How Do You Rate The 2010 Mean Green Football Verbals

[Harry]

Let's hear where everyone is at on the list of verbals we have accumulated thusfar. Here's the latest list (subject to change):

Positional Count:

Offense QB: 0, ATH: 1, RB: 1, WR: 2, TE: 0, OL: 3

Defense DE: 3, DT:0, LB: 4, S: 3, CB: 2

Special Teams K: 1

Total count 20

1). WR William Cole (5-10, 165, 4.5) Cedar Hill - Cole was one of the top recruits in the State of Texas two years ago, signing with Oklahoma State out of high school. A knee injury sidelined him and he transferred to North Texas in the Fall of 2009. He will have two years of eligibility in Denton. There is a lot of excitement in the Mean Green Nation regarding Cole's potential impact in 2010.

2). WR Tyler Stradford (6-2, 175, 4.4) New Orleans, Louisiana - The first true deep threat receiver with size and speed that Dodge has had since taking over the reigns at UNT. Signed with Oklahoma out of high school and transferred to UNT. Participated in Spring and Fall 2009 practices. Will have two years of eligibility remaining.

3). DE Aaron Bellazin (6-2, 230), Everman - Offers from SMU, New Mexico, San Diego State, Buffalo, ULM, SFA and UTEP. A quick, punishing defender that has a nose for the ball. Right now, Bellazin is UNT's top defensive recruit on the board.

4). RB Brandin Byrd (5-11, 185, 4.5), Copperas Cove - Byrd committed early to UNT (6/28/09) along with his teammate WR Brelan Chancellor. Rushed for 1,061 in his senior season.

5). ATH Brelan Chancellor (5-9, 165, 4.4) Copperas Cove - a first-team all-District 12-5A selection as a running back, was recruited to be a slot receiver.

6). S Ryan Downing (6-1, 200) Butler (Kan.) CC - Passed on an offer from Northern Illinois and played at a high level of competition in the Kansas Juco league. Signed Letter of Intent.

7). LB Blake Dunham (6-2, 200) Argyle - Linebacker that logged 123 tackles in his senior season. Excellent deep snapper who will compete to replace Christian Davidson. Son of Mean Green announcer George Dunham.

8). CB Vincent Eddie (5-11, 173) DeSoto - not highly rceruited but excelled at a high level of high school football and had success against some pretty highly regarded division I WR signees.

9). OLB Brad Graham (6-0, 205) Navarro JC - Undersized but impressive credentials. 2009 NJCAA Football Player of the Year. Could play safety. Signed Letter of Intent.

10). S Will Wright Jr. (6-2, 200, 4.5) South Garland - Good size and and speed at a key need position. 1st team all district selection. Had interest from TCU and was offered by UTEP.

11). OL Graylin Hawkins (6-4, 250) Dallas Skyline - Hawkins is a project that has a large wingspan and frame to put on size. Clearly a redshirt candidate but could help down the road with his quick feet.

12). S Jamison Hughes (6-1, 185) Pearl River (Miss.) C.C. - Hughes is an interesting Juco transfer that originally signed with Ole Miss, later transferred to Southern Miss and then Pearl River. He is now expected to compete for a starting position at North Texas. Signed Letter of Intent.

13). OLB Forlando Johnson (5-11, 208, 4.6) Butler (Kan.) CC - possibly the most talented JUCO transfer that should make an immediate impact. Johnson was a preseason JUCO All American but suffered a knee injury and missed the first three games of the season. Still finished with 57 tackles garnering 1st team All Conference honors and will be looking to prove his critics wrong. Signed Letter of Intent.

14). CB DeLeon McCord (6-0, 185) Butler (Kan.) CC - Should be an immediate contributor to the Mean Green secondary. Logged 30 tackles in his senior season. Signed Letter of Intent.

15). K Zach Olen, Richardson Berkner - Honorable Mention All State Kicker with huge leg. Should provide an immediate boost to North Texas special teams.

16). LB Zach Orr (5-10, 225) DeSoto - Dark horse for top defensive recruit honors, Orr had offers from Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, San Diego State and UTEP. Probably would have had more offers if he hadn't suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder in his senior season. Was a 1st Team 5A All State Linebacker as a junior.

17). OL Mason Y'Barbo (6-2, 300) Sulphur Springs - Offers from Houston and Northwestern State. Physical player that was just a couple of inches short from being at a BCS program. Left guard that could also play center or be a deep snapper.

18). DE Ryan Boutwell (6-3, 225) China Springs - Boutwell originally signed in 2009 but an injury forced him to sit out the season and grayshirt.

19). DE/LB Julian Herron (6-0, 205) Arlington Bowie / SMU - Highly rated prospect that signed with SMU out of high school and was released by June Jones. Transferred to UNT and is expected to compete at linebacker and defenisve end. Undersized but outstanding speed. Should have 3-years of eligibility left.

20). OL Antonio Johnson (6-6, 270) Diboll - Good size and feet from a smaller school. Protypical offensive tackle frame. Projects to be a redshirt at the offensive tackle position. Was offered by ULM and UTEP.

[NT03]

I'm pretty sure that Stradford counts towards the 2009 signing class since he was able to practice all of last year. I'm just going by Dave Campbell's so maybe it changed when he was ruled ineligible , I don't know.

Edited January 26, 2010 by NT03

[LongJim]

Good class so far. Not great. Not satisfied with what's happened so far at DT, and the recruits at DE and LB are (at this point) undersized. Considering the last two seasons results, I think it's a pretty good class. Win some games this year, get the stadium built, and this thing will blow wide open recruiting wise by comparison.

[island eagle]

Would be much better with a couple of more DE and DT signees or transfers.

[Censored by Laurie]

On Stradford...he redshirted in 07-08 at OU, then transferred and sat out 08-09 at UNT, right? You have 5 years to play 4 seasons...meaning he has used up his freshman season and his potential reshirt season so he should have 3 years of eligibility remaining.

Also, I know its been mentioned before, but any word on Dwayne Baziel, the DE/LB transfer from Tech?

Edited January 26, 2010 by Censored by Laurie

[KRAM1]

I believe the class is shaping up rather nicely. But, I, too, would like to see more emphasis placed on the D-Line and O-Line. But, at this point, I see this as a very good class for TD and UNT. We'll see after signing day how it actually shapes up.

Go Mean Green!

[Harry]

On Stradford...he redshirted in 07-08 at OU, then transferred and sat out 08-09 at UNT, right? You have 5 years to play 4 seasons...meaning he has used up his freshman season and his potential reshirt season so he should have 3 years of eligibility remaining.

Also, I know its been mentioned before, but any word on Dwayne Baziel, the DE/LB transfer from Tech?

My understanding is that once you redshirt you have 4 years to play 4 years. If you transfer from one D-I school to another you are required to sit out a year. That's why many D-I transfers go to I-AA schools because they don't have to sit out. Stradford signed at OU in 2007 and redshirted. I don't know what happened to him in 2008 and we know he sat out of 2009 on our bench. Since his 4 to play 4 clock started in 2008 and we know he had to sit out 2009 because of the transfer rule he should have two years of eligibility left. I think the reason that Dodge petitioned the NCAA for allowing Stradford to be eligible in 2009 was he did not step on the field for OU in 2008 even though he was on the roster...that's a guess. As we know that appeal was denied.

[Travis]

I said okay. primarily because i want to see some DL in the mix too. And a QB that could give some competition to the job.

[H-towngreen]

I think that the 2 tranfers at the WR spot will be a huge boost to this offense. Add in Lance Dunbar, Darius Carey, Outlaw, an experienced O-line, and a new OC. I think you will see a vast improvement in our offense next season. I'm really excited for Spring ball to see how it shapes out. I like the O-linemen that we were able to pick up this year. And I think that Byrd from Copperas Cove will be a good one. It's interesting to see which side of the ball the majority of the signees are on this year. On D I would like to see at least one DT signed in this group. Once again it looks like we will see some good battles for all the positions in the DBackfield. I'm concerned with the middle linebacker position as the JUCO LB's are all a little on the light side. I'm really excited about the signing of both Orr and Bellazin.

[greenminer]

It's almost disgusting to think what Dodge could haul if he had a winning record in his resume.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Voted okay. Orr and Antonio Johnson are legitimate day one players at a non-BCS program. I also like the pickup of Jamison Hughes. Everything else is average or long term projects.

Two - Dunham and Vincent Eddie are probably wasted scholarships. Neither would have been given an FBS scholarship anywhere else. In the long run, such shots in the dark hurt depth. I'd like Dodge and the staff to be more serious about where they spend scholarships when I see stuff like this. Depth is important and these guys likely won't be ready for at least three years, if ever.

Eddie has some outside talent and should have gone JUCO, a la former Oklahoma Sooner and Atlanta Falcon Darnell Walker, who also came of high school at shorter than 5-10 and in the 140-150 range. Eddie needs live snaps, even if just against JUCO competition. He won't get it here and will probably languish on the depth chart as a result.

The big minuses are the absence of one or two quarterback prospects and two to three defensive tackles. Either Dodge doesn't see the light here, or he is unable to nail down recruits.

Oh yeah...glad to see soon-to-be fellow Lloyd V. Berkner alum Zach Olen on board. Hopefully, he'll be as much of an asset as former Ram Scott Davis was here back in the day.

Edited January 26, 2010 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[Monkeypox]

I said okay. primarily because i want to see some DL in the mix too. And a QB that could give some competition to the job.

That's where I was. I like the quality of the recruiting class, but not the distribution, given our positional needs.

[GrandGreen]

I have the same feel for this class at this point as I did last years. I think it was a very good job based on the state of the program but lacks when compared to the other Texas fb division schools. I do think the jucos signed this year are better than the juco class of last year. I think the linebackers could be outstanding here and Hughes is certainly an interesting prospect. Hughes in addition to playing juco ball has been signed by both Mississippi and Southern Mississippi. Both Orr and Bellazin appear to be good high school recruits. I don't think height is that important for linebackers, and I think NT really improved the position. Overall I think that NT has did about as well as could be expected and has addressed all their needs but QB and defensive ends. Defensive tackle is a position of concern but everyone is returning plus Weber and Anyiam which may have eaten themselves out the defensive end position. I don't think Deloach is a three/four defense advocate but it would seem to make a lot of sense with the team's makeup.

Some must love the transfers got from other four year institutions because they count them in both last year's class and the current one.

[DallasGreen]

Voted okay. Orr and Antonio Johnson are legitimate day one players at a non-BCS program. I also like the pickup of Jamison Hughes. Everything else is average or long term projects.

Two - Dunham and Vincent Eddie are probably wasted scholarships. Neither would have been given an FBS scholarship anywhere else. In the long run, such shots in the dark hurt depth. I'd like Dodge and the staff to be more serious about where they spend scholarships when I see stuff like this. Depth is important and these guys likely won't be ready for at least three years, if ever.

Eddie has some outside talent and should have gone JUCO, a la former Oklahoma Sooner and Atlanta Falcon Darnell Walker, who also came of high school at shorter than 5-10 and in the 140-150 range. Eddie needs live snaps, even if just against JUCO competition. He won't get it here and will probably languish on the depth chart as a result.

The big minuses are the absence of one or two quarterback prospects and two to three defensive tackles. Either Dodge doesn't see the light here, or he is unable to nail down recruits.

Oh yeah...glad to see soon-to-be fellow Lloyd V. Berkner alum Zach Olen on board. Hopefully, he'll be as much of an asset as former Ram Scott Davis was here back in the day.

No QB worth his salt will touch NT with the Dodge/Dodge combo. We need a D-1 QB who can see downfield and let "pick six/ fumbleitis, injury prone" Riley go to WR or Safety. Right now Nathan Tune is the closest thing we have to a D-1 QB such as Dwight Dasher of MUTS. Maybe that's why Stockstill now makes twice as much as TD.

[Greendylan]

Not to be "that guy," but this class is currently (as of 1/26) ranked 102 out of 120 Division 1 FBS teams. I still voted "ok" because given the season we just had, this ranking really could be even worse. Also, this does not take into account the transfers. Regardless, I just can't get excited about any ranking that puts us in the bottom 15% of our division. Oh well, maybe Rivals is wrong. I do individually like a lot of the talent that appears to be coming.

[Green P1]

There needed to be an "All things considered... not terrible." That would have been my vote.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Green P1

[Graddean]

I wonder what this board would be saying about Patrick Cobbs about now if he were on the board. The best we can do is a small running back with not one other D 1 offer. How terrible.

[VideoEagle]

The verbals are very good. Those that actually sign are better. But the one's we're talking about in five years are great even if they were walk ons.

Granddean pointed out Patrick Cobbs and he's no one would have been excited about recruiting but everyone loved watching.

Edited January 27, 2010 by VideoEagle

[NT03]

I will feel a little better once Orr is actually signed sealed and delivered.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

No QB worth his salt will touch NT with the Dodge/Dodge combo. We need a D-1 QB who can see downfield and let "pick six/ fumbleitis, injury prone" Riley go to WR or Safety. Right now Nathan Tune is the closest thing we have to a D-1 QB such as Dwight Dasher of MUTS. Maybe that's why Stockstill now makes twice as much as TD.

I think there's an outside chance that Thompson is a guy that can see down the field and make better decisions.

The problem is that we've only seen him for a handful of games in the waning seconds of the season against a defense that was playing back.

I'd like to see the QB competition thrown wide open with Thompson and Tune getting the chance to see what they can do guiding the 1's in practice. I think Tune would be fine. Other than the interception against Ohio, he did well in the games he played.

I still look at Riley and think of the ways he can create in open spaces and wonder why he would be moved to WR. QBs don't get alot of open spaces. I still maintain that'd he'd be a good punt and kickoff return man as well...once he learned to tuck the ball a little higher up when he's running.

[KRAM1]

I wonder what this board would be saying about Patrick Cobbs about now if he were on the board. The best we can do is a small running back with not one other D 1 offer. How terrible.

EXACTLY! It's great to see all the experts let us know that this class is not ranked very high in their humble opinion, that is. I know they have some "qualifications" to make such statements, but recruiting HS kids is a crap-shoot. You get top recruits that can't qualify grade-wise, who get injured in fall practice, who end up hating the coach and transferring and/or who simply look good on paper as a college player but never pan out...you get the exact reverse as well ala Patrick Cobbs. You also get the "lesser" rated player who stays a "lesser rated" player in college, etc. Like I said it's a crap shoot. You do the very best you can as a coach/recruiter, find players you think can play in YOUR system, who might get bigger, faster and stronger and you go with that.

We'll all see how this class pans out once they sign and hit the field. On paper, it is looking like a another good class for TD and Company.

I also agree...can you imagine the class TD might be able to recruit next season after winning those min. seven games this season???? Wow, can't wait. Be still my Mean Green heart!

GO MEAN GREEN.

[emmitt01]

EXACTLY! It's great to see all the experts let us know that this class is not ranked very high in their humble opinion, that is. I know they have some "qualifications" to make such statements, but recruiting HS kids is a crap-shoot. You get top recruits that can't qualify grade-wise, who get injured in fall practice, who end up hating the coach and transferring and/or who simply look good on paper as a college player but never pan out...you get the exact reverse as well ala Patrick Cobbs. You also get the "lesser" rated player who stays a "lesser rated" player in college, etc. Like I said it's a crap shoot. You do the very best you can as a coach/recruiter, find players you think can play in YOUR system, who might get bigger, faster and stronger and you go with that.

We'll all see how this class pans out once they sign and hit the field. On paper, it is looking like a another good class for TD and Company.

I also agree...can you imagine the class TD might be able to recruit next season after winning those min. seven games this season???? Wow, can't wait. Be still my Mean Green heart!

GO MEAN GREEN.

How about scout and rivals who rate our class toward the bottom in D1? Can we sarcastically write off their "expert" opininions...or should we do as you are always so quick to suggest, defer to "those who get paid to do this"?