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I think a larger budget for assistants needs to happen. I don't want us to get too excited about Littrell and start giving him a raise and end up with an albatross of a salary like Mac.

I think any time that you follow a one-win season (that included a blow-out loss to Portland State) with a five-win season, you can call that a "highly successful" season. Kinda off topic, but does anyone else think that college football is out of control when the linebacker coach gets paid more than many professors, the defensive coordinator gets paid more than some deans, and the head coach is the highest paid public employee in the state?

It's just as obscene with the big boys. These are, for the most part, state universities. No coach, even at UT or TAMU, should be paid ten times what a tenured professor in business, physics, or engineering is paid. Athletics are a valuable part of the university experience but are not the university's reason for being. You're right about the probable course of affairs in college athletics. I would hope that that 'second tier' would end up being more compelling than the semi=pro first tier. College athletics should be for student athletes. Students who play for their college and for the love of the game. Screw the Alabamas & Oklahomas, and the athletes who skip their last college game to avoid an injury that might compromise their draft position. Rant over.

Does that mean they are thinking about upping it or prolonging it already? It was a decent improvement this season, but given the recruiting that seems a bit early. I would much rather they discuss the contract of Benfords successor. On the other hand, I am happy the track thing seems to be moving along.

The women win! Win streak now at 5! The girls are definitely closers (exactly what the boys are missing)! That was the third OT road win of the year.

Maybe they are upping Littrell's salary to what it was supposed to be before he took a pay cut to get better assistants.

At the men's game on Thursday I was approached by the head of concessions. He introduced himself and, unsolicited, asked me to notify him if there was anything that could be improved...food or service. That isn't big like breaking ground on a baseball stadium, but it's a clear indication that this new regime wants to listen. I have seen multiple small steps just like this. I truly believe that Wren understands the things that RV never could, namely that athletic events are an EXPERIENCE. Winning and losing makes all the difference in the world to the die hards, but everyone who buys a ticket wants a good experience. It's why people like Mark Cuban (even when Dallas wasn't very good) pumped games full of giveaways, contests and entertainment...until you're winning sell the experience, after you're winning sell the team.

I hope Baker is not going to make the same mistake, RV made with the McCarney contract. McCarney had one good year and got a big contract boost despite not showing any ability to recruit. Littrell's first year was very promising based on the mess he inherited. However, if you look at the details; who NT beat and how non-competitive they were in many of the games; everyone should know NT has a long way to go. I hope Baker waits until a pattern of success is established before making a significantly bigger financial commitment.

I like this one. He was Ruffin's DL coach and Ruffin knows the DL.

People steal ATMs from Rudy's. They steal whole briskets from Bet The House. Feel free to draw your own conclusion...

This is a fantastic hire. Many ECU fans I know loved that guy.

The bolded part and maybe a bump on recruiting money are the only thing I currently really would like to see. I do think it is too early to extend, but getting him more resources to actually succeed could only be good.

Welcome aboard Coach Yellock.

Bring these Back!

MGB: Discussion of budget and scope of new track venue also on agenda http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2017/02/unt-regents-to-discuss-littrells-contract.html/

Considering he came in right before the beginning of the new fiscal year (Sept 1 to Aug 31) there's only so much maneuvering Wren can do with the budget. That right there limits him on being able to make a "splash" impact. There are some small changes that have been made. I expect more changes with the start of the next football season. You might see about scheduling a phone call or a meeting with Wren to see if anything has been done in regards to the report since it was released.

I don't profess any knowledge of how football contracts should go. He has already been given a $35K handshake after the bowl game, per Vito's research. I suspect a one-year contract extension, a percentage bump on the base, or perhaps extra perks not already provided. It is also possible they would grant him a bigger budget for assistants and/or staff. Just SWAG.

man. you grown. you gotta proofread, brah.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the color/lighting profile on this image is darker than it should be. @TheWestie can confirm.

what does it matter anymore. WB wasted this year dithering and evaluating, might as let the dumpster fire finish off now, just do not complain when the crowds do not return for the next year even with a new coach. UNT Administration showed they were absolutely fine with letting Benford completely destroy MBB.

The men are leading by 5 at the half. The women just put in a buzzer beater 3 to get it to overtime and try to put their winning streak to 5

Good win for the men. Glad they finally stepped on somebodies throat when they were in the lead. Not sure what would have happened had it gotten close in the end, but I would not have been too optimistic.

Great half time recognition for the 2007 sun belt championship team. There are a good chunk of fans at the pit and we are leading. The team alwaysmpkay better with a lot of fans. It was interesting to see some of the videos of the 2007 run and see the pit less full than it is now though. Hopefully we can hold on to the lead considering we are a horrible second half team. Maybe it's a good sign that it looked like Todd Shelton was making some calls out of the tunnel with the team. Maybe they decided Benford should not lead he half time pep talk haha

Perry must have been hired at Nevada, he's tweeting out a lot of Wolf Pack stuff.

NT lost 3 coaches to P5's, NT is not going to raise staff pay enough to counter this or should they even attempt to. Losing coaches is just part of the job at the G5 level. NT got hit hard, but it's not like NT is getting raided by peer programs.

I remember fun.

This could be the game that ends the chances of making the conference tournament. If Southern Miss and FAU both win and the Mean Green loses, there aren't enough games left in the schedule to overcome the difference.

Good news. Anytime we are able to allocate more financial resources toward the program it's helpful. This could include, but not be limited to: coaching salary pool, support or administrative salary pool, strength staff pool, operational budget increase (equipment, nutrition, training, etc.), etc. It's great seeing this being discussed by the BoR.

FIFY

Only at NT would the beat reporter call a five win season "highly successful"

I like the way Seth has refilled the staff!

Ever seen varsity blues?

SMU receiving the death penalty...again

Like the hire. Welcome to Denton and UNT Coach Yellock.

So basically: I'm just glad he's alive, let alone able to play football!

Similar to the smash n grab jobs from the coaches we've hired?

Awesome. Why is this topic here?

Only clue found at the scene was an extra large suit. Appears to be unworn.

This game again shows, that there is talent and the team isn-t actually as bad as the record. If it had a coach that knew how to teach it how to finish, win in tight situations and close out teams, it could actually have a decentish record.

DD recruited better than those that came after him but lets not act like he was a good recruiter. He just sucked the least.

So we have now hired Ruffin McNeill's OL coach, Brad Davis, and his DL cooach, Marc Yellock. McNeill was at TTech during the reign of the Pirate and was there while Littrell was in Lubuttocks. It appears Littrell thinks a lot of what McNeill has to say.

http://247sports.com/Coach/Marc-Yellock-596 http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2017/02/source-unt-to-hire-marc-yellock-as-new-dl-coach.html/ ECU Bio: Marc Yellock, a four-year East Carolina letterman, is in his sixth season of his second tour of action with the Pirate coaching staff. Yellock, who officially joined head coach Ruffin McNeill's staff on Feb. 2, 2010, added to his responsibilities a year later with oversight of the entire defensive line in ECU's newly-implemented 3-4 package after serving as ends coach during his initial campaign. Many credited Yellock for his notable development and patience with the program's youngest unit in 2010 as the Pirates featured three freshmen and a sophomore on the depth chart for the majority of the season. A year later, he guided nose tackle Michael Brooks to a 55-tackle effort during the 2011 campaign - the most among all Pirate linemen. Brooks, who later would go on to earn a roster position and Super Bowl Championship ring with the Seattle Seahawks, also led the entire unit with 5.5 hits for lost yardage to help Yellock's line played an integral role in a defensive turnaround that enabled the Pirates to improve 64 places on the FBS total defense rankings (allowing 102.5 fewer yards per game in comparison to the previous year). Brooks and Lee Pegues, who both earned All-Conference USA honors as ends, anchored Yellock's line in 2012. The duo, along with nose tackles Terry Williams and Terrell Stanley, combined to tally 149 stops and 17.5 TFLs to lead a rush defense that rated among the top four in the league. In addition to helping spearhead another stellar run-stopping effort that improved to a No. 13 national rank during the 2013 season, Yellock's unit was also instrumental in netting a similar No. 13 standing among all FBS programs with 2.9 sacks per game. Pegues, Stanley, who moved to an end position, and nose tackle Chrishon Rose were selected to the all-league team, while rookie Demetri McGill was included on C-USA's All-Freshman squad. Although armed with a pretty formidable inside attack in 2014 before heading into the American Athletic Conference, Yellock had to identify and cultivate an end to replace Stanley who sat out the season after suffering critical injuries in an auto accident during the winter. Yellock creatively utilized Rose, McGill, Johnathon White, Fred Presley and Terry Biles on both sides to give the Pirates both a solid pass rush and perimeter-sealing run defense that ranked 13th nationally (111.8 ypg). Williams, a senior who consistently disrupted opponent offensive lines with 34 stops and 7.5 TFLs, became the first ECU lineman to earn First-Team All-American Athletic Conference honors. In all, Yellock's unit combined for 27.5 tackles for lost yardage -- nearly 40 percent of the Pirates' total. Yellock has also provided exemplary off-the-field academic leadership as end Matt Milner became the first Academic All-America selection in the history of the Pirate football program in 2011 before following as a repeat choice a season later. Before accepting the position as Elon's defensive line coach in 2006 where he helped guide the Phoenix to a Top 10 national ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) final polls for the first time in school history, he spent two seasons as a defensive staff assistant under coaches John Thompson and Skip Holtz at ECU in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Yellock's efforts at Elon played a key role in the Phoenix' rise to new heights in their 11-year Division I history, culminating with No. 9 standing in The Sports Network poll after a 9-3 campaign in 2009 that included an at-large selection into the FCS playoffs - also a first in program history. Two of Yellock's linemen - Andre Campbell and Eric Ludwig - earned First-Team All-Southern Conference accolades in 2009 and the pair were a key factor for an Elon unit that stood 11th nationally in total defense and 15th against the rush. Yellock, 37, gained additional experience during the summer of 2009, completing an internship with the New Orleans Saints where he worked with the organization's defensive line and special teams unit. During his four-year playing career at East Carolina which began in 1997 under Steve Logan, Yellock experienced action in 26 games and made 18 starts and was part of Pirate teams that advanced to a pair of bowl games in 1999 (Mobile Bowl) and 2000 (galleryfurniture.com). After earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry from ECU in 2000, Yellock worked two years at Metric, Inc. of Greenville, serving as a lab analyst for one year and as an analytical chemist for one year before returning to football as a linebackers coach at J.H. Rose High School in 2002. He followed his one-year prep stint by joining the Pirate staff as a video intern in 2003 before being elevated to a staff assistant's position a year later. Yellock (eight-year-old twins Hunter and Taylor) and wife Rashida (Ariel/9 and Chloe/8) welcomed Sage to their new family in February.

Can a coach ask a player such as in this case, to come for a visit and during the visit ask the player to "run out for a few passes" or whatever, before offering a scholarship? (don't laugh, I really don't know!)

oh. bits. how I miss you.

I don't see the problem with this at all! In fact I am a bit excited about this development and hope he can get onto campus! http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/125421/ellis-jefferson The kid has great size, 6'4", and speed, 4.5 40 coming out of high school (as a 3* recruit) and was noted for his hands and ability to catch in traffic. Both things that we need. He was highly recruited, even UNT offered him! He has shown that he can finish what he started by graduated college in a respectable amount of time, and his leadership and example could be good for the youngsters and the rest of the team. We don't exactly have a slew of experienced receivers on this team and I don't see where people can think that something like this is a bad thing. We constantly bitch about the city not supporting the team and then when something like this shows up we find a way to make it a bad thing... How do we do that!!!??? Talented player, local product with family friends and fans in the city.... He has the potential to bring the local crowd to Apogee exposing our product to new people who have ignored us. what is there to bitch about?!?!?!? He even has a highly talented brother coming down the pipe! All things that we should be excited about, all things that we have been clamoring for! Ye, somehow we find a way to make this a bad thing... unbelievable. I for one say bring him on!

win the ncaa title, then i might keep him for another year.