON â€“ Joey Byerly, a sophomore who was projected to start at quarterback for North Texas this fall, is among four players who will not play for the Mean Green in the 2005 season, coach Darrell Dickey said Saturday.

Byerly, redshirt freshman lineman Micah West and junior fullback Chris Nevins will miss the season after failing to meet NCAA participation requirements, according to Dickey. The coach said that senior linebacker Montrell Parks has decided to give up football.

"Joey, Micah and Chris have all informed me that their intention is to address their situation and return to the team as soon as possible," Dickey said.

The loss of Byerly leaves UNT without a quarterback on its roster who has thrown a pass in a college game. Byerly spent last season as the primary backup to Scott Hall and was expected to compete with redshirt freshman Daniel Meager for the starting job in spring practice. Byerly took the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense after Meager injured his right shoulder during the early stages of spring workouts. Meager underwent minor surgery in March.

Byerly completed nine of 24 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown in UNT's spring game. He threw for 73 yards on 12 attempts last season.

Hall passed for 1,806 yards and 14 touchdowns while earning second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as a senior last season.

Barring a late addition, the Mean Green will enter fall practice with six players listed as quarterbacks on its roster. Meager will join junior Cullen Mills, sophomore Jonathan Ieans, redshirt freshman Kellen Haynes and freshmen Steve Warren and Matt Phillips. Mills temporarily left the team during the off-season. West, Nevins, and Parks were projected to be backups this season.

UNT has won the last four Sun Belt Conference titles and will enter the season with a 25-game conference winning streak.

OldTimer · July 17, 2005

Another question to me is the status of DeMario Thomas....he is not shown on the roster and it very well might mean he did not qualify and if that is the case will probably be at Kilgore JC. It won't hurt NT this year and IF he does wind up at Kilgore we can just hope he will return to NT his brothers Sr. year at NT.

NCMeanGreen · July 17, 2005

I think Micah West is the key loss here...

GrayEagle · July 17, 2005

Another question to me is the status of DeMario Thomas....he is not shown on the roster and it very well might mean he did not qualify and if that is the case will probably be at Kilgore JC. It won't hurt NT this year and IF he does wind up at Kilgore we can just hope he will return to NT his brothers Sr. year at NT.

I don't have any basis of fact, just a gut feeling, but I think that DeMario Thomas will end up a grayshirt at North Texas.

If he, too, is dyslexic (and I certainly don't know that he is) then he would be better served at North Texas scholastically. Should he choose to do that, he would have two years as the lead back after his brother graduates and he would still get to play with him two years as well. If he goes to Kilgore (or any JC) he loses that year of eligibility.