a look at UNT’s history at QB

[Harry]

There were a few people who shot me an e-mail about my blog on UNT’s need to sign a quarterback in its 2013 recruiting class.

I thought that was just about as cut and dry an opinion as one could possibly have, especially considering Dan McCarney is on the record saying that is the case. (We are all on the Dan Wagon around here).

I did have a few people say that they feel comfortable with UNT’s situation with the three quarterbacks it has going forward in juniors Derek Thompson and Brent Osborn and sophomore Andrew McNulty.

Really?

UNT is headed to Conference USA. It’s going to be tougher, not easier, for UNT to get by without improving its quarterback situation.

I told people back in 2004 that Scott Hall wouldn’t be easy to replace, and guess what? He hasn’t been.

Hall was a first-team All-Sun Belt pick in 2003 and a second-team pick in 2004. UNT hasn’t sniffed having an elite Sun Belt quarterback since.

Thompson finally stabilized the position last year, throwing for 1,759 yards and 11 touchdowns. He wasn’t considered an elite Sun Belt player, but he was solid. At UNT that made him seem like John Elway.

Let’s think about UNT’s history here. The following is a list of quarterbacks UNT has signed since 2003, how they were rated by Rivals.com, which is the most accurate rating service in my opinion, and how they ended up panning out at UNT.

2003 – Jonathan Ieans (2 star): Never panned out as a quarterback and ended up at wide receiver

Read more: http://meangreenblog...ory-at-qb.html/

[Harry]

Really good article!! Good job Brett.

[H-towngreen]

We need at least 1 if not 2 QB's in this class. We're getting close to needing to look at juco as an option

[MeanGreenTexan]

Gotta think that QB recruits see this right? The door is wide open to at least come in and compete right away and probably start your RS Freshman or true Sophomore year... I bet we get at least 1 good QB recruit in this class, if not 2.

[Mean Green 93-98]

The Mean Green had to outscore the Trojans to win that game.

[GrandGreen]

NT was very bad for seven years, you could write the same column for about any position. Many teams recruit QB's for other positions, many of those cited in the article were never seriously considered as QB's. In fact you could argue that Dodge and Vizza were about as good as NT has ever recruited.

Vito cites Hall as the last good QB, strange that he was also part of the last good teams that NT fielded. Hall did not have great QB skills but he fit in very well with that team which relied mostly on a running attack. It is only conjecture but I doubt Hall would have been any more successful than the others with the late DD and Dodge teams. I would have liked to see either Vizza or Dodge play with the 2002 and 2003 teams, I think their QB evaluations would have went way up.

NT has had recent football problem and QB was only a part of it.

[GrayEagle]

I have to agree with Vito on the need for a quarterback. The problem is that this is not a great year for quarterbacks and the really quality ones in Texas are taken. There is one exceptional Juco QB that may be a possibility but he'd have to sit a year for best usage.

Other possibilities are returning Cooper Jones to quarterback; developing a two-star player or finding a hidden gem from the recent camps. The fact is that we need at least one quarterback in this class.

[PlummMeanGreen]

Amazing that former Mean Green QB the late Steve Ramsey is still the only one we've ever had that was drafted by the NFL (Denver Broncos). Of course, I'm sure we're not alone in that dept but those Louisiana schools (not LSU) most of whom we played the last 3 decades had some good ones of which a handful even played in the NFL. Bradshaw (although we never played an NCAA D2 La Tech in that era), Stan Humphries, Bubbie Brister, etc.....

GMG!

Edited June 20, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

[Varsity]

We can go to Oklahoma or some other neighboring states to fetch a QB. We used to pull a few player out of California back in the 1950s. Nothing says we have to stay in Texas to fill all our needs.

[buff64]

Wasn't Brad Kassel a high school QB also ?

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Joining CUSA should help us in recruiting... more recognized plus we will play some teasm in texas area that are well known...

[ForneyGreen]

For those in the know... was moving Cooper to TE a case of trying to get a talented guy on the field or was this a case of coaches thinking that QB is not his best position? I find this move confusing because he has good size and seems to have a strong arm from the little that I've seen.

I don't necessarily think we *have* to sign a QB in this class, although not signing a QB in this class puts huge pressure on the staff to get 2 good QB's signed in the next class. I would not go the JUCO route unless we just had a diamond fall in our laps.

[Mean Green 93-98]

For those in the know... was moving Cooper to TE a case of trying to get a talented guy on the field . . .

Your question was not directed to me, but if they wanted to get Cooper on the field, TE was not the place to do it. He's behind at least 3 other TEs on the depth chart.

[greenminer]

Your question was not directed to me, but if they wanted to get Cooper on the field, TE was not the place to do it. He's behind at least 3 other TEs on the depth chart.

Possibly situational/trick play QB?

[H-towngreen]

Your question was not directed to me, but if they wanted to get Cooper on the field, TE was not the place to do it. He's behind at least 3 other TEs on the depth chart.

Depth. And what year are the others. Cooper is a rs fresh. Power is a sr. Miller is probably a jr.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Depth. And what year are the others. Cooper is a rs fresh. Power is a sr. Miller is probably a jr.

I would assume that's the thinking. Maybe he'll get to see the field occasionally in 2013. But not this year, unless he has a from-out-of-nowhere monster fall camp.