DRC: Anthony Johnson talks about committing to UNT

[Brett Vito]

DRC: Magnolia coach believes running back will see stock soar this spring

http://beta.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/04/04/magnolia-running-back-anthony-johnson-coach-talk-commitment-unt

Edited April 4, 2017 by Brett Vito

[MeanGreen_MBA]

Ahead of the curve. I like to hear that about our recruiting. 

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

Am I seeing this wrong, or are all three of our 2018 commits holding FBS offers only from us?  Looks like this kid had an offer from FCS McNeese State. 

No offers listed for the other two.

How is this recruiting different effort that Dodge/McCarney?  Is it just that we are getting "no other offer" players earlier in the process?  Are we supposed to default to "this is like Dickey's stealth recruiting?"

Edited April 5, 2017 by MeanGreenMailbox

[greenminer]

30 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Am I seeing this wrong, or are all three of our 2018 commits holding FBS offers only from us?  Looks like this kid had an offer from FCS McNeese State. 

No offers listed for the other two.

How is this recruiting different effort that Dodge/McCarney?  Is it just that we are getting "no other offer" players earlier in the process?  Are we supposed to default to "this is like Dickey's stealth recruiting?"

There are a hundred other discussions about this.  you want one more?

ETA: I'm concerned about recruiting too.  I would like to see what Litrell can recruit with a successful season (7+ wins/bowl win).

We've seen so many coaches not recruit us at a championship level since the NO Bowl era.  At least, not consistently.  It gets tough to stomach when you watch what Wilson is doing in San Antonio.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

2 hours ago, greenminer said:

There are a hundred other discussions about this.  you want one more?

ETA: I'm concerned about recruiting too.  I would like to see what Litrell can recruit with a successful season (7+ wins/bowl win).

We've seen so many coaches not recruit us at a championship level since the NO Bowl era.  At least, not consistently.  It gets tough to stomach when you watch what Wilson is doing in San Antonio.

164% agree.  And, to that awful campus. 

[untjim1995]

3 hours ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Am I seeing this wrong, or are all three of our 2018 commits holding FBS offers only from us?  Looks like this kid had an offer from FCS McNeese State. 

No offers listed for the other two.

How is this recruiting different effort that Dodge/McCarney?  Is it just that we are getting "no other offer" players earlier in the process?  Are we supposed to default to "this is like Dickey's stealth recruiting?"

It isn't like Dodge's recruiting classes--he got legit FBS talent for offensive skill positions.

Dickey, McCarney, and now Littrell all appear to be hammered by the UNT Apathy/Loser monster that exists with TX HS Coaches and Parents. Decades of not caring, caring very little, and now caring some, have combined to cause this. Only Dodge, because of his SLC run and reputation, was able to recruit better than anyone else here. HE just couldn't coach that talent at all, much less how to run a defense at this level.

Seth Littrell has one option here--follow the Johnny Jones plan of coaching up what you can get and opening the doors to football players that want to transfer back near home, then start winning and opening up the door to get solid TX HS recruits to listen to you. Right now, Littrell doesn't have the pedigree or reputation to even sway these TX HS Coaches and parents because of the program's history. If he can fix that, while also winning here, he will have his choice of Power Conference head coaching jobs at his feet. If not, he will have his choice of assistant coaching jobs at his feet. Its that simple.

Frank Wilson is selling kids on the idea that they are on the ground floor at a school who wants to win at football, will bring in legitimate competition that these kids and their families have heard of in OOC play, and will play in a city that is showing support for them. And these TX HS coaches know him from his LSU days, so he can get their attention pretty easily. Littrell cannot do that because he cannot offer these recruits what Wilson can offer. Now, if UTSA falls flat on their face, while we keep progressing upward, that can change. But the fact is that TX HS Coaches know two things about UNT Football--we dropped down to I-aa for a long time and when we moved up, we lost a lot of games to teams that their kids have heard of and followed in their lifetime. UTSA doesn't have that problem--yet. If the losing part comes into vogue for awhile, and we can start winning significantly, that might do the trick. But for now, recruiting here is just a tough gig because of our reputation. Its gonna take a coach, hopefully Littrell, to change this by winning big, but he's gotta do it with low-rated HS recruits, JUCO kids, and transfers until these TX HS coaches and parents will change their views on us.

[forevereagle]

Yep, this class is going to be awful based on three committed players extremely early in cycle. Maybe next year?

[Aldo]

1 minute ago, forevereagle said:

Yep, this class is going to be awful based on three committed players extremely early in cycle. Maybe next year?

Pack it up. Let's go home.

[Aldo]

4 hours ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Am I seeing this wrong, or are all three of our 2018 commits holding FBS offers only from us?  Looks like this kid had an offer from FCS McNeese State. 

No offers listed for the other two.

How is this recruiting different effort that Dodge/McCarney?  Is it just that we are getting "no other offer" players earlier in the process?  Are we supposed to default to "this is like Dickey's stealth recruiting?"

I know a zero is difficult to swallow in terms of offers but I like these numbers:

Past two seasons:

• 28 rushing TDs
• 7 receiving TDs
• 2483 rush yards on 314 carries (7.9 ypc)
• 581 rec yards on 33 rec (17.6 y/rec)

So over 3,000 yards and 35 TDs as a soph and junior sounds good to me. Excited to see what he does next year.

(also look at his video)

[outoftown]

4 hours ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Am I seeing this wrong, or are all three of our 2018 commits holding FBS offers only from us?  Looks like this kid had an offer from FCS McNeese State. 

No offers listed for the other two.

How is this recruiting different effort that Dodge/McCarney?  Is it just that we are getting "no other offer" players earlier in the process?  Are we supposed to default to "this is like Dickey's stealth recruiting?"

No, you are not seeing that wrong, but it is pretty meaningless this early in the cycle, when most schools have not yet given out many schollies. In fact commiting this early is a good sign even by 0-offer players, as it means that they commit when they know there is a good chance other schools might otherwise be more likely to offer in the 10 months between now and signing day. Moreover, this early we are unlikely to offer a lot of "back-up options" (why would we?) but mostly players we really think are likely producers at a C-USA level. We would have plenty of time to look for backup options later, so I am really not worried about their offer sheet 10 months aheead. On top of that 247 has them all rated as 3* or very high 2*. At this point in time this may be more meaningful. Half of C-USA has not gotten any commitments yet.

Edited April 5, 2017 by outoftown

[UNTLifer]

I would be comfortable  betting that Johnson and Carroll will be elevated to 3 stars if they are evaulated at the end of their senior season and produce as they have in the past.  The haters are going to hate before they ever set foot on  campus.

[BillySee58]

9 hours ago, greenminer said:

ETA: I'm concerned about recruiting too.  I would like to see what Litrell can recruit with a successful season (7+ wins/bowl win).

I've said it before, but from all the recruiting that I have followed, the coaches who are good at recruiting start pulling in impressive recruits before they start winning.

Chad Morris, Frank Wilson, Willie Taggart, PJ Fleck, Butch Jones, etc. all started pulling big-time (by their schools' standards) recruits before they ever coached games at their schools, and before they ever had winning seasons. All taking over for fired coaches (not inheriting winning programs). 

Personally, I think I've seen enough of Littrell to come to the conclusion that I don't expect him to turn any heads or make significant splashes in recruiting here. Big turnaround, bowl season and he closes our recruiting class with nothing but players with no other active FBS offers down the stretch. And before that he didn't capitalize on the newness of taking being freshly hired the way the guys mentioned above did.

Guys who commit in March and April are not the commits who should really raise any red flags when it comes to offer lists (or lack thereof). I do think it is a good sign to see the staff able to get kids to buy what their selling so early on. But there's still no evidence that Littrell and his staff are capable of winning recruiting battles of significance with any regularity.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Welcome aboard, Anthony!

[outoftown]

25 minutes ago, BillySee58 said:

I've said it before, but from all the recruiting that I have followed, the coaches who are good at recruiting start pulling in impressive recruits before they start winning.

Chad Morris, Frank Wilson, Willie Taggart, PJ Fleck, Butch Jones, etc. all started pulling big-time (by their schools' standards) recruits before they ever coached games at their schools, and before they ever had winning seasons. All taking over for fired coaches (not inheriting winning programs). 

Personally, I think I've seen enough of Littrell to come to the conclusion that I don't expect him to turn any heads or make significant splashes in recruiting here. Big turnaround, bowl season and he closes our recruiting class with nothing but players with no other active FBS offers down the stretch. And before that he didn't capitalize on the newness of taking being freshly hired the way the guys mentioned above did.

Guys who commit in March and April are not the commits who should really raise any red flags when it comes to offer lists (or lack thereof). I do think it is a good sign to see the staff able to get kids to buy what their selling so early on. But there's still no evidence that Littrell and his staff are capable of winning recruiting battles of significance with any regularity.

Sadlly, for the outlined reasons, the "SL will never blow us away in recruiting" is an argument I agree with. That said, I do still hope that it will get at least somewhat better (more Patterson at TCU style), and I would say that the current start is at least not a bad sign in the sense that if we build the class early, the coaches can focus on putting high 3* recruits into play at the end instead of desperately trying to fill the class with academic risks and middle to low 2* at the end just because the class will otherwise not be full.

[untjim1995]

1 hour ago, BillySee58 said:

I've said it before, but from all the recruiting that I have followed, the coaches who are good at recruiting start pulling in impressive recruits before they start winning.

Chad Morris, Frank Wilson, Willie Taggart, PJ Fleck, Butch Jones, etc. all started pulling big-time (by their schools' standards) recruits before they ever coached games at their schools, and before they ever had winning seasons. All taking over for fired coaches (not inheriting winning programs). 

Personally, I think I've seen enough of Littrell to come to the conclusion that I don't expect him to turn any heads or make significant splashes in recruiting here. Big turnaround, bowl season and he closes our recruiting class with nothing but players with no other active FBS offers down the stretch. And before that he didn't capitalize on the newness of taking being freshly hired the way the guys mentioned above did.

Guys who commit in March and April are not the commits who should really raise any red flags when it comes to offer lists (or lack thereof). I do think it is a good sign to see the staff able to get kids to buy what their selling so early on. But there's still no evidence that Littrell and his staff are capable of winning recruiting battles of significance with any regularity.

So we can't seem to ever hire coaches that can recruit here? Or is it just maybe that we hire coaches who realize that they cannot get recruits to listen or consider us as a last FBS resort? I mean, we have been at this level of play now for over 22 years and nothing really changes in our recruiting rankings. Hire different coaches, Get a new conference, go to bowls, move into a new stadium, change the offensive schemes, etc...and nothing ever changes with our recruiting rankings. At some point, you have to at least ponder the question of how our program never makes decent leaps in recruiting, even against other G5s. 

We broke McCarney down after he had seen three years of significant rebuilding culminate in a 9-win, HoD Bowl victory season provide exactly zero with TX HS recruits and their coaches and parents. The guy went from Uber positive ever where he went about UNT, to being Darrell Dickey 2.0 by the time his 4th season here was in full swing. Maybe Littrell will get better as a recruiter, along with his staff, but he's gotta beat decades of apathy and negativity to fully turn this around to where it was back in the late 70s.

[UNTLifer]

How about welcoming Mr. Johnson to North Texas and settjng aside another thread to bitch about recruiting.  I can just see Anthony fresh off his committment being excited to show his friends and teammates.  He Googles his name and runs across this thread complaining about our staff's inability to recruit good players.  Bet that makes him feel good.

[El Paso Eagle]

10 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

How about welcoming Mr. Johnson to North Texas and settjng aside another thread to bitch about recruiting.  I can just see Anthony fresh off his committment being excited to show his friends and teammates.  He Googles his name and runs across this thread complaining about our staff's inability to recruit good players.  Bet that makes him feel good.

 

But if this happens how can all of the "I know more that SL" people show how much they know?. I agree everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes it seems there are those who will never give credit to the work being done.

One more thing, maybe some of these people with the knowledge can try to help explain why UNT is so low on the radar for so many people in Texas and having such a hard time build the trust/respect of High School Coaches. 

 

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

20 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

It isn't like Dodge's recruiting classes--he got legit FBS talent for offensive skill positions.

Dickey, McCarney, and now Littrell all appear to be hammered by the UNT Apathy/Loser monster that exists with TX HS Coaches and Parents. Decades of not caring, caring very little, and now caring some, have combined to cause this. Only Dodge, because of his SLC run and reputation, was able to recruit better than anyone else here. HE just couldn't coach that talent at all, much less how to run a defense at this level.

Seth Littrell has one option here--follow the Johnny Jones plan of coaching up what you can get and opening the doors to football players that want to transfer back near home, then start winning and opening up the door to get solid TX HS recruits to listen to you. Right now, Littrell doesn't have the pedigree or reputation to even sway these TX HS Coaches and parents because of the program's history. If he can fix that, while also winning here, he will have his choice of Power Conference head coaching jobs at his feet. If not, he will have his choice of assistant coaching jobs at his feet. Its that simple.

Frank Wilson is selling kids on the idea that they are on the ground floor at a school who wants to win at football, will bring in legitimate competition that these kids and their families have heard of in OOC play, and will play in a city that is showing support for them. And these TX HS coaches know him from his LSU days, so he can get their attention pretty easily. Littrell cannot do that because he cannot offer these recruits what Wilson can offer. Now, if UTSA falls flat on their face, while we keep progressing upward, that can change. But the fact is that TX HS Coaches know two things about UNT Football--we dropped down to I-aa for a long time and when we moved up, we lost a lot of games to teams that their kids have heard of and followed in their lifetime. UTSA doesn't have that problem--yet. If the losing part comes into vogue for awhile, and we can start winning significantly, that might do the trick. But for now, recruiting here is just a tough gig because of our reputation. Its gonna take a coach, hopefully Littrell, to change this by winning big, but he's gotta do it with low-rated HS recruits, JUCO kids, and transfers until these TX HS coaches and parents will change their views on us.

Agree 197%, if not more.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

15 hours ago, BillySee58 said:

I've said it before, but from all the recruiting that I have followed, the coaches who are good at recruiting start pulling in impressive recruits before they start winning.

Chad Morris, Frank Wilson, Willie Taggart, PJ Fleck, Butch Jones, etc. all started pulling big-time (by their schools' standards) recruits before they ever coached games at their schools, and before they ever had winning seasons. All taking over for fired coaches (not inheriting winning programs). 

Personally, I think I've seen enough of Littrell to come to the conclusion that I don't expect him to turn any heads or make significant splashes in recruiting here. Big turnaround, bowl season and he closes our recruiting class with nothing but players with no other active FBS offers down the stretch. And before that he didn't capitalize on the newness of taking being freshly hired the way the guys mentioned above did.

Guys who commit in March and April are not the commits who should really raise any red flags when it comes to offer lists (or lack thereof). I do think it is a good sign to see the staff able to get kids to buy what their selling so early on. But there's still no evidence that Littrell and his staff are capable of winning recruiting battles of significance with any regularity.

Agree.  Littrell's a nice guy and football smart.  Played for and coached with some of the best; and will coach his entire life at this level or P5(4) because of it.

However, after hearing him a few times in person now, he's just not a "rah-rah" guy, okay?  And, you can't fake that.  He does not have the combination of football smarts and personality that sells you - or, recruits - immediately.  

Because of that, he really needs some top notch assistants when it comes to recruiting.  Going into signing class #3, it just doesn't seem like that is there either.  

I pretty much despise UTSA, but you can't look at what is happening down there and just ignore it.  If they f*cking kick our butts again this year on the field, they will surely keep kicking it off the field as well.

Does is suck that we are comparing ourselves to a new program?  Yes, it does.  But, that is where we find ourselves - losing the battles against them at seemingly every football turn. 

Sadly, I'd say we are not even battling them anymore in recruiting.  Sadly, I say, because all four of their current commitments for 2018 are three-star rated; and three have multiple FBS offers.  Yes, I believe they have moved a notch ahead of us - and, have done so very rapidly...and, yes, IPF bangers, even with a stark lack of decent, on-campus athletic facilities.

And, don't take any of this as a knock on our recruits, who are "good" high school players.  The hard facts are what they are: we are getting our butts beat in recruiting.  That's not on the recruits; that's on the coaching staff.  If you have only one FBS offer - or, one offer of any kind - of course you are going to take it. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by MeanGreenMailbox

[Withers940]

13 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

How about welcoming Mr. Johnson to North Texas and settjng aside another thread to bitch about recruiting.  I can just see Anthony fresh off his committment being excited to show his friends and teammates.  He Googles his name and runs across this thread complaining about our staff's inability to recruit good players.  Bet that makes him feel good.

Im with you Lifer, I actually like this pick up. I might be wrong but he didn't play a full season his JR year right? Kid can run, slip through tackles and catch the ball down field and I like his potential at the next level in this offense.

 

Also, its April and there isnt an early signing period in July yet right?

[TheReal_jayD]

Davian Ford has 0 offers until December of his senior year. I bet everyone wish he ended up here. We are 10 months away from signing day. Alot can happen in 10 months. People need to relax. Hell Seth might be at a P5 by then. Congratulate the kid and move on. If you want to bitch about recruiting start another thread to go along with the other 30 threads about it. Because I know for a fact recuits come to this site and read the threads about them. And it don't help the coaches recruiting. 

[hickoryhouse]

I say welcome aboard Mr. Johnson!   I am stoked to have an elusive back who can catch coming into this offence.   Moving a back out into the slot where he can do some damage seems to be a big part of the scheme here and this young man fits that bill.   I am looking forward to following his senior year and seeing just how dangerous of a weapon he can become!

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

Aldo,

I like you because you are one of the smarter poster.  But, this is against high school competition.  Coaches and coaching staffs begin recruiting some of these kids during camps in junior high and early in their high school careers.
 

I could also argue that these ratings are based upon their high school production and perceived potential at the next level.  Same argument every year.  Welcome to Denton Anthony.  Please note that a couple posters always complain, but 99% of us are extremely please you chose North Texas.