Mean Green football welcomes 19 new faces on National Signing Day

Skipper · February 4, 2016

Reece Waddell | Senior Staff Writer

Nineteen signees were a part of the 2016 North Texas recruiting class when the faxes started coming in on Wednesday morning. Headlined by graduate quarterback Alec Morris and redshirt freshman defensive tackle Bryce English, the Mean Green picked up nine offensive and 10 defensive players when the dust settled.

Since his hire in December, head coach Seth Littrell and his staff have hit the road hard, looking for recruits at the high school, junior college and collegiate levels. Littrell has taken it upon himself to rebrand the team, including starting a new Twitter page, #UNTouchable, and coining the phrase #SoarWithTheMeanGreen, in hopes of turning the program around.

“In talking with everyone, they see the brand and they see the vision,” Littrell said. “You drive down I-35, and you see this stadium. It’s an unbelievable place, and there is a lot to talk about.”

Senior transfer quarterback Alec Morris stands for a portrait at Apogee Stadium. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

Littrell’s vision is one Morris and English admired when considering UNT as a school to transfer to. For English especially, it was the selling point to why he chose to suit up for the Mean Green.

“Coach Littrell, everyone, they just had a big vision of turning this program around,” English said. “The culture, the atmosphere, everything. They’re making it all about UNT football.”

Along with Morris and English, Littrell and his staff managed to recruit three high school wide receivers: Rico Bussey Jr., Deion Griffin and Tyler Wilson. With wide receivers playing a large role in Littrell’s spread offensive scheme, improving depth at the position was one of Littrell’s many goals.

New offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, an air raid disciple of Mike Leach during his playing career at Texas Tech University, is excited to implement the spread offense at North Texas. Nevertheless, he anticipates a few obstacles along the way.

“The way you practice and the way you do everything is going to be totally different,” Harrell said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but the thing about what we’re going to do is we’re going to keep it simple. We’re not going to make it complicated for the guys. We don’t want them thinking, we just want them playing and reacting.”

Another recruit the Mean Green picked up was quarterback Mason Fine from Locust Grove, Oklahoma. A two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year, Fine came to North Texas despite an offer to walk-on at the University of Oklahoma.

Although Fine will only be a freshman in the fall, Littrell was adamant Fine would compete for the starting quarterback job with Morris and incumbent starter DaMarcus Smith.

“I tell every one of these guys, no one is guaranteed anything when they come here,” Littrell said. “You’re going to have to earn everything you get on the field. So for me to sit here and say which individuals have the better opportunity, I don’t know. We’ll find out when they get here. Whoever the best guys are will play.”

Redshirt freshman transfer Bryce English stands for a portrait at Apogee Stadium. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

Morris, a two-time national champion with the Crimson Tide, agreed with his coach.

“No position is ever guaranteed in this game,” Morris said. “If someone is better than somebody, they should be playing. No questions asked.”

At Alabama, Morris primarily saw action in a pro-style offense, which is more centered around a run game and balanced passing attack. So when the idea of leading an offense that throws the ball almost exclusively came about, Morris jumped at the opportunity.

“I think any quarterback would be really excited to jump into this kind of system,” Morris said. “The opportunity to throw the ball, however many times a game, is something that no quarterback is not going to like.”

North Texas has 212 days to prepare for its first game of the 2016 season—a clash with rival Southern Methodist University at Apogee Stadium. And while the first snap is months away, Littrell is confident the team is already on the right track.

“I feel like we have laid a great foundation with this class,” Littrell said. “We have addressed some immediate needs at certain positions, and we look forward to developing all of these guys to get our program to where we want it to be.”

Featured Image: Head Coach Seth Littrell answers questions during a press conference on National Signing Day. Colin Mitchell | Senior Staff Photographer

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