Rivals Says A.j. Penson Has Committed

MeanGreen61 · January 28, 2007

A.J. Penson

http://texasprepxtra.rivals.com/viewprospe...mp;pr_key=43693

Also showing in our total Rivals committment list. (List doesn't include previous committments Vizza, Davis & Martinson)

http://www.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=...&School=163

FWIW give us our third 2-star player with a 5.4 rating. .1 away from being a 3-star

Edited January 28, 2007 by MeanGreen61

UNT_playmaker · January 28, 2007

wow great news, it sounded kind of quiet this weekend. We just need Buchanan.... Maybe a good FG kicker/Punter, and more OL/DL

Especially a couple of good pass rushers

untbowler · January 28, 2007

wow great news, it sounded kind of quiet this weekend. We just need Buchanan.... Maybe a good FG kicker/Punter, and more OL/DL
Especially a couple of good pass rushers

We already have everything needed, except maybe DL. We have more than capable OL from last seasons Green Team. We have an Al--Conference Punter, and we have a RS Frosh in Woodward for a K.

good_ken · January 28, 2007

wow great news, it sounded kind of quiet this weekend. We just need Buchanan.... Maybe a good FG kicker/Punter, and more OL/DL
Especially a couple of good pass rushers

The #9 kicker out of high school last year is already on the roster (Steve Woodward). And we have something like 35 lineman on scholarship. If any more lineman come under scholarship, the food bill could bankrupt the athletic department.

emmitt01 · January 28, 2007

"This is probably going to be it," he said. "I'm just going to be solid and sign on Feb. 7."

This is my favorite part of the Rivals article.

On a different subject, anyone notice that now 2 of SMU's commits have been bumped up to 3* players?

Edited January 28, 2007 by emmitt01

PlummMeanGreen · January 28, 2007

"This is probably going to be it," he said. "I'm just going to be solid and sign on Feb. 7."
This is my favorite part of the Rivals article.
On a different subject, anyone notice that now 2 of SMU's commits have been bumped up to 3* players?

Are our, uh, "good neighbor" friend$ from $mu up to $ome of their old trick$ again with $ome of their friend$ in low place$ who might just bend the rule$ a tad for the local darling$ off Mockingbird Lane?

Now just what was the final score of the UNT vs SMU game at Fouts Field just a few months ago? :rolleyes:

Edited January 28, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

MeanMag · January 28, 2007

Are our, uh, "good neighbor" friend$ from $mu up to $ome of their old trick$ again with $ome of their friend$ in low place$ who might just bend the rule$ a tad for the local darling$ off Mockingbird Lane?
Now just what was the final score of the UNT vs SMU game at Fouts Field just a few months ago?

While it's fun to play conspiracy theory and run around with tin foil on our heads, I really can't see anyone paying a recruiting service to bump up players to 3 stars as if it really makes them play better come next season. SMU has some money, but I really doubt that even they think that is money well spent.

Green Mean · January 28, 2007

While it's fun to play conspiracy theory and run around with tin foil on our heads, I really can't see anyone paying a recruiting service to bump up players to 3 stars as if it really makes them play better come next season. SMU has some money, but I really doubt that even they think that is money well spent.

I have a lot of friends that went/go to SMU and the reason they've had such a bad time since the death penalty is because the administration has not really let the athletic program go beyond the guidlines they set which is strict strict and more strict. The last couple of years with Phil Bennet and the new AD coming in they have started to get lenient and give a little more priority to the athletics program. I believe SMU's on the rise hopefully along with NT....I hope there can be a juicy juicy rivalry between TCU, SMU, and NT in a couple of years when all three could be very strong.

good_ken · January 28, 2007

While it's fun to play conspiracy theory and run around with tin foil on our heads, I really can't see anyone paying a recruiting service to bump up players to 3 stars as if it really makes them play better come next season. SMU has some money, but I really doubt that even they think that is money well spent.

Its not about SMU giving them money, its about the fact that Rivals sells subscriptions (to schools and fans). Just as people have learned that the world is round, they have also learned that Rivals increases a athlete's rating based on who is recruiting them.

The season ended 2 months ago, what else have their recruits done to up their stock? None of them played in the Army Bowl.

EastTexasMG · January 29, 2007

"This is probably going to be it," he said. "I'm just going to be solid and sign on Feb. 7."
This is my favorite part of the Rivals article.
On a different subject, anyone notice that now 2 of SMU's commits have been bumped up to 3* players?

The ratings are overated. These ratings won't mean anything in a year or two anyway. I can't wait to see what happens next year.

PlummMeanGreen · January 29, 2007

While it's fun to play conspiracy theory and run around with tin foil on our heads, I really can't see anyone paying a recruiting service to bump up players to 3 stars as if it really makes them play better come next season. SMU has some money, but I really doubt that even they think that is money well spent.

And there were many who couldn't even believe that a sitting govenor of the sovereign state of Texas would participate in some of $mu's $henanigannery (new word), either, which ultimately led to their death penalty (among many other NCAA violations). :blink:

But emmitt's post really should make some be curious enough to ponder: Just why would SMU have 2 star recruits suddenly bumped up to 3 star status while you (still) probably won't see any of that happen with any of our 2 star recruits because quite frankly.............that hasn't ever happened for us just yet, now has it? In fact, we've had some who got demoted a star once it appeared they were going to sign with UNT or that they (in deed) signed with UNT (and that according to some of this board's recruiting gurus in times past).

SOMEONE LEFT OUR CAKE OUT IN THE RAIN (except the rain seemed to have yellow'ish tint to it).

I guess the icing on the cake for many of us was when the $mu president bally-hooed freakin' La Tech (n the DMN) for CUSA membership over our school should tell all of you who think we can somehow, miraculously smoke the peace pipe with the Stangs that that is just not going to happen in any our/your lifetimes (and probably not even in any of your future kid's lifetime for those of you who have that gleam in your eyes for your special lady).

You can call it a conspiracy theory all you want; a pinko' around every street corner or try to make some of this sound like McCarthy'ism from some fan'atic and do all of this till the cows come home, but some of us have watched all this pretty closely for more than a decade or 2 or 3 or 4 and some of us will tell you anything can happen with that crowd. Can you really take stripes off of a zebra where money and whatever makes more of it seems to be their main emphases over there?

OK, here it is: I don't like SMU because of how damn condescending they've traditionally been with us even when there was absolutely no reason for them to be condescending. SMU will continue to foil anything they think UNT will ever try to do which would take the limelight off of their campus. Don't we have more than enough proof and examples thru the decades to go by with that?

FWIW...............Did you read all their tommyrot on PonyFans.com even after we beat them last September at Fouts? If not, you missed a real authentic "smoooooooo'ish type of treat. I say UNT needs to do what we do with or w/o SMU as a future schedule consideration. We've gone over all this time and time again about SMU, so why do we think they'll drop all they have planned for their FB program to give us a 10 year home and home football or BB series?

A new bonafide NCAA D1-A football stadium at our Eagle Point Campus will make most of you forget about SMU rather quickly quite frankly, but till they have their Ford over our, uh, Studebaker, whoops, I mean't Fouts, we will be in competition with them for many of the same recruits for however long we wait on a completion of our new stadium BUT..................... :rolleyes: once we do have our football palace in place over at the Mean Green Village, I really do think S M U will for the long-term be choking on some rather green-tinted dust.

Edited January 29, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

NT03 · January 29, 2007

But emmitt's post really should make some be curious enough to ponder: Just why would SMU have 2 star recruits suddenly bumped up to 3 star status while you (still) probably won't see any of that happen with any of our 2 star recruits because quite frankly.............that hasn't happened for us just yet, now has it? In fact, we've had some who got demoted a star once they signed with UNT according to some of this board's recruiting gurus.

I've been a member of scout.com for awhile and folllow it almost daily and remember way back in sept/oct. or so when we were the only school who at the time offered a ship to Bradley Haynes he was just a 1 star recruit. He got bumped up to 2 stars when other schools offered/showed interest. Recently he choose SMU and now he is 3 stars. Im guessing by the time the season rolls around he will be a 5 star player :blink:

PlummMeanGreen · January 29, 2007

I've been a member of scout.com for awhile and folllow it almost daily and remember way back in sept/oct. or so when we were the only school who at the time offered a ship to Bradley Haynes he was just a 1 star recruit. He got bumped up to 2 stars when other schools offered/showed interest. Recently he choose SMU and now he is 3 stars. Im guessing by the time the season rolls around he will be a 5 star player

Many of us would say to NT03's post: We rest our point. :rolleyes:

But don't other similar stories like NT03 just posted make others of you wonder about this?

I think the true "tell-tell" on all this so-called "stars" business is how many more stars a HS kid gains at the college level with a good coaching staff that coaches and develops the kids they recruit. Those are the real stars we need to concern ourselves with compared to the ones they have right after they sign their letter-of-intents.........right?

Edited January 29, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

good_ken · January 29, 2007

Many of us would say to NT03's post: We rest our point.
But don't other similar stories like NT03 just posted make others of you wonder about this?
I think the true "tell-tell" on all this so-called "stars" business is how many more stars a HS kid gains at the college level with a good coaching staff that coaches and develops the kids they recruit. Those are the real stars we need to concern ourselves with compared to the ones they have right after they sign their letter-of-intents.........right?

The (not my) problem with the quoted post is that for years DD (more accurately Kenny Evans) would find hidden gems like Cobbs (who didn't have a lot of stars or where on the vaunted DMN top 100 list).

Now TD recruits kids off this list, and the crowd rejoices.

A rival school recruits someone, and Rivals raises the numbers of stars attributed to that player.

The crowd, previously rejoicing, now decides that stars don't matter, and that a true measure is how much a player can be coached?

Do I think that this is a talented class: yes.

Do I think that some folks are having their cake, and eating it too: yes.

[iMHO, the stars only matter when its 3 or more, an indicator that you've got a real player on your hands. All 2-star recruits can only be distinguished by the coach pulling the trigger on the offer).

Please bookmark this post, so that when TD finds a 4-star recruit, we can revisit this.

Green Mean · January 29, 2007

I know rivals is probably crap and favor bigger schools more but do you ever think that maybe they do those star ratings because theres a reason why those big schools were recruiting them? I mean if any of the big schools such as UT, Ohio State, Michigan, USC etc are recruiting players then obviously that means those recruits probably have some talent because they are the same schools that are good every year. I'm not saying I agree with their thinking but as much as people disagree with it....for the most part its probably going to be accurate because its those same big schools that are good year in and year out.

PlummMeanGreen · January 29, 2007

The (not my) problem with the quoted post is that for years DD (more accurately Kenny Evans) would find hidden gems like Cobbs (who didn't have a lot of stars or where on the vaunted DMN top 100 list).
Now TD recruits kids off this list, and the crowd rejoices.
A rival school recruits someone, and Rivals raises the numbers of stars attributed to that player.
The crowd, previously rejoicing, now decides that stars don't matter, and that a true measure is how much a player can be coached?
Do I think that this is a talented class: yes.
Do I think that some folks are having their cake, and eating it too: yes.
[iMHO, the stars only matter when its 3 or more, an indicator that you've got a real player on your hands. All 2-star recruits can only be distinguished by the coach pulling the trigger on the offer).
Please bookmark this post, so that when TD finds a 4-star recruit, we can revisit this.

Back in the day when I supported DD Ball (like 7 out of 9 years), I posted something just like all this "star" business even back then because I remember this happening back then, too; and now with our new Dodge Ball Era I merely repeat this unusual phenomena. I couldn't understand all this back then during the DD era as I can't now.

NT03's post should raise more than just all those so-called "fun pokin' " conspiracy theories for those of you who gravitate to the conspiracy card anytime a post's subject doesn't quite conform to you or your own theories. Lest we forget, this is still an opinion board with quite a diversity of college football fan backgrounds on GMG.com, too.

I probably got a bit spoiled with my beginnings of following NCAA D1 football as (a Junior High and HS kid) as I followed UH Cougar football pre-SWC days when Coach Bill Yeoman was building a superb football program. Then................. my first taste of college basketball was when myself and our HS BB team would travel over to the Houston ISD's Delmar Fieldhouse to watch the UH Cougar freshmen basketball team (when there were such teams back then) and that UH frosh' team that had players on it such as Elvin Hayes, Theodus Lee, Don Chaney, Kenny Spain among others. Quite frankly, I've not seen anything like any of that since, but many others in our state haven't either (no matter what their Texas collegiate affiliation).

BUT BACK TO DODGE BALL...............I think the difference now is that TD's kids will get coached by coaches who really want to be at UNT and Denton to build something well beyond what DD ever set as his goal for our football program (of which eventually became a reason in his demise) and that TD's coaching staff will also be guilty of actually developing many more our our athletes than the previous staff.

IT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE BY SOME OF YOU AND YOURS TRULY BUT: Darrell Dickey tossed it in with our football program, our football players (who lost the most out of all this IMHO), our school and all its "M-F'ing" fans (to use DD's exact quote) after their 9 & 3 season a few years ago and when Papa Dickey (and the agent that DD had actually hired for those of you who seemed to have forgoteen that small fact); anyway, he could not for some reason (how bout' starting with no significant signature OOC wins that got anyone outside of Texas' attention?); anyway, all that had happened up to DD's 9 & 3 season could not even produce one high profile D1-A school interview for DD except (insert Norm Hitzghes giggle) the one that supposedly took place at Moscow, Idaho, which was nothing more than a lateral job or worse had it opened up for DD. :rolleyes:

PlummMeanGreen · January 29, 2007

The (not my) problem with the quoted post is that for years DD (more accurately Kenny Evans) would find hidden gems like Cobbs (who didn't have a lot of stars or where on the vaunted DMN top 100 list).
Now TD recruits kids off this list, and the crowd rejoices.
A rival school recruits someone, and Rivals raises the numbers of stars attributed to that player.
The crowd, previously rejoicing, now decides that stars don't matter, and that a true measure is how much a player can be coached?
Do I think that this is a talented class: yes.
Do I think that some folks are having their cake, and eating it too: yes.
[iMHO, the stars only matter when its 3 or more, an indicator that you've got a real player on your hands. All 2-star recruits can only be distinguished by the coach pulling the trigger on the offer).
Please bookmark this post, so that when TD finds a 4-star recruit, we can revisit this.

Back in the day when I supported DD Ball (like 7 out of 9 years), I posted something just like all this "star" business even back then because I remember this happening back then, too; and now with our new Dodge Ball Era I merely repeat this unusual phenomena. I couldn't understand all this back then during the DD era as I can't now.

NT03's post should raise more than just all those so-called "fun pokin' " conspiracy theories for those of you who gravitate to the conspiracy card anytime a post's subject doesn't quite conform to you or your own theories. Lest we forget, this is still an opinion board with quite a diversity of college football fan backgrounds on GMG.com, too.

I probably got a bit spoiled with my beginnings of following NCAA D1 football as (a Junior High and HS kid) as I followed UH Cougar football pre-SWC days when Coach Bill Yeoman was building a superb football program. Then................. my first taste of college basketball was when myself and our HS BB team would travel over to the Houston ISD's Delmar Fieldhouse to watch the UH Cougar freshmen basketball team (when there were such teams back then) and that UH frosh' team that had players on it such as Elvin Hayes, Theodus Lee, Don Chaney, Kenny Spain among others. Quite frankly, I've not seen anything like any of that since, but many others in our state haven't either (no matter what their Texas collegiate affiliation).

BUT BACK TO DODGE BALL...............I think the difference now is that TD's kids will get coached by coaches who really want to be at UNT and Denton to build something well beyond what DD ever set as his goal for our football program (of which not shooting for more than just SBC/Bottom 20 goals eventually became one of the reasons for his demise in Denton) and that TD's coaching staff will also be guilty as charged of actually developing many more our our athletes than the previous staff.

IT'S BEEN SAID BEFORE BY SOME OF YOU AND YOURS TRULY BUT: Darrell Dickey tossed it in with our football program, our football players (who lost the most out of all this IMHO), our school and all its "M-F'ing" fans (to use DD's exact quote) after their 9 & 3 season a few years ago and when Papa Dickey (and the agent that DD had actually hired for those of you who seemed to have forgoteen that small fact); anyway, he could not for some reason (how bout' starting with no significant signature OOC wins that got anyone outside of Texas' attention?); anyway, all that had happened up to DD's 9 & 3 season could not even produce one high profile D1-A school interview for DD except (insert Norm Hitzghes giggle) the one that supposedly took place at Moscow, Idaho, which was nothing more than a lateral job or worse had it opened up for DD. :rolleyes:

Edited January 29, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen