Sean Warren Commits To ...

[UNT90]

I joined this board around the time Dodge was announced the head coach. I like reading the posts. I may not be an active member, I do apologize, but I do regularly read. I have to speak up when I hear comments like "we were the only one offering." It reminds me of when LT was recruited. He was offered by 2 programs - TCU & UNT. Just because someone only has 1 or 2 offers does not seal that recruit's fate as being unworthy of a scholarship or he will never amount to anything at North Texas. Maybe I reading something into the comment that is not there, but I really get frustrated with posts of this nature.

In no way am I suggesting this recruit is LT or will turn into the special player he became as I realize he is a once in a lifetime recruit. With recruiting being part science (speed, strength, bench press, etc...) and part art (football speed, having a knack for the game, etc...), lets give the kid at least a year before accusing the staff of not knowing what they are doing (we may already have enough evidence to make this accusation without any further help from this young man ) or the player for being a lower level college division talent.

I just want something better for UNT. If this was a proven college coach who has found diamonds in the rough before, maybe I wouldn't be so worried. I hope Bean comes in and is All-Conference for two years. I hope Adkinson comes in, period. It seems we have gone from competing against TCU, SMU, Houston, Rice, and Baylor last year to competing against 1-AA programs and UAB this year. That seems like a step down. Maybe it's just the Jr. College recruiting season that makes it seem this way. I hope that we land a bumper crop from the high school ranks in the next two months. It just seems like the initial bounce in recruiting that occurred after the Dodge hire is fading completely away.

Is it wrong to expect more from this athletic program?

[Green P1]

I absolutely love the blind faith around here.

An offseason of blind faith beats one spent in a pit of despair.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Heck look at Patrick Cobbs...he didn't have any offers from D-I schools that I can recall.

Okie State offered him late in the process, but he decided to stick with UNT.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Charlie-

I've already responded. Look up a few posts.

Recap:

-I said it didn't matter because Warren wasn't that great anyway.

-I said that the fact thact Dodge was scrambling to sign JUCOs in his third class was a sign of poor recruiting choices in the first two classes signed.

-I said that Dodge completely misunderstood the Division I level of competition and is likely too far behind now to catch up.

-I hope the few good ones (Vizza) stick around for their new coach in 2010.

However, since you crave it, I'll go one further, again stating the obvious:

Dodge isn't being "selective" about who comes here. At this point, he's waiting to fight for table scraps like a dog. The best are already committed elsewhere. He was routed locally, regionally, and statewide for linemen on both sides of the ball. The idea that he's "picking and choosing" from among the best is laughable. He's now down to where Darrell Dickey was - hoping to find diamonds in the rough among the unknowns and little recruited. In other words, he's now in the same "stealth recruiting" mode Dickey was accused of using.

[UNTLifer]

Is that all we need? Awesome, let's just put offers out to the nation's top 100 and we'll be set...commitments be damned.

I absolutely love the blind faith around here.

Dodge has had essentially one year to recruit one class, 2008, because he only had two weeks to sign his first class in 2007. The 2008 class was rated highly by the "recruiting experts," in fact, it was rated as one of the best mid-major classes in the nation. Please tell me where the "blind faith" comes in. TD is publicly recruiting higher profile recruits than DD ever though about going after.

But, for TFLF's sake, let's look at his two classes to evaluate the linemen he signed:

2007

Keep in mind that the were very few scholarship WR's on the roster when TD arrived, so he had to sign quite a few for his offense. Out of 18 recruits, 5 were linemen and 4 are still with the team.

Jesse DeSoto: Was a reserve last year, but came to NT with impressive credentials.

J.J. Johnson: All SBC Freshman center as a RS

Kyle Russo: Starting by the end of 2008 and I also believe he garnered all SBC Freshman team honors as a DE.

Jordan Scoggins: left the team.

Matt Tomlinson: Injured for most of the last two years. He has the frame and his HS coach thinks he could be a sleeper and really develop, so I think it is too early to tell with him.

Jacob Kaiser: Was picked up after signing day and is massive. RS is first year and is probably a project, but could turn out to be something his Jr. or Sr. year.

2008

26 recruits signed LOI's per Rivals.com and two never really made it to Denton, so the class essentially consisted of 25 players. Seven linemen were signed on National Signing Day. Mack Cole III was picked up later, Aaron Fortenberry was a walk-on all-stater from a small school, the young man from Aledo was brought in as a grayshirt, Sterling Carter was a walk-on from Houston and Dan Holt transferred in from Midwestern State.

Tevinn Cantly: RS. Reports he could be the real deal, but having potential and realizing potential are two different things. Time will tell.

Coleman Feeley: Starting on the OL by the end of the year and earned SBC All-Freshman Team honors.

Troy Franklin: Not sure why we burned his shirt for so few plays, but has the potential to be a great one.

Joe Hawthorne: RS. Hopefully will add some size to play DT or has the quickness to move to DE.

Gabe Hollivay: JUCO starting by the end of the year at guard.

Nate Jenkins: JUCO, too heavy to contribute last year. Hopefully he gets his weight under control, works hard during the off season and contributes these next two years. Jury still out on him.

Nick Leppo: Gray shirt. Will count against 09 class.

Horton was the highest rated recruit but couldn't qualify academically. Is this TD's fault? No, NT has always been in the position of having to take a flyer on a couple of recruits. Sometimes the players get their act together and contribute, Pegram and Buckles, and other times they don't, TJ Raymond and Alonzo Horton.

Sure, in hindsight, I'm sure TD wishes he would have signed more linemen, but I think he addressed the pressing needs in the two classes above. Some dispute this, but DD's recruiting his last few years didn't leave much to work with in some areas. I still say this year is when TD should start being judged critically. This will be his second class, and most difficult to sign considering last year's performance. The players here will have three springs and two falls of practice to acclimate to his offensive system and his first class will now mainly be juniors.

We have roughly one month to see how this year's signing class turns out. I say we give the coaches time to finish recruiting and see who we end up with before we start claiming failure.

[Quoner]

Didn't Georgia Tech have to install an entirely new offense this year and had a very short recruiting period this time last year after they hired Paul Johnson late in the game?

I know, we can't compare ourselves to anyone, but just wondering aloud.

[greenminer]

I think by blind he means that every argument in their favor is based on paper numbers. I also notice a quick dismissal of the 2007 class because Dodge's time was obviously cut short. I remember back then it was hailed as unbelievable, regardless of how much time Dodge got?

I see a lot of Rival star players from those first two classes. A lot of paper firepower. A lot of all conference freshman. But until something is done on the field, all we have to legitimately brag about is a winning streak over Western Kentucky.

And now everything is in trouble unless something good pans out next season in the trenches.