Dodge Getting Sun Belt's Attention

BobFam · July 25, 2007

Old news to us. La-La coach Rickey Bustle had an interesting comment that makes me want to call him Dickey Bustle.

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/...5.aabff0a3.html

Football: Dodge Getting Sun Belt's Attention

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS -- Since he took over as North Texas head coach in December, Todd Dodge has made a big impression on the Mean Green’s fans and boosters.

After the conclusion of Sun Belt Conference media days on Tuesday, it’s safe to say he is also quickly winning over the league’s coaches and administrators as well. The unusual jump Dodge made from the high school level and the players he has received commitments from were both topics of conversation throughout the league’s annual kickoff event.

A few of the league’s coaches knew Dodge previously from recruiting and his time as the starting quarterback at Texas. The rest got to know the Mean Green’s new head coach over the last few days that included a coaching clinic preceding media days.

“Dodge is a heck of a coach, and football is football,” Arkansas State head coach Steve Roberts said. “We have a lot of respect for what he has accomplished in his coaching career. He is very sound and capable of leading North Texas to success.”

Dodge made the jump to the college coaching ranks from Southlake Carroll, where he reached a Class 5A state title game in five straight seasons. The Dragons won four of those games, including the last three in a row.

Dodge was hired at UNT before leading Carroll to the last of those state titles.

UNT has yet to play a game under Dodge, but he has caught the attention of the league’s coaches in the spring by receiving early commitments from 10 high school players who will be seniors in the fall. All 10 are from the state of Texas, a hotbed for recruiting in the Sun Belt.

Dodge’s son Riley recently switched his commitment from Texas to UNT and became the Mean Green’s highest-rated recruit thus far this spring. Rivals.com ranks Riley Dodge No. 38 on its list of the top athletes in the Class of 2008.

Riley is expected to play quarterback for the Mean Green.

“I have taken some players early, but I don’t like to do it because they can be tough to hang on to until signing day,” Louisiana-Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle said. “It will be interesting to see how many North Texas can hang on to. I hope he gets them all.”

Dodge came to UNT with a good working knowledge of players in the state. He worked in Texas high schools since he left UNT the first time -- after serving as the Mean Green’s passing game coordinator in 1992-93.

“I don’t think that we went in with guns blazing saying that we had to get this many commitments at a certain time,” Dodge said. “We went through our evaluation process after May recruiting. We had great junior video and had evaluated their transcripts. A lot of times we knew the players’ high school coaches well enough to get an evaluation. We have gotten a great response and kids want to be a part of what we are doing.”

Roberts said what UNT has done in recruiting follows a trend that is trickling down from other leagues like the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference that have teams that are taking on recruits before their senior seasons.

Dodge is leading that charge in the Sun Belt, which is just one reason he has already made a big impression on the rest of the league’s coaches and officials.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.