From the Twitterverse: Shawn McKinney

All About UNT · December 4, 2012

http://rivals.yahoo....McKinney-137313

made this statement yesterday

" thinking about committing to north Texas!! I go on my visit next weekend"

http://espn.go.com/v...egoryid=4179954

H-towngreen · December 4, 2012

Can we move him to DT?

Looks as though we're looking for at least a juco center and DB.

Edited December 4, 2012 by H-towngreen

Harry · December 4, 2012

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8346208

MDH · December 4, 2012

North Texas: leading the nation in the only FBS offer commits.

UNT90 · December 4, 2012

Is it wrong of me not to be excited considering his only other listed offers are from FCS schools?

Marty · December 4, 2012

MeanGreenTexan · December 4, 2012

I wonder if he would be a C, or if he would play elsewhere... I'd take a flyer on him. He's huge.

Harry · December 4, 2012

He's huge and he's not fat. Makes you wonder why the big programs have stepped back. Maybe because he played at a small school?

DeepGreen · December 4, 2012

Watching him block reminds me of the movie "The Blind Side" and Michael Oher.

H-towngreen · December 4, 2012

He'd help in the run game that fo sho

UNT90 · December 4, 2012

He's huge and he's not fat. Makes you wonder why the big programs have stepped back. Maybe because he played at a small school?

Because college athletes don't stand there and let you hit them. He isn't very mobile or quick (judging from the video). Probably needs to drop about 30 lbs. size isn't everything (that's NOT what she said).

I am assuming the video is from 1A ball.

UNTLifer · December 4, 2012

I am with h-town, how about a move to DT.

Monkeypox · December 4, 2012

Though I'm as discouraged as anyone about the level of recruits we are generally getting... IF you are going this route, a guy with this size is the way to go. How many years have we (and our coaches) complained that we've not gotten athletes who are big enough and strong enough? I'm not nearly as concerned about a guy with slow feet or poor mechanics as I am a guy who's 6'1", 270lbs that we're hoping will grow how we want him.

Yes, he's going to need work, which puts him on par with just about everybody a 4-8 Sun Belt/CUSA school is going to get.

I would bet he'd move to OG, but yeah, interior D-line would also be possible.

UNT90 · December 4, 2012

Though I'm as discouraged as anyone about the level of recruits we are generally getting... IF you are going this route, a guy with this size is the way to go. How many years have we (and our coaches) complained that we've not gotten athletes who are big enough and strong enough? I'm not nearly as concerned about a guy with slow feet or poor mechanics as I am a guy who's 6'1", 270lbs that we're hoping will grow how we want him.

Yes, he's going to need work, which puts him on par with just about everybody a 4-8 Sun Belt/CUSA school is going to get.

I would bet he'd move to OG, but yeah, interior D-line would also be possible.

I feel completely opposite of you. Abby plays DT in front of much bigger guys. Why? Because he can play the game better.

You can add size, you can't add talent, so give me the faster, quicker lighter player who may add size over the huge guy that doesn't have the fast twitch muscle fire that is needed to play the college game, even at DT.

I'm talking in general here, not specifically about this recruit.

Monkeypox · December 4, 2012

I feel completely opposite of you. Abby plays DT in front of much bigger guys. Why? Because he can play the game better.

You can add size, you can't add talent, so give me the faster, quicker lighter player who may add size over the huge guy that doesn't have the fast twitch muscle fire that is needed to play the college game, even at DT.

I'm talking in general here, not specifically about this recruit.

Except that lacking a particular muscle type is an uneducated guess. Talent is a projection. But size is size, speed is speed, measurables are measurables. That's why for years we've had to always try and justify our recruits' lacking in the measurables department. That's why the NFL drafts project players. That's why most guys with this guy's size are gone well before we have a shot.

Trust me, we get plenty of undersized guys. We'll always get them, because if they have size, speed, AND talent, they're going to a bigger program than ours. We're always going to have to gamble on some aspect.

And you CAN'T add size to everyone. Not good, meaningful size anyway. Some guys will never develop that frame. Some guys get the size added, and can't actually play with it.

Footwork, agility, and technique can be improved with coaching. Getting D1-sized beef has been more of a problem than anything else for this team.

And Abbe is listed at 6'4", 315 (not far from what he was coming out of high school), so I wouldn't exactly call him undersized, and our defensive line is one of our worst units.

Green Crazy · December 4, 2012

I feel completely opposite of you. Abby plays DT in front of much bigger guys. Why? Because he can play the game better.

You can add size, you can't add talent, so give me the faster, quicker lighter player who may add size over the huge guy that doesn't have the fast twitch muscle fire that is needed to play the college game, even at DT.

I'm talking in general here, not specifically about this recruit.

abby was one of those guys who was too big and too slow coming out of high school and with coaching and a weight loss regiment became the player he is now.

BillySee58 · December 4, 2012

The spring weight goals wanted our centers Kaydon Kirby to lose weight down to 290 and Boone Feldt to gain weight and get up to 290. I would imagine the coaches will want him to lose weight regardless of what position he plays at, but yes, he does have a lot of good natural weight.

Centers have to be agile. Everyone knows they have to be strong blocking 300+ lb d-tackles, but they also have to be quick enough to combo up and get linebackers.

Monkeypox · December 4, 2012

The spring weight goals wanted our centers Kaydon Kirby to lose weight down to 290 and Boone Feldt to gain weight and get up to 290. I would imagine the coaches will want him to lose weight regardless of what position he plays at, but yes, he does have a lot of good natural weight.

Centers have to be agile. Everyone knows they have to be strong blocking 300+ lb d-tackles, but they also have to be quick enough to combo up and get linebackers.

Based on his natural height/weight from what I'm reading, I don't know that he profiles at center. Just not sure he won't have a healthy playing weight in that 320-330 range - a more natural fit at OG. That's just my opinion. I'm sure if he gets an offer and comes here, the coaches will have their own, better-informed opinions. But a guard who understands how to call and set protections isn't a bad thing.

UNT90 · December 5, 2012

Except that lacking a particular muscle type is an uneducated guess. Talent is a projection. But size is size, speed is speed, measurables are measurables. That's why for years we've had to always try and justify our recruits' lacking in the measurables department. That's why the NFL drafts project players. That's why most guys with this guy's size are gone well before we have a shot.

Trust me, we get plenty of undersized guys. We'll always get them, because if they have size, speed, AND talent, they're going to a bigger program than ours. We're always going to have to gamble on some aspect.

And you CAN'T add size to everyone. Not good, meaningful size anyway. Some guys will never develop that frame. Some guys get the size added, and can't actually play with it.

Footwork, agility, and technique can be improved with coaching. Getting D1-sized beef has been more of a problem than anything else for this team.

And Abbe is listed at 6'4", 315 (not far from what he was coming out of high school), so I wouldn't exactly call him undersized, and our defensive line is one of our worst units.

Was thinking of Boutwell, pardon the brain fart. And Boutwell started while prototypical sized Abby (or Cantly) didn't. Why? Boutwell was the better football player.

TCU has made a conference jump to a true BCS league (them and Utah the only have nots to do so) by taking players with speed and agility and packing weight on them for a position change.

Yes, you can tell who has fast twitch muscles by those agility tests you referenced. You compare linemen to linemen in those tests. That is what scouting does. That is why a 350lb JUCO lineman only has offers from FCS schools at this point. If he had that size, was lightening quick, and was crushing players like he did in that 1A video, he wouldn't be taking a visit to UNT. That is just a fact.

But, back to the topic at hand, let's just hope the coaching staff has found a hidden gem, which are rare these days.

Monkeypox · December 5, 2012

Was thinking of Boutwell, pardon the brain fart. And Boutwell started while prototypical sized Abby (or Cantly) didn't. Why? Boutwell was the better football player.

TCU has made a conference jump to a true BCS league (them and Utah the only have nots to do so) by taking players with speed and agility and packing weight on them for a position change.

Yes, you can tell who has fast twitch muscles by those agility tests you referenced. You compare linemen to linemen in those tests. That is what scouting does. That is why a 350lb JUCO lineman only has offers from FCS schools at this point. If he had that size, was lightening quick, and was crushing players like he did in that 1A video, he wouldn't be taking a visit to UNT. That is just a fact.

And what other offers did Boutwell have?

OF COURSE if this guy had both the size and abilities and measurables he needed, he wouldn't even be sniffing us. So would everyone on our roster right now. Welcome to North Texas. That's why I said we'll have to take a gamble on some aspect or another. And we've been building undersized rosters forever, so you'll have plenty of guys to point to for that. What we have not done much of, though, is recruit players of appropriate size.

TCU was beating out Oklahoma and Purdue and BYU and Texas Tech for recruits early on. They had 3 and 4 star recruits in every class since 2002. Even back then, they recruited on another plane from us entirely. And they never had an issue with money. So if you're waiting for us to do it the magical TCU way, you'll be waiting a long time.

UNTLifer · December 5, 2012

This young man is too slow to play OG with the position requiring the player to pull on running plays.

UNT90 · December 5, 2012

And what other offers did Boutwell have?

OF COURSE if this guy had both the size and abilities and measurables he needed, he wouldn't even be sniffing us. So would everyone on our roster right now. Welcome to North Texas. That's why I said we'll have to take a gamble on some aspect or another. And we've been building undersized rosters forever, so you'll have plenty of guys to point to for that. What we have not done much of, though, is recruit players of appropriate size.

TCU was beating out Oklahoma and Purdue and BYU and Texas Tech for recruits early on. They had 3 and 4 star recruits in every class since 2002. Even back then, they recruited on another plane from us entirely. And they never had an issue with money. So if you're waiting for us to do it the magical TCU way, you'll be waiting a long time.

Exactly, and he is starting in front of guys that did have other offers. Kinda making my point, aren't you?

Just a difference of opinion. I'll take small and fast over big and slow any day of the week.

Edited December 5, 2012 by UNT90

Mean Green Matt · December 5, 2012

North Texas: leading the nation in the only FBS offer commits.

If NT were to play the FCS national champion....would anyone bet on NT? Probably not, which is the sad part.

Monkeypox · December 5, 2012

Exactly, and he is starting in front of guys that did have other offers. Kinda making my point, aren't you?

Just a difference of opinion. I'll take small and fast over big and slow any day of the week.

Except what we have had in the past is just small, because if they were fast, they'd be at another school, too.

And you're making my point, since Boutwell never made it to the 275-280lbs they wanted him to play at, proving you can't just add size to any frame. And he spent a 3rd of the season injured. He's starting here at DT because we have zero depth and quality there.

Me, I'll take big and fast and strong and football smart. But we're North Texas taking table scraps. So I've got no problem taking a flyer on a guy with good size and strength. Small school guys get overlooked all the time. And I'm not reading too much into highlight reels from high school.