Unt Casting Its Net A Little Farther In Recruiting

MeanGreen61 · July 15, 2010

http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/archives/2010/07/unt-casting-its-net-a-little-f.html

The Fake Lonnie Finch · July 15, 2010

How could we not cast the net further? We now have a complete line-up of assistants who have coached at the highest collegiate level from coast-to-coast for decades!

I've always argued that, as far north as we are in the state, we should take the Nebraska/Oklahoma approach and go anywhere and everywhere for the best recruits we can get. We weren't ever going to get the best out of the DFW area on a consistent basis.

Despite what Vito says about FAU, they do go outside of Florida, and they do go coast-to-coast. Their 2010 roster will have players from California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.

I'm proud that we go out of state. It spreads our name out there that much further. Oklahoma and Nebraska built programs out of necessity by going out of state and have built loyal fan bases across the country because of it. I'm hoping Canales will nab one or two from Florida or some other states east of Mississippi.

Edited July 15, 2010 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

shaft · July 16, 2010

Have you ever said anything that makes sense?

UNT should recruit nationally like Nebraska and Oklahoma? Those schools don't recruit players they select them.

GrandGreen · July 16, 2010

The cold hard facts are that NT is recruiting more jucos and out of state players now, because they in general cannot compete against the other Texas fb division schools. It is more out of necessity than any grand scheme of national recruiting. This hopefully will change soon, but no one is recruiting in Oklahoma, Mississippi, California, and Louisiana because those states have better football players than Texas.

This is not a knock on the current staff, I think they are doing a good job recruiting based on where NT is right now. They have and are really working hard to come up with at least adequate recruiting classes. I applaud their effort of looking far and wide for players and not sitting on their fannies like the previous staff, who seemed content to take whatever was left in Texas and didn't seem to even start recruiting until most of the coveted recruits had been already signed.

I expect this year class to start an upward trend in recruiting but that isn't going to happen with early commitments. Either Dodge will survive and have a new life or a change will be made. Hopefully, if it is the latter; NT will have a replacement ready to hit the ground running immediately after the season. With a new stadium and new outlook either supplied by a winning Dodge or a new coach; NT should be ready to start improving their Texas recruiting.

Harry · July 16, 2010

I remain convinces that UNT will never see its full potential in football until it takes full advantage of the natural recruiting resources in DFW. Not saying you don't veer out and look at other players throughout the state, in particular Houston - but DFW high school players is how North Texas becomes a top 25 caliber program.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · July 16, 2010

Have you ever said anything that makes sense?
UNT should recruit nationally like Nebraska and Oklahoma? Those schools don't recruit players they select them.

I don't understand this, really. FAU recruits coast to coast because they have coaches that have been employed coast to coast. You take advantage of what you have. We now have guy with extensive ties outside of Texas. That doesn't mean the majority of our time will be spent outside of Texas; but, for sure enough to make an impact.

I mean, didn't we do this with some modicum of success with Darrell Dickey's staff? Shawn Early out of Jacksonville, Florida? Cobbs, Galbreath, Pruitt, and a host of others out of Oklahoma? Sky Pruitt from Idaho? Tyler Bailey out of Kentucky? Venegas and Weathers out of Kansas? Jeremy Pearl from Missouri?

The point is not confining yourself to DFW. We've gotten some fine players, star players, All-Conference players from other states. And, no it isn't recruiting the same athletes as Nebraska or Oklahoma, but it is using the same mindset. There are two-star and three-star players in every state, not just Texas.

There are enough kids out there who want to start somewhere and will give us a shot rather than walking on and sitting five years somewhere else. Good, talented kids. Cobbs would have sat the whole time had he walked on at OU or OSU. He starred for us. Oklahoman Kevin Galbreath helped deliver us a bowl win - a game in which Missourian Jeremy Pearl also scored on an interception return.

We need to go after these diamonds in the rough no matter where they are. And, I'm pleased that we are. Just having guys fly all over and make contact in Florida is great! Like Texas, much talent there. And, not everyone can sign with Florida, Florida State, and Miami.

Let's milk those ties the way Dickey's staff once did. For all he did wrong at the end of his tenure, cast the recruiting net far into places he had connections was something he did right.