Early Out For Season

MeanGreen61 · August 12, 2005

Football: North Texas’ Early gone for season

LB unable to come back from spring knee injury

08:45 AM CDT on Friday, August 12, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

The North Texas football team has lost its fourth-leading tackler from last season in linebacker Shawn Early.

The senior injured his knee in spring practice and will not be fully recovered in time for the 2005 campaign. UNT coach Darrell Dickey said Early, who played as a freshman, will spend the season as a redshirt and return in 2006.

Early remained at his home to continue rehabilitating his knee instead of reporting for the beginning of fall practice and was unavailable for comment. He will join the team when UNT opens for the beginning of fall classes.

“We think it would be better for Shawn to try and completely recover before he tries to play again,” Dickey said.

Early was one of the Mean Green’s top defensive players last year when he started 11 of 12 games and finished with 60 tackles. He served as the veteran leader of UNT’s linebacker corps that also included freshmen starters Derek Mendoza and Brandon Monroe.

Early was one of four defensive starters scheduled to return to the Mean Green’s lineup this season.

Fortunately for UNT, linebacker is one of the few positions on defense where the Mean Green have a wealth of both talented and experienced players returning. Mendoza and Monroe are expected to improve during a second season in the starting lineup.

Junior Phillip Graves entered fall practice listed as a co-starter with Early on UNT’s depth chart. The pair split time last season when Graves finished eighth on the team with 50 tackles.

Redshirt freshman Colt Mahan could also help soften the blow of Early’s departure.

The former Keller standout has played the same outside linebacker spot in UNT’s defense that Early filled.

Junior Travis Thompson and sophomore Maurice Holman are listed as backups entering fall practice at middle linebacker and outside linebacker, respectively. The Mean Green’s coaches could shuffle their lineup and move one of those players into Early’s spot in the lineup.

Thompson was expected to start at middle linebacker last season before he broke his leg in preseason practices. UNT defensive coordinator Kenny Evans said he expects Holman to push Monroe for playing time after leading the Mean Green with 10 tackles in a loss to Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl.

Thompson is also expected to challenge for the starting job at middle linebacker.

Freshmen QBs to get look today

North Texas freshman quarterbacks Steve Warren and Matt Phillips will receive an unexpected opportunity today when Mean Green’s freshmen join the veterans for the first full-squad workout of fall practice.

Both players were expected to end up buried deep on the Mean Green’s depth chart just a few months ago. That changed when Joey Byerly was declared academically ineligible over the summer.

Byerly’s departure elevated Daniel Meager to the top of the depth chart. Both Warren and Phillips will have a chance to compete for the starting and backup quarterback jobs in the final few weeks before the Mean Green’s opener at LSU on Sept. 3.

Scott Hall graduated after leading UNT to the Sun Belt Conference title and the New Orleans Bowl last season.

“There is chance both of those guys can compete for the backup job,” Dickey said. “We will put them out there and see what happens.”

Warren and Phillips are looking forward to the opportunity.

“Whenever you are the newcomer on the team, you want to fit in and do your thing,” Phillips said. “I want to help the team, wherever I can.”

Both players had a chance to begin the transition to playing on the college level during the first two days of workouts with the rest of the Mean Green’s freshmen. They will face a new challenge today when the team practices together for the first time.

“I will be a little nervous going against those guys,” Warren said. “It is still all new, but the more we are around the older guys, the more we pick up on things.”

Briefly …

UNT’s Thursday afternoon practice was cut short by a rainstorm … The Mean Green will practice once today at 8 a.m.

MeanGreenBuzz · August 12, 2005

Graves is going to suprise alot of people this year. He is going to be a monster. If he isn't the teams leading tackler after this season he will be #2.

As for Phillips and Warren, I hope they are better than Haynes...

meangreenfreak · August 12, 2005

Graves is going to suprise alot of people this year. He is going to be a monster. If he isn't the teams leading tackler after this season he will be #2.
As for Phillips and Warren, I hope they are better than Haynes...
←

P.S. - Post 1001

Congratulations...again