Mean Green Report

MeanGreen61 · February 11, 2008

INSIDE SLANT

Having been a high school coaching legend at Southlake Carroll High School in Texas, North Texas second-year coach Todd Dodge should have a good feel for prep talent.

His first true signing class is comprised of 19 high school players from Texas, including 12 from the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. One the biggest signees was his son, a quarterback who had originally committed to Texas.

"I am very, very excited," Dodge told the Denton Record-Chronicle, referring to coaching his son. "I feel like we are very blessed as a family. It's a unique situation that doesn't come about very often at the Division I level. I can say that myself and my wife got out of the way and let it be Riley's decision. He wants to be at North Texas because of the great things he sees going on here."

Dodge signed three junior college defensive backs, which was a key considering the secondary struggled so much a year ago.

UNT also signed two juco offensive linemen, Nate Jenkins (Pearl River, Miss.) and Gabe Hollivay (Itawamba, Miss.) who should contribute immediately.

TOP RECRUITS:

QB Riley Dodge — The Parade All-American is the son of coach Todd Dodge and will have an opportunity to compete for the starting job as a true freshman.

OL Gabe Hollivay — The 6-3, 320-pound junior college transfer will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact.

DB Justin Edwards — The 6-1, 185-pound junior college transfer should make an impact for a secondary that struggled mightily last year.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Ron Mendoza was fired as defensive coordinator after the Mean Green ranked last in the league in total defense scoring defense. Former UNT defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach was hired after serving as defensive backs coach for the previous five seasons.

—UNT figures to have an intriguing battle at quarterback this fall. Giovanni Vizza set the Mean Green record for passing yards by a freshman last season, but he will get serious competition from incoming quarterback Riley Dodge, the son of UNT coach Todd Dodge. The younger Dodge was a Parade All-American who had originally committed to Texas.

QUOTE TO NOTE:

"This is one of the most exciting days to be a college football coach with this signing class this is an exciting day to be a fan of North Texas football. The tremendous talent of these young men and the quality of this class is validation for all of the hard work my coaching staff has put in during the recruiting process. It confirms that these kids believe that North Texas is a great place to be a student-athlete and a tremendous honor that they have chosen to join us in our quest to develop this into a championship program." — UNT coach Todd Dodge.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

SPRING AHEAD: The Mean Green's No. 1 priority in the offseason will be fixing the worst defense in the Sun Belt Conference. Former defensive coordinator Gary DeLoach returns after serving as a secondary coach at UCLA the previous five seasons. The best players of last year's group are gone in linemen Jeremiah Chapman and Montey Stevenson. Safety Aaron Weathers and linebacker Maurice Holman also must be replaced. It's not going to happen overnight, but the best recruit in the offseason will likely be DeLoach.

Giovanni Vizza had a very solid year at quarterback as a true freshman, but Riley Dodge, the son of head coach Todd Dodge, could certainly push him in the fall.

Edited February 11, 2008 by MeanGreen61

NTPhiKap99 · February 11, 2008

but the best recruit in the offseason will likely be DeLoach.

I can buy that.

Green Nightmare · February 11, 2008

QUOTE TO NOTE:
"This is one of the most exciting days to be a college football coach with this signing class this is an exciting day to be a fan of North Texas football. The tremendous talent of these young men and the quality of this class is validation for all of the hard work my coaching staff has put in during the recruiting process. It confirms that these kids believe that North Texas is a great place to be a student-athlete and a tremendous honor that they have chosen to join us in our quest to develop this into a championship program." — UNT coach Todd Dodge.

So refreshing.

I do not miss comments along the lines of how tough it is here etc.

I want wins as much as the rest of you, but I Love the fact our head coach sells this school and program like many of us do out there