Carroll Lb Padron Commits To Unt

UNTflyer · January 7, 2007

Year three of the Dodge Regime should be fun!!

Smitty · January 7, 2007

Padron is one of the two kids off of SLC's defense that I was hoping to get. He's smart, fast and fly's to the ball. In the two games I saw him play in this year he was alway's around the ball. Alway's. After he's been in our system a year he will be a monster for the Mean Green defense.
Rick

This is a perfect example of a coach ignoring the height, weight, and 40-time numbers and signing a kid who can flat out play. I love that attitude. Mike Singletary was too small. Brandon Kennedy was too small. Teams look at numbers and spit out a kid like this. Colleges and the pros are marked with guys who were overlooked because of their numbers and went on to big careers, and they are littered with guys who had the numbers but not the heart, and who then failed.

Give me guys who are good football players.

D Trueblood · January 7, 2007

I agree, I'm also tired of hearing the too small, too slow comment. If the guy can play we want him on our team. He will be a great player for us and a star.

mad dog · January 7, 2007

The guy can flat play. I'm not worried about what SMU and TCU think of him, because they knew just as well as we did that Padron wasn't going to their schools. The next best thing? Scorched earth. Make him seem like "no big loss" and offer him a walk-on opportunity because surely anyone considering little ol' North Texas can't be that great.

Shoot, it's just turning down a date that was never offered in the first place, like saying, "I might date Carmen Electra, but I'd really have to think about it."

Welcome to the Mean Green, Justin. Can't wait to have you on board.

SilverEagle · January 7, 2007

Okay, now that we've annointed Mr. Padron as the second coming of Byron Gross or Chris Hurd. Let's look at some practical matters.

NO LINEBACKER is going to control the line of scrimmage. They depend on big, fast, aggressive D-Linemen to keep the OL busy, and off of them, so that they can "always be around the ball". That didn't happen very often for our last year's LB's.

So, in honor of Clara Peller, I have to ask the recruitment question "where's the beef?". I know that we may have a transfer in the fold, and some are assuming that Kyle Russo (who at 6'3" X 245 is not going to tie up too many O-Lineman at the D-1 level) may join Justin Padron at NT. But I'm looking at today's ST Texas top 100, and local top 50, and there sits a 6'3" X 320lb D-Lineman with "Undecided" still next to his name. I'm having visions of not only two O-Linemen being kept busy by the guy, but possibly three.

I love that we will probably get a lot of smart and savvy football players now that TD is with us. But it doesn't matter how smart and savvy you are when your opponent lines up with their 300+O-line and just runs the ball right down your throat. "Smart and Savvy" get's you to the point of attack very quickly, but it doesn't have any effect on the line surge. Especially when you're undersized.

Green Mean · January 7, 2007

Yeah, but what about addressing TCU.
I'm really starting to worry that we're about to become Southlake - North Campus. And that'll be fine if we can compete...but just bringing in your buddies and former players really screams of Parcells-esque and, to use a word everyone seems to use about RV, cronyism.

I kind of agree and understand what you are saying but at this point I dont think Dodge has much of a choice other than breaking the ice with bringing his own people. Even though he's very influential in HS football, he's in a situation right now thats a TOTALLY different ball game and I think it will just take some time. If TD can get one or two mid level recruits (ranked by rivals) then I think more and more people will look at UNT more seriously and commit here. He probably wont be able to bring alot experienced college coaches here cuz in the end he is just a HS coach. Getting that AF coach in here i think was great cuz he is experienced and knows the recruiting here but other than that I think it would be very hard getting a full blown collegiate experienced staff to coach this team. I couldnt tell you if this Padron guy can play or not but atleast he was willing to commit to UNT without knowing how TD will be able to handle the college level. Alot of kids would probably pick TCU cuz they are consistently ranked in the top 25 these days but this kid took a chance and picked UNT....not bad if you ask me. As of right now I think people that commit here that are higher level recruits are really commiting on blind faith for Dodge.

Edited January 7, 2007 by Green Mean

good_ken · January 7, 2007

Okay, now that we've annointed Mr. Padron as the second coming of Byron Gross or Chris Hurd. Let's look at some practical matters.
NO LINEBACKER is going to control the line of scrimmage. They depend on big, fast, aggressive D-Linemen to keep the OL busy, and off of them, so that they can "always be around the ball". That didn't happen very often for our last year's LB's.
So, in honor of Clara Peller, I have to ask the recruitment question "where's the beef?". I know that we may have a transfer in the fold, and some are assuming that Kyle Russo (who at 6'3" X 245 is not going to tie up too many O-Lineman at the D-1 level) may join Justin Padron at NT. But I'm looking at today's ST Texas top 100, and local top 50, and there sits a 6'3" X 320lb D-Lineman with "Undecided" still next to his name. I'm having visions of not only two O-Linemen being kept busy by the guy, but possibly three.
I love that we will probably get a lot of smart and savvy football players now that TD is with us. But it doesn't matter how smart and savvy you are when your opponent lines up with their 300+O-line and just runs the ball right down your throat. "Smart and Savvy" get's you to the point of attack very quickly, but it doesn't have any effect on the line surge. Especially when you're undersized.

Give TD a little time. I feel quite confident that he will get the best players available. This recruiting class may not be the most representative of this coaching staff's efforts due to the short length of time. Also remember that almost all of last year's class red-shirted.

greenminer · January 7, 2007

Okay, now that we've annointed Mr. Padron as the second coming of Byron Gross or Chris Hurd. Let's look at some practical matters.
NO LINEBACKER is going to control the line of scrimmage. They depend on big, fast, aggressive D-Linemen to keep the OL busy, and off of them, so that they can "always be around the ball". That didn't happen very often for our last year's LB's.
So, in honor of Clara Peller, I have to ask the recruitment question "where's the beef?". I know that we may have a transfer in the fold, and some are assuming that Kyle Russo (who at 6'3" X 245 is not going to tie up too many O-Lineman at the D-1 level) may join Justin Padron at NT. But I'm looking at today's ST Texas top 100, and local top 50, and there sits a 6'3" X 320lb D-Lineman with "Undecided" still next to his name. I'm having visions of not only two O-Linemen being kept busy by the guy, but possibly three.
I love that we will probably get a lot of smart and savvy football players now that TD is with us. But it doesn't matter how smart and savvy you are when your opponent lines up with their 300+O-line and just runs the ball right down your throat. "Smart and Savvy" get's you to the point of attack very quickly, but it doesn't have any effect on the line surge. Especially when you're undersized.

Point taken, and I agree to a certain extent. The counter-argument to this is that E. Trinity and A. Westlake had all that over SLC...and still lost. I'm not going to hail this kid as the next Chris Hurd, but I will trust Dodge for knowing what it takes to succeed with his system.

-gm

MeanGreen61 · January 7, 2007

Pony board thread.

http://www.ponyfans.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=22612

NT03 · January 7, 2007

You mean he's another guy who's too skinny and too slow and barely recruited and has a chance to become a star only if he has the genetics to pack on a ton more weight and the inner fire to outwork everyone around him? Hmmmm .... good luck to him.

I guess at 18 the human body stops growing.

Inner fire to outwork everyone around him ??? I guess that every "star" players is GOD chosen and doesn't have to work hard.

Man , I've got to get one of those SMU degrees

Edited January 7, 2007 by NT03

SilverEagle · January 7, 2007

Point taken, and I agree to a certain extent. The counter-argument to this is that E. Trinity and A. Westlake had all that over SLC...and still lost. I'm not going to hail this kid as the next Chris Hurd, but I will trust Dodge for knowing what it takes to succeed with his system.
-gm

They lost, but not by much. And they almost did it by running the ball and keeping the ball away from the SLC offense.

AND the only school to beat SLC during it's 5-A run (Katy) did so with a running game.

BleedGreen · January 7, 2007

Padron is one of the two kids off of SLC's defense that I was hoping to get. He's smart, fast and fly's to the ball. In the two games I saw him play in this year he was alway's around the ball. Alway's. After he's been in our system a year he will be a monster for the Mean Green defense.
Rick

I agree with Rick. THe wo SLC players that are seniors that I wanted the most were Justin Padron and DE Kyle Russo. This is a very good pick up . We are lucky to get Padron.

NT80 · January 8, 2007

Check out some of the other 6-0 or less Linebackers listed in the DMN Area Top 100.........

Rankings IndexProspect Ranking

DMN Area Top 100 - 2007

2007 Rank Pos Ht/Wt Schools

5 Keenan Robinson

Plano (TX) East LB 6-3/211 Texas

13 Jermaine Love

Garland (TX) North Garland LB 5-11/220 Arkansas

31 Kenny Alexander

McKinney (TX) North LB 6-1/215 Oklahoma State

34 Brandon Walls

Irving (TX) Irving LB 6-0/205 Kansas State

44 Chris Sanders

Corsicana (TX) Corsicana LB 6-0/200 Baylor

47 Chris Francis

Cedar Hill (TX) Cedar Hill LB 5-10/213 Baylor

70 Julian Herron

Arlington (TX) Bowie LB 6-0/200 SMU

75 Anthony Bell

Mansfield (TX) Summit LB 6-1/216 list

79 Jake Proctor

Fort Worth (TX) Arlington Heights LB 6-2/210 Navy

89 Alvin Jordan

Dallas (TX) Greenhill LB 6-2/228 list

94 Rashad Sanders

Flower Mound (TX) Flower Mound LB 6-2/210 list

98 Richard Brooks

Mesquite (TX) West Mesquite LB 6-0/200 Texas-El Paso

Edited January 8, 2007 by NT80

UNTLifer · January 8, 2007

One of the best DE's in the NFL is listed as 6'1" 268lbs. Dwight Freeney. Give me a player with a motor and desire.

NT80 · January 8, 2007

Another updated version of original story:

Football: Dodge nabs first recruit

11:29 PM CST on Saturday, January 6, 2007

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Todd Dodge didn’t have to go far to pick up his first recruit as the new head coach at North Texas.

He just went down the road to the field house he left at Southlake Carroll a few weeks ago to talk to Justin Padron, a middle linebacker who was a starter on his last two state championship teams.

Padron jumped at the chance to continue playing for his old high school coach at Carroll and orally committed to play for the Mean Green. Oral commitments are non-binding.

“I wanted to stay close to my family and close to home,” Padron said. “You can’t get any closer than North Texas. Getting a chance to play for coach Dodge for another four to five years was an opportunity that was too good to pass up.”

Padron was also recruited by SMU and TCU. Both asked the 6-0, 225-pound all-state selection to walk on.

Padron’s production was far bigger than his size for Carroll. He was a first-team selection on the Dallas Morning-News’ All-Area team and finished with 240 tackles, three sacks and three interceptions as a senior.

UNT recruited Padron as a middle linebacker, although he said he would be willing to move to another position.

Padron said his options to continue his college career were limited because of his size, but he is confident he can play on the Division I-A level.

Padron believes that while he is Dodge’s first recruit, he won’t be the last from Southlake or the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Dodge has said he and his staff will hit the Metroplex hard in recruiting.

“I think a lot of local players will come to North Texas,” Padron said. “They will jump at a chance to play for coach Dodge.”

Mean Green 93-98 · January 8, 2007

I'm really starting to worry that we're about to become Southlake - North Campus. And that'll be fine if we can compete...but just bringing in your buddies and former players really screams of Parcells-esque and, to use a word everyone seems to use about RV, cronyism.

I'd say if we can sign most of the top SLC players, that's the beginning of a great recruiting class!

NT91 · January 8, 2007

I'd say if we can sign most of the top SLC players, that's the beginning of a great recruiting class!

YES YES!!

ntmeangreen11 · January 8, 2007

We sign one player from his old team, and just because SMU & TCU didn't offer him, he's not good enough.

That's crazy guys, relax. This kid will be giving his all for a coach he loves to be around, and gets four(five) more years with, relax, take a deep breath, and remember, we have a great coach who knows what he's doing, don't second-guess him before he has even coached a game.

sports88guy · January 8, 2007

i think any player that records 240 tackles in one season in the top division of football in texas can play for us any day.....great signing and cant wait for the coming weeks to see which other players join the resurgance of Mean Green Football!!!!

Cr1028 · January 8, 2007

1st team all state, he must be doing something right

When is the last time Mean Green Land residents were complaining about getting a 1st team all stater from the Metroplex? Are you guys serious?

Edited January 8, 2007 by Cr1028

PlummMeanGreen · January 8, 2007

We sign one player from his old team, and just because SMU & TCU didn't offer him, he's not good enough.
That's crazy guys, relax. This kid will be giving his all for a coach he loves to be around, and gets four(five) more years with, relax, take a deep breath, and remember, we have a great coach who knows what he's doing, don't second-guess him before he has even coached a game.

If he isn't good enough for SMU and TCU, then he does seem to be good enough for the Fort Worth Star Telegram sports staff. They have this future Mean Greener in their Texas "State" Top 100 list which was in today's edition? :rolleyes: The FWST's state top 100 list in the past has been heavily influenced by TCU coaches it also seems.

Could someone post a link to the Houston Chronicle's Texas State Top 100 list? Thanks in advance...

Edited January 8, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

gangrene · January 8, 2007

Why all the negativity? This can be nothing but good news for the Mean Green. I'm excited to receive our first SLC commit and hope it's only the first of many yet to come. We've always recruited athletes that were considered too small or lacking the talent for D-1A competition and we've found several diamonds in the rough. One thing this kid knows how to do is WIN and if we're going to continue to recruit players that other schools don't value (and I think that will change in a few years), I would much rather take someone who knows how to win and who is a complete stranger to losing.

Oh, and screw SMU...who cares what they think???

Cr1028 · January 8, 2007

Oh, and screw SMU...who cares what they think???

Amen to that my friend.

H-towngreen · January 8, 2007

Ok I see no problem with his size. The kid can straight play, and he comes from a winning background. Not to mention he already knows the system.

If he was 6'1 would that make yall happier? How much does that inch really matter? Lets also remember he is only 18, males don't usually stop growing till 21 or so.