North Texas Class of 2011

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Derek Akunne - LB/North Garland - 2 stars - Offers from Air Force, Colorado State, Western Kentucky

10 games - 20 tackles, 2.5 for loss

Terrell Brooks - DT/Duncanville - 2 stars - No other offers

High risk gamble; discovered why when he left the team after playing in one game. Registered a safety during the one game played. Waste of talent.

Travis Ellard - OL/Deer Park - 2 star - No other offers

Redshirt

Jamone Greer - CB/Sugar Land Kemper - 2 star - Utah State, Central Arkansas

Did not qualify academically; took a redshirt at Blinn. Maybe we'll get a second shot at him.

Antoinne Jimmerson - RB/DeSoto - 2 Stars - No other offers

Redshirt

Cooper Jones - QB/Lone Oak - 3 stars - Air Force, SFA

Redshirt

Lairamie Lee - CB/Tyler Chapel Hill - 2 stars - No other offers

11 games - 10 tackles - 1 blocked kick - 1 punt return for 19 yards

Cyril Lemon - OG/Marble Falls - 2 stars - FIU, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Missouri, New Mexico State, Rice

12 games

Alex Lincoln - DE/Cibolo - 2 stars - No other offers

8 games - 2 tackles

Daryl Mason - DE/Rowlett - 2 stars - No other offers

6 games - 1 tackle

Andrew McNulty - QB/Iowa City, IA - 2 stars - No other offers

7 games - 28 of 51 passing for 352 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs - 23 rushes for 57 yards, 1 TD - 2 tackles (both against Tulsa)

Austin Orr - DE/Houston Clear Lake - 2 stars - New Mexico State, Texas State, Montana State

Redshirt

Brent Osborn - QB/Valley, AL/NW Mississippi CC - 3 stars - Murray State, Tennessee-Martin

3 games - 13 for 21 passing for 127 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs - 4 rushes for 16 yards

Chad Polk - LB/Woodrow Wilson - 2 stars - Baylor, Sam Houston

Redshirt

Andrew Power - TE/Myrtle Beach, SC/Arizona Western CC - 3 stars - Memphis, Nevada, Tennessee, Utah State

12 games - 16 catches for 142 yards, 1 TD - 1 fumble recovery for 29 yards, 1 TD - 1 tackle

Chaz Sampson - WR/Mansfield Timberview - 2 stars - Pittsburgh, Tulsa, UTEP

Redshirt

Michael Stojkovic - LB/Katy/Valley Forge Military - 2 stars - No other offers

12 games - 48 tackles - 5 for loss - 2 sacks - 1 fumble forced - 1 pass broken up

Kerry Swarn - S/Lincoln - 3 stars - Arizona, Iowa, East Carolina

4 games

Micah Thompson - DT/Jones, OK - 2 stars - Tulsa

Redshirt, moved to OL

Freddie Warner - CB/Pinkston - 3 stars - Colorado State, Utah State

7 games - 18 tackles - .5 for loss - .5 sacks - 1 pass broken up

Zach Whitfield - RB/Sherman - 2 stars - New Mexico State

Redshirt

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Walk-on contributors, 2011

Colton Clay - LB/Princeton

11 games - 10 tackles

Nick Crewe - LB-DE/The Woodlands

2 games - 1 tackle

Mike Marshall - DB/South Grand Prairie

8 games - 5 tackles

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Playing time for 11 of 21 signed

Redshirts for 8 of 21 signed

JUCO/Non-qualify for 1 of 21 signed

Qui(t) for 1 of 21 signed, although he did play in one game

Really, not a bad first class for McCarney and crew. There are some good players in this group that will be the foundation of our next bowl and conference championship teams.

[KRAM1]

Playing time for 11 of 21 signed

Redshirts for 8 of 21 signed

JUCO/Non-qualify for 1 of 21 signed

Qui(t) for 1 of 21 signed, although he did play in one game

Really, not a bad first class for McCarney and crew. There are some good players in this group that will be the foundation of our next bowl and conference championship teams.

Agree...signing 18 year old kids is a "crap shoot", and some will pan out immediately, some will never pan out and some will take a year or two to develop. If anyone thinks this is easy stuff...check out the Dallas Cowboys draft prospects the last few years. Coach Mac and his staff have already shown the ability to weed the chaff from the straw and to actually get more out of some players than a few of us thought possible. The best in these players is yet to be seen, and we haven't even seen what the red shirts might be able to do starting this season. UNT has a great staff of coaches overall and they appear to be fully capable of developing players and picking ones that will fit into their system.

Will they miss on some...ABSOLUTELY. The are no guarantees in this game. Time will tell, folks, time will tell...for me...so far so good. Bring on 2012! See you at the Signing Day event Wednesday!

[GreenFlag]

Great post TFLF.

I would like to see some opinions on who folks think will be all-SBC caliber players by the end of their career.

I'll start with the easy/obvious one - Cyril Lemon.

[emmitt01]

Agree...signing 18 year old kids is a "crap shoot", and some will pan out immediately, some will never pan out and some will take a year or two to develop. If anyone thinks this is easy stuff...check out the Dallas Cowboys draft prospects the last few years. Coach Mac and his staff have already shown the ability to weed the chaff from the straw and to actually get more out of some players than a few of us thought possible. The best in these players is yet to be seen, and we haven't even seen what the red shirts might be able to do starting this season. UNT has a great staff of coaches overall and they appear to be fully capable of developing players and picking ones that will fit into their system.

Will they miss on some...ABSOLUTELY. The are no guarantees in this game. Time will tell, folks, time will tell...for me...so far so good. Bring on 2012! See you at the Signing Day event Wednesday!

Yep. If having the "#1 class" were all it takes you'd see a lot more crystal footballs in Austin...not lopsided drubbings during the state fair

[FloMoGrad]

Great post TFLF.

I would like to see some opinions on who folks think will be all-SBC caliber players by the end of their career.

I'll start with the easy/obvious one - Cyril Lemon.

Stojkovic was pretty obvious to me. Kid played great for a true fresh and had his nose in on a lot of plays.

[Harry]

Derek Akunne - LB/North Garland - 2 stars - Offers from Air Force, Colorado State, Western Kentucky

10 games - 20 tackles, 2.5 for loss

Terrell Brooks - DT/Duncanville - 2 stars - No other offers

High risk gamble; discovered why when he left the team after playing in one game. Registered a safety during the one game played. Waste of talent.

Travis Ellard - OL/Deer Park - 2 star - No other offers

Redshirt

Jamone Greer - CB/Sugar Land Kemper - 2 star - Utah State, Central Arkansas

Did not qualify academically; took a redshirt at Blinn. Maybe we'll get a second shot at him.

Antoinne Jimmerson - RB/DeSoto - 2 Stars - No other offers

Redshirt

Cooper Jones - QB/Lone Oak - 3 stars - Air Force, SFA

Redshirt

Lairamie Lee - CB/Tyler Chapel Hill - 2 stars - No other offers

11 games - 10 tackles - 1 blocked kick - 1 punt return for 19 yards

Cyril Lemon - OG/Marble Falls - 2 stars - FIU, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Missouri, New Mexico State, Rice

12 games

Alex Lincoln - DE/Cibolo - 2 stars - No other offers

8 games - 2 tackles

Daryl Mason - DE/Rowlett - 2 stars - No other offers

6 games - 1 tackle

Andrew McNulty - QB/Iowa City, IA - 2 stars - No other offers

7 games - 28 of 51 passing for 352 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs - 23 rushes for 57 yards, 1 TD - 2 tackles (both against Tulsa)

Austin Orr - DE/Houston Clear Lake - 2 stars - New Mexico State, Texas State, Montana State

Redshirt

Brent Osborn - QB/Valley, AL/NW Mississippi CC - 3 stars - Murray State, Tennessee-Martin

3 games - 13 for 21 passing for 127 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs - 4 rushes for 16 yards

Chad Polk - LB/Woodrow Wilson - 2 stars - Baylor, Sam Houston

Redshirt

Andrew Power - TE/Myrtle Beach, SC/Arizona Western CC - 3 stars - Memphis, Nevada, Tennessee, Utah State

12 games - 16 catches for 142 yards, 1 TD - 1 fumble recovery for 29 yards, 1 TD - 1 tackle

Chaz Sampson - WR/Mansfield Timberview - 2 stars - Pittsburgh, Tulsa, UTEP

Redshirt

Michael Stojkovic - LB/Katy/Valley Forge Military - 2 stars - No other offers

12 games - 48 tackles - 5 for loss - 2 sacks - 1 fumble forced - 1 pass broken up

Kerry Swarn - S/Lincoln - 3 stars - Arizona, Iowa, East Carolina

4 games

Micah Thompson - DT/Jones, OK - 2 stars - Tulsa

Redshirt, moved to OL

Freddie Warner - CB/Pinkston - 3 stars - Colorado State, Utah State

7 games - 18 tackles - .5 for loss - .5 sacks - 1 pass broken up

Zach Whitfield - RB/Sherman - 2 stars - New Mexico State

Redshirt

Great analysis Lonnie.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I think Cyril Lemon, for sure, will be all-conference multiple times.

As for others:

-Stojkovic

-Warner

-Power

I really do like this class. As far as "splash" and whatnot, no it didn't have much of that. But, what we needed for 2011 was immediate contributors who would buy in and succeed. I think McCarney and Company did that.

And, despite the lack of "splash" this year, I think they're doing it again. Because of the great success many of our freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and sophomores had last year, I think the staff wasn't under near the pressure they were last year to find immediate, first year contributors.

We know pretty much what we have in the fold now, and it doesn't look bad. I'd say WR and DT are the glaring question marks. But, if the returnees there can keep improving, we'll do much better than last season.

I'm looking for a thunder and lightning tandem of Brandin Byrd and Zach Whitfield to be enough to keep defenses honest against the run.

It'll be tough to replace the X factor James Hamilton gave us in the wildcat. Can't recall if any of the other running backs ever spent time at QB in high school. I don't think Byrd or Whitfield did.

[foutsrouts]

Agree...signing 18 year old kids is a "crap shoot", and some will pan out immediately, some will never pan out and some will take a year or two to develop. If anyone thinks this is easy stuff...check out the Dallas Cowboys draft prospects the last few years. Coach Mac and his staff have already shown the ability to weed the chaff from the straw and to actually get more out of some players than a few of us thought possible. The best in these players is yet to be seen, and we haven't even seen what the red shirts might be able to do starting this season. UNT has a great staff of coaches overall and they appear to be fully capable of developing players and picking ones that will fit into their system.

Will they miss on some...ABSOLUTELY. The are no guarantees in this game. Time will tell, folks, time will tell...for me...so far so good. Bring on 2012! See you at the Signing Day event Wednesday!

Yes, all you have to do to see that high school accolades are often highly overrated, is to scan the rosters of NFL teams and see the huge numbers of FCS and Division 2 players listed. Some were casualties of sorts, but most of those as 18 year olds weren't wanted by any FBS teams.

This is obviously where a coaches experience and evaluation skills come in to play, and from what I've seen so far Mac appears to be doing a good job of grabbing some pretty good "under the radar" talent. Of course that's not to say that I wouldn't want to see a half dozen 4 star players in the mix every year.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

The other factor is, of course, any given player has to be willing to put forth even greater effort and more time in college...and even greater in the NFL.

Think about the number of colleges that passed by Wes Welker in 2000...a small kid from a small, private, Christian school in Oklahoma City. OU was right down the street; OSU and Tulsa, right there in the state.

You just never know. Welker didn't get where he did overnight. But, you can be sure he outworked everybody to climb to the top of the Texas Tech, Miami Dolphin, and New England Patriot depth charts.

The kids have still got to work. Given the number of contributors form the 2011 class, I think we can say that McCarney is getting kids with enough of a chip on their shoulder that they are working hard.

Contrast Welker with a guy like Rhett Bomar. Bomar, a top signee, who kept getting in trouble off the field at OU. Then, was handed the starting job and didn't star. Got involved in one too many off the field issues, then headed for Sam Houston.

Bomar still had the talent to be drafted and make an NFL roster. But, was released last year for - drunken driving. He was cited two or three times for underage drinking at OU before the hammer came in the pay-for-no-work scandal broke.

Minnesota cut him loose after the DWI. Oakland signed him earlier this month.

Two cases - Welker and Bomar. One clawed his way to the top; the other has enough talent...and, apparently, keeps showing enough "in practice"...to keep getting second chances, but keeps wasting them.

Which type of kid do you want? No coach in America would have said no to Bomar in 2004. Almost no coach in America bothered to call Welker in 2000.

Recruiting is what it is. Give me a roster full of kids with Welker's mentality, and I'll show you a selfless, championship caliber team. Give me a roster full of Bomars and I'll show you a team with leadership and locker room problems.

[tylermeangreen]

Lairamie Lee did have other offers:

At one point he was committed to The University of Wyoming; de-committed and then committed to UTSA; and then de-committed and committed to what, I am told, was his first choice all-along

UNT

[greenjoe]

Delgado was one of my favorites last season.

[BIG DAWG]

Kerry Swarn redshirted to I believe

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Derek Akunne - LB/North Garland - 2 stars - Offers from Air Force, Colorado State, Western Kentucky
2011: 10 games - 20 tackles, 2.5 for loss

2012: 12 games - 90 tackles, 7.5 for loss, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble forced, 5 passes broken up, 7 passes defensed

Terrell Brooks - DT/Duncanville - 2 stars - No other offers
High risk gamble; discovered why when he left the team after playing in one game.
2011: Registered a safety during the one game played. Waste of talent.

2012: Played 10 games at Navarro JC, 46 tackles, 11 for loss, 3 passes broken up; committed to Baylor for 2013

Travis Ellard - OL/Deer Park - 2 star - No other offers
2011: Redshirt
2012: 1 game

Jamone Greer - CB/Sugar Land Kemper - 2 star - Utah State, Central Arkansas
Did not qualify academically

2011: took a redshirt at Blinn.

2012: played in two games at Blinn; made one tackle

Antoinne Jimmerson - RB/DeSoto - 2 Stars - No other offers
2011: Redshirt

2012: 10 games played, 544 rushing yards/5 TDs, 205 receiving yards/3 TDs

Cooper Jones - QB/Lone Oak - 3 stars - Air Force, SFA
2011: Redshirt

2012: Moved to TE, no games played

Lairamie Lee - CB/Tyler Chapel Hill - 2 stars - No other offers
2011: 11 games, 10 tackles , 1 blocked kick - 1 punt return for 19 yards
2012: 12 games, 72 tackles, 1 for loss, 1 interception, 3 passes broken up, 4 passes defensed

Cyril Lemon - OG/Marble Falls - 2 stars - FIU, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Missouri, New Mexico State, Rice
2011: 12 games

2012: 12 games

Alex Lincoln - DE/Cibolo - 2 stars - No other offers
2011: 8 games, 2 tackles

2012: 11 games, 15 tackles, 2.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 quarterback hurry

Daryl Mason - DE/Rowlett - 2 stars - No other offers
2011: 6 games, 1 tackle

2012: 9 games, 6 tackles, 1 quarterback hurry

Andrew McNulty - QB/Iowa City, IA - 2 stars - No other offers
2011: 7 games - 28 of 51 passing for 352 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs - 23 rushes for 57 yards, 1 TD - 2 tackles (both against Tulsa)

2012: 0 games

Austin Orr - DE/Houston Clear Lake - 2 stars - New Mexico State, Texas State, Montana State
2011: Redshirt

2012: 3 games played, no stats

Brent Osborn - QB/Valley, AL/NW Mississippi CC - 3 stars - Murray State, Tennessee-Martin
2011: 3 games, 13 for 21 passing for 127 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs - 4 rushes for 16 yards

2012: 1 game, 0 for 2 passing

Chad Polk - LB/Woodrow Wilson - 2 stars - Baylor, Sam Houston
2011: Redshirt
2012: 5 games, 9 tackles, 1 for loss

Andrew Power - TE/Myrtle Beach, SC/Arizona Western CC - 3 stars - Memphis, Nevada, Tennessee, Utah State
2011: 12 games, 16 catches for 142 yards, 1 TD - 1 fumble recovery for 29 yards, 1 TD - 1 tackle
2012: 11 games, 14 catches for 180 yards, 1 TD

Chaz Sampson - WR/Mansfield Timberview - 2 stars - Pittsburgh, Tulsa, UTEP
2011: Redshirt
2012: 0 games

Michael Stojkovic - LB/Katy/Valley Forge Military - 2 stars - No other offers
2011: 12 game, 48 tackles, 5 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble forced, 1 pass broken up

2012: 0 games

Kerry Swarn - S/Lincoln - 3 stars - Arizona, Iowa, East Carolina
2011: 4 games

2012: Tyler Junior College or North Central Texas College, student IDs to both: http://www.iphoneogram.com/u/49567084

Micah Thompson - DT/Jones, OK - 2 stars - Tulsa
2011: Redshirt, moved to OL
2012: 2 games

Freddie Warner - CB/Pinkston - 3 stars - Colorado State, Utah State
2011: 7 games, 18 tackles, .5 for loss, .5 sacks, 1 pass broken up

2012: 1 game

Zach Whitfield - RB/Sherman - 2 stars - New Mexico State
2011: Redshirt
2012: Moved to CB, 12 games, 60 tackles, 3 interceptions, 12 passes broken up, 15 passes defenses, 1 fumble forced

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Walk-on contributors, 2011

Colton Clay - LB/Princeton
2011: 11 games, 10 tackles
2012: Not on roster, can't find anything else

Nick Crewe - LB-DE/The Woodlands
2011: 2 games - 1 tackle
2012: Not on roster, can't find anything else

Mike Marshall - DB/South Grand Prairie
2011: 8 games, 5 tackles

2012: 11 games, 4 tackles, 0.5 for loss

[BillySee58]

Yep. If having the "#1 class" were all it takes you'd see a lot more crystal footballs in Austin...not lopsided drubbings during the state fair

Yeah, and you'd see a lot more crystal footballs in Tuscaloosa... oh wait!

I get you're point, but recruiting classes are huge and the best coaches are good recruiters. This means getting players that rivals schools wanted too, and a lot of times these players happen to have quite a few stars on their recruit profiles.

You're definitely right in one aspect. If you can't develop players then you're team will not reach its full potential. This is why I think Mack Brown should step down as an outsider looking in. Coach Mac seems to be doing a good job developing players so far.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Analysis so far:

Good

Derek Akunne

Antionne Jimmerson

Lairamie Lee

Cyril Lemon

Andrew Power

Zach Whitfield

Still Good Upside

Alex Lincoln

Daryl Mason

Mike Marshall

Incomplete

Chad Polk

Austin Orr

Freddie Warner

Michael Stojkovic

Next year is third year on campus...anything?

Travis Ellard

Cooper Jones

Andrew McNulty

Micah Thompson

Bust

Chaz Sampson

Kerry Swarn

Moved Along

Terrell Brooks

Still JUCO

Jamone Greer

Out of time/Grad

Andrew Power

Brent Osborn

Yes, I know Power is listed twice. He was a good signing; wish he had more time here.

Edited January 18, 2013 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

[NorthTexan95]

Great update! We should do something like this for every class.