Rv To Louisina Tech?

Mean Green 93-98 · February 3, 2008

There is more to college football then Texas and the Sunbelt so why only use them for comparrison? The actual rivals rankings were posted earlier in the thread. This makes the 2nd best recruiting class in the last 6 years. And only by 4 places I might add. And I did not mention that TD was a bust. Just that I dont see the "jump" that he was supposed to bring.
If TD has made siginificant progress in recruiting someone needs to tell Rivals.

Listen, I understand if you want to come over to our board and talk smack. I understand that we are not yet to the level of Southern Miss--you happy? But seriously, no one who has followed UNT recruiting at all would say that this does not look to be the best recruiting class in several years. That goes for people who have no personal ties to UNT as well. Does this mean I am satisfied that we've "arrived" to where we want to be. No. But I am happy that we are making strides in the direction that we want to go--and we are.

PlummMeanGreen · February 3, 2008

There is more to college football then Texas and the Sunbelt so why only use them for comparrison? The actual rivals rankings were posted earlier in the thread. This makes the 2nd best recruiting class in the last 6 years. And only by 4 places I might add. And I did not mention that TD was a bust. Just that I dont see the "jump" that he was supposed to bring.
If TD has made siginificant progress in recruiting someone needs to tell Rivals.

Another Eagle Fan, I am one who respects your school's football program; in fact, I am old enough to remember when USM was all but using UNT as their own model for success before your Golden Eagles really took off and we of UNT, well............how's your family been doing of late, AEF? :rolleyes:

Below is from another thread and post of the 4 years of rather low-rated recruiting of Boise State's when in their 5'th year after those 4 "less than impressive" years they then beat the Oklahoma Sooners in a BCS Championship Series bowl game.

Thought you might want to see how even annually low ranked classes can still lead to good things if all the pieces of said school's puzzle falls in place. I think you'd agree that Boise State's fell in place quite effectively and have a win over OU in a BCS Series bowl game as proof.

OK, I'm a Texan & played Texas HS football like many on this board. I also believe Texas HS football players (all 160,000 who play in our state) for the most part get pretty good coaching across the board. But in my heart of heart, there are no recruiting services who could ever cover Texas's HS football products. Many of Rival's 3* & 4* recruits here in Texas had some pretty good politickin' Texas HS football coaches who know the Burton's (of Rivals) of the world and can sway an extra star or 2 because of it.

Anyway, below are some pretty low-ranked Boise recruiting classes that seemed to have not been judged very effectively at all by recruiting services. It was so darn funny to hear TV analyst Barry Switzer all but brag before the BSU/OU bowl game how the Sooners had not recruited "ONE" player that was on the BSU roster. Even funnier was how humbled Switzer started to become as that bowl game show-cased a school (OU) that always had Top 10 recruiting classes yet one that was getting schooled by another school that probably still has never even had a Top 25 rated recruiting class--maybe not even a Top 50 one for that matter. OK, I will quit rambling...

Hey fellow Mean Green recruiting junkies, here are some interesting numbers of Boise State's 4 previous years national recruiting rankings leading to their BCS Championshiop Series Bowl win over the Oklahoma Sooners in January of 2007. These national recruiting rankings for OU & Boise State are from the College Football News.

OU (ties #7 & with LSU........... 2006................... BSU #78

OU #5................................. 2005................... BSU #73

OU #7 .................................2004................... BSU #72

OU #3 .................................2003................... BSU #73

Boise State athletic officials have said for years how most of their annual recruiting classes were most always unheralded even among other WAC members (and for certain not ranked so high nationally as compared to the Big Boys...........

.............BUT, I think the thing that most of us would all agree is how Boise State was recruiting "lights out" speed with all their not so highly ranked recruiting classes & IMHO was one of the prime reasons they were able to hang with the Sooners and eventually beat the vaunted University of Oklahoma Sooners in that most exciting bowl game.

Edited February 3, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

AnotherEagleFan · February 4, 2008

I guess only "Homer" talk is allowed here...

Show me where I am talking smack. You have no idea what smack is if you think that this is it.. I have said nothing to belittle UNT in anyway. I made a comment to the effect that the hire of TD was primarily due to ability to recruit due to his HS ties. And I merely pointed out that there has not been a "jump" in recruiting. If you take exception to that then tell it to Rivals. Also, so you would know that I was not talking smack I even stated that I hope that TD is a better at evaluating talent then rivals (which as we all know is very possible).

Plumm I really dont know what the AEF comment is about.... Also, I intentionally do not compare So Miss to UNT on this board. But since you brought it up you may want to go back and check the success of So. Miss. And I mean the early years... I would like to see you back up the statement of of So Miss using UNT as their model of success.

Edited February 4, 2008 by AnotherEagleFan

Mean Green 93-98 · February 4, 2008

I guess only "Homer" talk is allowed here...
Show me where I am talking smack. You have no idea what smack is if you think that this is it.. I have said nothing to belittle UNT in anyway. I made a comment to the effect that the hire of TD was primarily due to ability to recruit due to his HS ties. And I merely pointed out that there has not been a "jump" in recruiting. If you take exception to that then tell it to Rivals. Also, so you would know that I was not talking smack I even stated that I hope that TD is a better at evaluating talent then rivals (which as we all know is very possible).
Plumm I really dont know what the AEF comment is about.... Also, I intentionally do not compare So Miss to UNT on this board. But since you brought it up you may want to go back and check the success of So. Miss. And I mean the early years... I would like to see you back up the statement of of So Miss using UNT as their model of success.

If you weren't talking smack, then I apologize. Your comments came across as insulting and condescending, but I'll take you at face value that you did not mean it that way.

akriesman · February 4, 2008

I guess only "Homer" talk is allowed here...
Show me where I am talking smack. You have no idea what smack is if you think that this is it.. I have said nothing to belittle UNT in anyway. I made a comment to the effect that the hire of TD was primarily due to ability to recruit due to his HS ties. And I merely pointed out that there has not been a "jump" in recruiting. If you take exception to that then tell it to Rivals. Also, so you would know that I was not talking smack I even stated that I hope that TD is a better at evaluating talent then rivals (which as we all know is very possible).
Plumm I really dont know what the AEF comment is about.... Also, I intentionally do not compare So Miss to UNT on this board. But since you brought it up you may want to go back and check the success of So. Miss. And I mean the early years... I would like to see you back up the statement of of So Miss using UNT as their model of success.

AEF,

We are all just thrilled as can be with this recruiting class. And, we should be. I don't think anyone here expects a 2-9 team to recruit with the likes of the big boys.

By the numbers, this is the best recruiting class that I have ever seen at NT (in 20+ years). As the team improves over the next few seasons in the Sun Belt, I would expect the recruiting to improve even more.

Let us be happy. It would really be unrealistic to expect TD to do much better as a Sun Belt team coming off a 2-9 season.

AnotherEagleFan · February 4, 2008

If you weren't talking smack, then I apologize. Your comments came across as insulting and condescending, but I'll take you at face value that you did not mean it that way.

It seems to me that whenever someone posts on a questionable topic it gets blown up. Sorry that my posts came across as insulting and condescending. It was not ment to come across that way.

Edited February 4, 2008 by AnotherEagleFan

PlummMeanGreen · February 4, 2008

I guess only "Homer" talk is allowed here...
Show me where I am talking smack. You have no idea what smack is if you think that this is it.. I have said nothing to belittle UNT in anyway. I made a comment to the effect that the hire of TD was primarily due to ability to recruit due to his HS ties. And I merely pointed out that there has not been a "jump" in recruiting. If you take exception to that then tell it to Rivals. Also, so you would know that I was not talking smack I even stated that I hope that TD is a better at evaluating talent then rivals (which as we all know is very possible).
Plumm I really dont know what the AEF comment is about.... Also, I intentionally do not compare So Miss to UNT on this board. But since you brought it up you may want to go back and check the success of So. Miss. And I mean the early years... I would like to see you back up the statement of of So Miss using UNT as their model of success.

The comment on USM using UNT as a model (which could have "ONLY" been back in the early to mid 1970's since who the heck would have ever used UNT as a model post-1978 season which is a big part of my own personal dismay as an NT Ex in 2008 since we've hardly advanced at all against upgraded competition); yet that comment actually came from one of your very own higher profile USM alums.

If some of our present Young Gun Alums had had a similar taste and subsequent good feelings of success against some of the schools we played & even with a few of those we actually beat back in the mid 1970's, then I don't think they would be as gung-ho passionate about the Sun Belt as they seem to be now because........... who do you know ever wants to go backwards from where you'd once been especially if that would have been a higher profile NCAA D1 co-existance?

We as NT Exes are all products of the eras we attended UNT and Hayden Fry merely showed us back then what could be done coupled with UNT leadership who had the balls back then to "dance in the rain" & get out of where we had been and.............. (along with AD/HFC Fry) start sailing in previously uncharted waters.

Sorry, but a bowl win over a former Mo' Valley Conference-mate of UNT's ie, U of Cincinatti is not what many of us had in mind, either, as really going up to the next level, albeit was a good start in the right direction that we did not take advantage of whatsoever--but what else is new about UNT doing something like that, too? You know, 1 giant step foward & 3 giant steps backward?

A whole bunch of us from the (then) Missouri Valley Conference including your own independent USM were (I think you'd even agree if you were around back then) playing at pretty well the same level with mostly the same level of competition. Then something new started happening in Denton...........our AD (who just happened to be our HFC) started scheduling en mass for the first time in our history schools like Darrell K. Royal's Univ. of Texas teams, U of Houston (who we soundly beat the year before they went to the Cotton Bowl), Ole Miss & Miss. State (who you guys could never schedule back then), Oklahoma St. and the University of Tennessee Vols (who we beat in 1975), etc, etc, etc,

I am not totally sure what USM was doing in W/L's and who yalls competition was back in the early to mid-1970's, but I don't think they were doing what Hayden Fry's Mean Green teams were as far as dramatically upgrading our own UNT football schedules with the Big Boys & beating a few of them as well.

Edited February 4, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

AnotherEagleFan · February 4, 2008

The comment on USM using UNT as a model (which could have "ONLY" been back in the early to mid 1970's since who the heck would have ever used UNT as a model post-1978 season which is a big part of my own personal dismay as an NT Ex in 2008 since we've hardly advanced at all against upgraded competition); yet that comment actually came from one of your very own higher profile USM alums.
If some of our present Young Gun Alums had had a similar taste and subsequent good feelings of success against some of the schools we played & even with a few of those we actually beat back in the mid 1970's, then I don't think they would be as gung-ho passionate about the Sun Belt as they seem to be now because........... who do you know ever wants to go backwards from where you'd once been especially if that would have been a higher profile NCAA D1 co-existance?
We as NT Exes are all products of the eras we attended UNT and Hayden Fry merely showed us back then what could be done coupled with UNT leadership who had the balls back then to "dance in the rain" & get out of where we had been and.............. (along with AD/HFC Fry) start sailing in previously uncharted waters.
Sorry, but a bowl win over a former Mo' Valley Conference-mate of UNT's ie, U of Cincinatti is not what many of us had in mind, either, as really going up to the next level, albeit was a good start in the right direction that we did not take advantage of whatsoever--but what else is new about UNT doing something like that, too? You know, 1 giant step foward & 3 giant steps backward?
A whole bunch of us from the (then) Missouri Valley Conference including your own independent USM were (I think you'd even agree if you were around back then) playing at pretty well the same level with mostly the same level of competition. Then something new started happening in Denton...........our AD (who just happened to be our HFC) started scheduling en mass for the first time in our history schools like Darrell K. Royal's Univ. of Texas teams, U of Houston (who we soundly beat the year before they went to the Cotton Bowl), Ole Miss & Miss. State (who you guys could never schedule back then), Oklahoma St. and the University of Tennessee Vols (who we beat in 1975), etc, etc, etc,
I am not totally sure what USM was doing in W/L's and who yalls competition was back in the early to mid-1970's, but I don't think they were doing what Hayden Fry's Mean Green teams were as far as dramatically upgrading our own UNT football schedules with the Big Boys & beating a few of them as well.

Alabama, Auburn, Florida state, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Virginai Tech etc etc were all being played by Southern Miss during the time period that you mentioned. Coach Reed Green (1937-1942) started the winning tradition at what is now the University of Southern Mississippi by posting an all time win % of 71%. Pie Van (1949-1968) continued winning (70% alltime) and increasing schedule strength He recorded victories over Auburn, North Carolina State and Mississippi State. He led us to Bowl games in 1953,1954,1957 and 1958. We were also Small College National Champions 2 times during that span. Bear Underwood was a .500 coach during the 1969-1974 years but still managed to beat Ole Miss and San Diego State.. Bobby Collins came to be the HC in 1975 and brought back the consistency that was lost under Bear Underwood.

In short we had a great man but below average coach 1969-1974. Bobby Collins rebuilt what was missing but we were already playing the "big boys". But our success and playing the big boys started in the 1950's and 1960's. UNT did beat Southern Miss in the late 70's while Bobby was getting us back on track. In 80 and 81 we won 9 games and went bowling. I was at the 81 UNT USM game it was raining like crazy. there were like 3000 fans only because all the die hards that drove up from hattiesburg were determined to go to the game.

PlummMeanGreen · February 4, 2008

Alabama, Auburn, Florida state, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Virginai Tech etc etc were all being played by Southern Miss during the time period that you mentioned. Coach Reed Green (1937-1942) started the winning tradition at what is now the University of Southern Mississippi by posting an all time win % of 71%. Pie Van (1949-1968) continued winning (70% alltime) and increasing schedule strength He recorded victories over Auburn, North Carolina State and Mississippi State. He led us to Bowl games in 1953,1954,1957 and 1958. We were also Small College National Champions 2 times during that span. Bear Underwood was a .500 coach during the 1969-1974 years but still managed to beat Ole Miss and San Diego State.. Bobby Collins came to be the HC in 1975 and brought back the consistency that was lost under Bear Underwood.
In short we had a great man but below average coach 1969-1974. Bobby Collins rebuilt what was missing but we were already playing the "big boys". But our success and playing the big boys started in the 1950's and 1960's. UNT did beat Southern Miss in the late 70's while Bobby was getting us back on track. In 80 and 81 we won 9 games and went bowling. I was at the 81 UNT USM game it was raining like crazy. there were like 3000 fans only because all the die hards that drove up from hattiesburg were determined to go to the game.

My apologies, I didn't realize all that was going on at your school during that time; albeit I'm sure much like those in the Deep South, I'm sure yall weren't paying that much attention to all going on in the Southwest as many of us probably were not following Deep South football so much, either. We were pretty excited around here about all the dreams Hayden Fry was challenging our leaders, our school & our alums with quite frankly.

I will say that I did start following USM's progress when Southern Living magazine did a very nice feature article on your school's football program that a fellow NT Ex brought to my attention as I recall. I also remember the full page photo of your (then) Coach Bobby Collins standing outside your schools' stadiium press box and my thinking: "Jeez, I wish UNT had such a stadium as USM's." (Do you remember that Souther Living magazine article)?

BTW, I was one of those rain-soaked 3,000 at Fouts during that UNT/USM football game & that year was probably the beginnings of one of the wildest "multi-decades" roller-coaster rides that any school at any level of the NCAA has ever had to experience or endure; unfortunately, that school would be UNT that was on that roller coaster.

Hope yall get a good recruiting class, AEF.

PS: On the other post, if you mean't the "how's your family doing" line in that post, that is just a "hopeful" humorous way of getting off a subject that one may even want to channge the subject. In that post, that subject meant' your school's football program's budding success and..............UNT's beginnings of some not very good times for our football program. that's all.

Edited February 4, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

AnotherEagleFan · February 4, 2008

I dont remember the Southern Living Article but I do remember the game. Wow that game was great. I remember it well. Reggie Collier is the only reason we won. You probably will not remember this. But the game was all over the news that night or the next day (cant remember). But I was the kid (I was 9 at the time) they kept showing who was high fiving all the Southern Players into and out of the locker room while the rain was beating me down.

A lot of good things going on at UNT. Why do you think I keep coming back to gomeangreem.com??

February 4, 2008

By the way, just in case anyone reading this thread still remembers what it is about, Rick is not going to LaTech.

PlummMeanGreen · February 4, 2008

By the way, just in case anyone reading this thread still remembers what it is about, Rick is not going to LaTech.

Wait a minute now, 97and03, AnotherEagleFan & I already assumed everyone knew that about RV. :rolleyes:

Edited February 4, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

Arkstfan · February 4, 2008

Vito Blog says RV has no interest in La Tech job.....
February 1, 2008
Villarreal says he has no interest in La. Tech
UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal left no doubt today when I asked him about the rumors that he has an interest in Louisiana Tech's opening for an athletic director.
Villarreal said he hasn't talked to the school, won't talk to the school and has no interest in pulling up and moving to Ruston.
Villarreal pointed out all of the reasons he believes UNT is on the verge of taking several key steps forward in the next few years, not to mention all of the good things that are happening in the program now. Those factors are the reasons why Villarreal said he isn't interested in trading in his job at UNT for one at Tech, a school he believes has less long-term potential.

Shouldn't have even had to take the time to answer that question.

Tech's budget is middling of the Sun Belt despite gaining about a million more from their conference and they play more money games in football and basketball than most Sun Belt schools. Without the conference revenue and without the heavy reliance on money games their budget would be one of the smallest in the Sun Belt if not the smallest. Expense wise they surely don't know what a bus is when it comes to conference road trips.

There are some WAC jobs that could be a better situation but Tech isn't one of them. The next AD there faces an even tougher struggle than RV faces at UNT.

February 4, 2008

Wait a minute now, 97and03, AnotherEagleFan & I already assumed everyone knew that about RV.

I just felt guilty for interrupting a perfectly good argument to comment on the thread topic.

I wasn't stating an opinion, but a fact.

Edited February 4, 2008 by 97and03

AnotherEagleFan · February 4, 2008

I just felt guilty for interrupting a perfectly good argument to comment on the thread topic.
I wasn't stating an opinion, but a fact.

No problem the thread was hijacked some time ago. It seems to be my fault although it was not intentional. I think that everyone knows that RV sees tons of potential at UNT. I dont think that anyone sees him leaving or getting fired anytime soon.

Have a good one.

forevereagle · February 4, 2008

There are some WAC jobs that could be a better situation but Tech isn't one of them. The next AD there faces an even tougher struggle than RV faces at UNT.

Classic.

Quoner · February 5, 2008

By the way, just in case anyone reading this thread still remembers what it is about, Rick is not going to LaTech.

Thank God.

GreenBat · February 5, 2008

Thank God.

You just can't wait to fulfill your homoerotic fantasy's with Sexytime.

Quoner · February 5, 2008

You just can't wait to fulfill your homoerotic fantasy's with Sexytime.

You know me so well.

I'm just glad we can all agree that this was a false, horrible story without a shred of truth.

PlummMeanGreen · February 5, 2008

Might be a good idea in the future to do a bit more research before putting on a forum like GMG.com's thread subject line that someone in such a high position as Athletic Director is leaving UNT for another job.

NT80 had the best idea; that is, he merely took the time to drive up to Denton & ask Rick V point blank if he were taking the La Tech job.

GMG!

Edited February 5, 2008 by PlummMeanGreen

Quoner · February 5, 2008

Might be a good idea in the future to do a bit more research before putting on a forum like GMG.com's thread subject line that someone in such a high position as Athletic Director is leaving UNT for another job.
NT80 had the best idea; that is, he merely took the time to drive up to Denton & ask Rick V point blank if he were taking the La Tech job.
GMG!

Agreed. What an embarrassment! Everyone should be embarrassed!

I can't read.

NT80 · February 5, 2008

Might be a good idea in the future to do a bit more research before putting on a forum like GMG.com's thread subject line that someone in such a high position as Athletic Director is leaving UNT for another job.
NT80 had the best idea; that is, he merely took the time to drive up to Denton & ask Rick V point blank if he were taking the La Tech job.

It wasn't me. Vito asked him and posted it on his blog and I merely pasted that here. But I did sleep in a Holiday Inn Express!