Lost Recruits Have Taken Toll On UNT

[Eagle-96]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/13255335.htm

Lost recruits have taken toll on UNT

By JEFF WILSON

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON - More than three years have passed since Dylan Lineberry's first appearance on a North Texas practice field.

The offensive lineman joined the Mean Green in August 2002, one of 21 recruits to a program that had just won its first conference title in eight years.

Lineberry has endured his share of highs and lows during his first four seasons. He's still standing, but nine members of his recruiting class aren't.

"Everybody was here, and we were all excited to be here," said Lineberry, the first member of his family to attend college. "A lot of stuff didn't work out for those guys, I guess."

Six more players from the '03 group are no longer on the roster, and the resulting lack of potential veteran starters has contributed to UNT's worst season since 2000.

"There are a lot of factors that go into losing by three or winning by three than just what happens on game day," said coach Darrell Dickey, whose team is 2-8 entering Saturday's finale against Arkansas State. "I'll be the first to admit we've had some people we were counting on that didn't hold up their end of the bargain."

The offensive line has been a problem. The front five have struggled to open holes for Patrick Cobbs and Jamario Thomas, the past two national rushing champs.

Lineberry, a starting guard, was one of five linemen signed in 2002. The other four are gone. Starting tackle Joel Foster is a member of the '02 class, but he signed as a tight end and switched to the line last season for depth.

Josh Alexander and Adam Venegas, contributors to this season's line, were signed in 2003 as defensive linemen.

"If a guy doesn't want to be here, I don't think he should be here if his heart's not in it," said Lineberry, a senior.

Another position in turmoil this season has been quarterback. One each was signed in '02 and '03, and neither played this season. Cullen Mills from the 2002 class quit the team in the spring. Weeks later, '03 signee Joey Byerly was declared academically ineligible.

Don't expect the youth movement to slow in 2006. UNT started this season with only 77 of the NCAA-approved 85 scholarship players. Even a full recruiting class next season will leave the Mean Green short on able hands.

"Recruiting is not an exact science," Dickey said. " A number of guys who we felt could really help us didn't hold up their end of the bargain. It's affecting us this year, it may affect us next year, but we'll have to address it."

[Coffee and TV]

"There are a lot of factors that go into losing by three or winning by three than just what happens on game day," said coach Darrell Dickey, whose team is 2-8 entering Saturday's finale against Arkansas State. "I'll be the first to admit we've had some people we were counting on that didn't hold up their end of the bargain."

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I'll be the first to admit I'm not a Dickey fan, so this isn't a bash, but a question...Dickey if that's the case, would it have something to do with the character of players that you are recruiting in the first place? There is no comparing video games and real life, but if I scout a player on XBox and his behavior is "poor" then I know not to offer a scholarship.

Edited November 25, 2005 by Coffee and TV

[MeanGreen61]

There is no comparing video games and real life, but if I scout a player on XBox and his behavior is "poor" then I know not to offer a scholarship.

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You're absolutely right! There is no comparing of video games and real life!

[Coffee and TV]

You're absolutely right! There is no comparing of video games and real life!

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Well my point is just to ask the question, do we know what kind of kids these are that we're recruiting? Are we talking high school B students here, or ones who because they were athletes got to piss off in class and never show?

[UNTFan23]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/13255335.htm

Cullen Mills from the 2002 class quit the team in the spring.

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What was the reason Cullen Mills left the team again? (Honestly, I don't remember).

[H-towngreen]

For this years upcoming recruiting class we should sign the same number of high school kids usually around 18-20. And then go after a larger number of juco talent to have them here in spring. With an extra 8 ships not used why not? We should break it down like so: 1 QB, 2 OL, 2 DL, and 2 CB. Juco is one way in which we can improve the team quickly.

[SilverEagle]

For this years upcoming recruiting class we should sign the same number of high school kids usually around 18-20. And then go after a larger number of juco talent to have them here in spring. With an extra 8 ships not used why not? We should break it down like so: 1 QB, 2 OL, 2 DL, and 2 CB. Juco is one way in which we can improve the team quickly.

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In the case of players like Michael Pruitt and possibly T.J. Covington, that may be true. However, "improving quickly" usually involves a four or five game "learning curve" for most JUCO's. As I've pointed out before, Ransom didn't make his presence known until about the fourth or fifth game.

BTW, doesn't it seem odd that this article came out when we've been talking about this (recruitment, or the lack thereof) for the last two weeks?

Looks like someone in the sports writing profession reads this board and finds some of our points credible enough to write an article about.

Edited November 25, 2005 by SilverEagle

[PlummMeanGreen]

In the case of players like Michael Pruitt and possibly T.J. Covington, that may be true. However, "improving quickly" usually involves a four or five game "learning curve" for most JUCO's. As I've pointed out before, Ransom didn't make his presence known until about the fourth or fifth game.

BTW, doesn't it seem odd that this article came out when we've been talking about this (recruitment, or the lack thereof) for the last two weeks?

Looks like someone  in the sports writing profession reads this board and finds some of our points credible enough to write an article about.

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Bill, you know good and well that has been happening longer than some of them would admit. I heard from another alum that the M.G.R.N during a recent football game broadcast is even taking some indirect pot shots at GMG.com by taking air time to suggest that the UNT Athletic Dept. official board is "the only UNT athletic board anyone ever really needs to read." Well, I don't think from what I hear are the monthly bytes (hits) on www.GoMeanGreen.com that our broadcast fellas' are going to get their wish.

If the ones your are talking about, Bill, hang around GMG.com long enough, they might learn someting about the history of the NT Athletic Department from a few NT Exes standpoints and that going back to before some of them were even gleams in their father's eyes. I recall back in November of 1990 when the sports editor of the North Texas Daily called me at my office for some HSO's about the time many thought Corky Nelson had run his course at UNT. He was not back in 1991, but UNT did its usual and started doing the "Reverse Texas 2-Step" again with its next hiring. It has been an amazing adventure following all this thru the decades, eh, Bill?

Here's hoping some NT powers that be might be taking a few sneak peaks at this forum as to what has been posted (both pro & con) the past few weeks. They might want to take their blood pressure medicine before loggging on, though.

GOD BLESS TEXAS!

Edited November 26, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[NT80]

It's affecting us this year, it may affect us next year...."

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I have big concerns about NT football this year; I may have them again next year...

Edited November 26, 2005 by NT80

[Got5onIt]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/13255335.htm

"Recruiting is not an exact science," Dickey said. " It's affecting us this year, it may affect us next year, but we'll have to address it."

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DD truely amazes me.

The excuses for next season are already starting.

Edited November 26, 2005 by Got5onIt

[OldTimer]

For this years upcoming recruiting class we should sign the same number of high school kids usually around 18-20. And then go after a larger number of juco talent to have them here in spring. With an extra 8 ships not used why not? We should break it down like so: 1 QB, 2 OL, 2 DL, and 2 CB. Juco is one way in which we can improve the team quickly.

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If we get a JC recruit that is elgible for spring training they will fit into the system before FB season begins. If a JC is not elgible for Div I when he goes into the JC system...he will have to graduate from the JC before he can actually transfer to a Div I school. Weathers and Ranson are good players but they didn't report until after they graduated in May so it did take half a season to really get into the system.

[VideoEagle]

If we get a JC recruit that is elgible for spring training they will fit into the system before FB season begins.  If a JC is not elgible for Div I when he goes into the JC system...he will have to graduate from the JC before he can actually transfer to a Div I school.  Weathers and Ranson are good players but they didn't report until after they graduated in May so it did take half a season to really get into the system.

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And, of course, the primary reason a football players goes to junior college is because he IS NOT eligible for 1A football.

[PlummMeanGreen]

DD truely amazes me.

The excuses for next season are already starting.

 

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Yes, Got5onit, Darrell Dickey's 2006 spin of even more mediocrity has truly already begun. He is the master of such "we po' but after all, we're at UNT and Denton." He has some who actually (and sadly) buy into all that, too. Look for DD to load up with JUCO signings this Spring because he will need them to even be competitive in the Sun Belt Conference.

In 30 plus years of following Mean Green football, I've never had to say this or have even ever thought of saying this, but at this moment in time, I will not $upport any of this spiraling status quo football happening at our alma mater until that man is off the UNT payroll and I will quietly and methodically encourage others to do the same until we have enough of an army to get someone's attention on that campus; that is, encourage those to look at the record considering what level of NCAA D1-A we play and then count the longterm cost of DD being on the NT payroll.

Some of you might be quite surprised at some high profile NT'ers that are already part of this "need for change" movement. DD would probably (himself) even be surprised. Yet I don't think there will be a change (as it should) after this Fall. He does have a multi-year contract. Yet whether DD's in Denton 1, 2, 3 or more years, he will still not reach .500 with present trends all of us have been witnessing for the last few years now. We are at the bottom of NCAA D1-A, folks, what else do you need to happen at UNT until you start saying something? And please, don't let a win over ASU today cause any of you to think this is the beginning of something "BIG", either.

It is just too obvious for those on the outside looking in what we've really got with his leadership. He's griped about his UNT/Denton plight moreso since he should have gotten fired post-ULM loss 5 years ago. (Actually, word has it he was actually fired after that loss until NT's "kiss up" BOR chairman came running to his rescue). How pathetic that a Texas major university would run its athletic affairs in such a manner. Who's on first? What's on third? FWIW, Rick Villarreal is more than adequate as the UNT Athletic Director--we don't need 2 AD's.

All those who have cried "Dickey Ball" for years have suddenly and apparently forgotten their own dislike with what he dishes out every time a DD team tees up the football for even the casual fan to watch (and most of them swearing they won't come back to watch that kind of boring football). Too many on this very forum keep hanging onto DD's small time goals and small time dreams of which he can (for certain) win "Coach of the Year" awards with small time thinkers/dreamers at the small time (SBC/Bottom 10) level. NOTE: Look for DD to have his QB's throw the ball 30 plus X's today to show his following that he can play something other than Dickey Ball. As many of you have said a long time, he is most predictable with things he will do (or not do).

Actually, in a perfect Mean Green World, DD would still be back at SMU (where he spent one year) as its offensive coordinator before his KSU connection came thru, ie, his ex KSU coach dad and KSU grad Craig Helwig. 2 Kansans who pulled off a bonafide hiring coup in Texas at our expense and by even going around the entire UNT community to push "their" boy to the top of a short list that had only one name on it--namely Darrell Dickey's.

Were our school's leaders back then that damn naive' with matters concering athletics? BUT BACK TO SMU: Who knows, if DD were still at SMU as, uh, "O/C" (gimmee a break on that, too) we might then have a chance of beating SMU next Fall, but with DD as UNT's HC & O/C..........you can all forget that pipe dream. Will an SMU loss (in light of their recent decades of a losing football history) have any affect on some you at all even then..........or will some of you further entrench yourselves as Stepford Eagle alums/fans even when that time comes around next Fall? Just what will be the straw that breaks your camel's back with all this happening in Mean Green Country? Why is it necessary that we elongate all this mediocrity, too?

Yet, if DD's given the same (most abnormal) amount of time our Lady Mean Green BB coach has been given (with her State of Texas on-going retirement on our campus) DD will still have 9 more seasons to eventually get all this figured out to get us back to the top of the, uh, SBC/Bottom 10. (I can't say "SBC" by itself, anymore).

Our school leadership operates its athletics in strange and not so mighty ways compared to the other 118 NCAA D1-A schools. More surprising to me as I am in my 4'th decade of putting up with way too much of this as an NT Ex (and I ain't going to completely give up on all this untill they dig a 6 foot hole for me, either, sorry.....); anyway, just so surprising that more of our alums can't see thru the SBC/Bottom 10 fog, the charade, the veiled successes and just don't start raising more hell about it, too. Hellsbells, most of us who are real Texans, aren't we a bit known for raising hell when we've just had too much of any one thing?

Come on people, if you don't start objecting to all this (pronto) that has been spiralling to the bottom of the (already low) SBC heap for the last 3-4 years (using as prime example of that in those last few years bowl losses to CUSA's 4'th place football teams, FAU 2X's/almost FIU, Tulsa U and even (good gosh!) La Tech; yet if you don't voice your objections to mediocrity, then your are merely partners with the present NT leadership and to every single thing most of you have been objecting to on this forum the last few years. I've read most all of your posts in recent years, so I know what used to get your goats!

A non-BCS school like UNT in the league surroundings we are in just cannot affort to accept status quo or not having a sense of urgency to make changes to those who have shown us for awhile now that they (personally) are just not going to change enough to be successful in the present SBC/Bottom 10 situation we've got ourselves right in the middle in.

Just like NM Green posted yesterday when (and I liberally paraphrase) he said "it will be a long drought for NT football and this program (in present form) will not see another bowl game (even in the SBC/Bottom 10 for crissakes') the rest of this decade." "Did yall like that, M.G.R.N. guys?"

GOD BLESS TEXAS! (and on-campus Texan wannabe's who might want to consider just takin' all that talent that is hardly taking UNT to the top back home)

Edited November 26, 2005 by PlummMeanGreen

[TWISMUNT]

What was the reason Cullen Mills left the team again?  (Honestly, I don't remember).

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Lack of reps, never got a good enough look and decided he didn't want to ride the pine anymore!

[Danish42]

So Mills left the team again. I had heard during the summer that he wanted to get back on schlorship but was waiting to be accepted.

Lack of reps, never got a good enough look and decided he didn't want to ride the pine anymore!

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[TWISMUNT]

2002 Recruiting Class

Nick Bazaldua, K/P, 5-10, 164, DeSoto - Only four year starter of group, will graduate in May!

David Blevins, OL, 6-7, 290, Muskogee, Okla. - Left the team after one year because of where he was on the depth chart and homesickness.

Jesse Brown, OL, 6-3, 270, Hughes Springs - Quit first year, couldn't handle it I guess!

Shawn Early, LB, 6-0, 210, Jacksonville, Fla. - Solid player, starter that got hurt. Will be back next year!

Joel Foster, TE, 6-4, 240, Austin - Turned out to be a good defensive end as well as an offensive tackle. Will be a solid 3 year starter.

Kurk Francis, DL, 5-11, 287, Mesquite - Brandon Kennedy's protege that just never panned out. Left the team.

Philip Graves, RB, 6-2, 205, Hutto - Starter, and current captain. Although an undersized LB he has amazing speed and is not afraid to hit. Could have been a great safety in my opinion, but still has been one of the best in class.

Robert Harmon, TE, 6-4, 255, Houston - Has put together an okay little career at tight end for us.

LeMario Hollis, CB, 6-0, 170, Longview - An unbelievable player that at first had grade problems who fought hard and got himself back in school. Then a personal tragedy happened to him. It sucks!

Brandon Hooks, OL, 6-3, 300, Colleyville (Blinn Junior College) - Showed up hurt to UNT and never recovered. Lovely singing voice though!

Ronnie Hull, DE, 6-3, 220, Sugar Land - Finally got it together and had an excellent spring at TE, but he was injured this year. The jury is still out on him.

Steve Ingram, OL, 6-2, 270, San Antonio - Quit in first 2-a-days.

Dylan Lineberry, OL, 6-3, 310, Houston - Great Player, that has had grade issues in the past, but is better now, and an animal on the line.

Cullen Mills, QB, 6-3, 227, Killeen - Never got the reps he needed behing Scott Hall or Andrew Smith and then Joey B. Left the team.

James Mitchell, RB, 5-9, 191, Aubrey - An undersized guy that is actually a very good athlete. Has played FB for the past two years and played very well in a game he started at RB. Good sign.

Kevin Moore, RB, 5-9, 195, Houston - A good kick returner that gave us some solid backup work at RB. Once J-Mo got here though he was almost all the way out of the picture. Left the team this fall.

Chris Nevins, LB/P, 6-3, 215, St. Charles, Mo. - Traveled first year as a backup LB, then played some at FB last year. He had grade problems this year, but could come back next year.

Joel Nwigwe, WR, 5-11, 170, Alief - Amazing speed. Played as a true Freshman at WR. Was off the team last year, but has had a good year this year. He will be back next year also.

Sky Pruitt, DL, 6-2, 295, Hayden Lake, Idaho - Very solid DT that has helped a young D-Line with solid play. Good sign especially since we pulled him out of Idaho while they were still in conference.

Johnny Quinn, WR, 6-0, 181, McKinney - Do you need to even ask. The mighty Quinn is an under statement.

Michael Ruff, RB, 5-11, 190, Dallas - Great runner that could see holes that weren't there. I think he left because of grades and went to Grambling or somewhere like that. But I'm not sure.

Ricardo Smith, RB, 6-1, 190, Fort Worth - Solid special teams player that played well in the spring at Safety. Had a personal tragedy and decided not to return to the team. Would have been a potential starter at safety this year.

Cass Starks, DB, 6-1, 198, Denton - They had very high hopes for him, and personally I think that he has always played well in practice and stuff, just never has done enough to get on the field. Will be a senior next year, maybe he could get a chance.

Koryee Wyatt, LB, 6-1, 216, Oklahoma City (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) - Was like a fourth man at LB when Casey, Spencer, and Hurd were here. Great player but then again, so were they. Still gave us some good work, it was a damn shame that he didn't have anymore eligibility.

It should also be pointed out that there were several walk-ons that hung around from this class. Tyrone Carter being one, he has played on special teams, and is a solid back up corner. There were a couple more that helped the team in limited roles, but were either let go or decided not to play anymore because of the wave of the future.

Damn that took a while!

[TWISMUNT]

So Mills left the team again. I had heard during the summer that he wanted to get back on schlorship but was waiting to be accepted.

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He did return, but with Meager, Phillips, and Haynes getting all the reps, it was same song new dance.

[SilverEagle]

Yeah, and that's just the 2002 class.

[UNTLifer]

I find it funny that the Fort Worth paper is the one to notice and write about this. The DRC would never consider doing this or investigating any other "negative" about the program.