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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.

http://www.hudl.com/profile/4781172/nikia-jones http://247sports.com/Player/Nikia-Jones-94517 Rated a 3 star by 247 He tweeted he got his first offer back in May from Kansas and did not post anything other than a UNT offer from us yesterday. Interesting

MGB: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2017/02/chalk-talk-texas-san-antonio-at-unt.html/

I absolutely love the road uniforms shown in this photo. IMHO, the green used in these uniforms is hard to beat. Kind of a blend of the old forest green and the new green, whatever it's called.

http://bonesville.net/Mobile/static/2014-15/fb_recruiting_class_of_2015.htm This is a 2015 class that they had.. he is mentioned in 4 different play profiles, will post those as well. JUSTIN BROWN (6-3, 315) DT, Ayden-Grifton ... East Carolina stayed local for its first player in the 2015 football signing class, gaining a commitment from Ayden-Grifton defensive tackle Justin Brown on Sunday, March 9. ... Schools that showed interest included Charlotte, Clemson, Georgia, N.C. State and North Carolina before Brown became the first commitment for the 2015 ECU signing class. ... Brown was primarily recruited by associate head coach John Wiley with assistance from defensive line coach Marc Yellock. ... The Chargers were 7-7 in 2013 after an 0-6 start. ... Ayden-Grifton is coached by Paul Cornwell. ... Brown also played on the offensive line but is projected as a defensive lineman for the Pirates. ... Brown has good hands and moves well for his size. [Listed 03.09.14] DARIUS COMMISSIONG (6-1, 270) DT, Iowa Western Junior College ... Commissiong was initially recruited by Pirates defensive line coach Marc Yellock out of Bishop McNamara High School in the Washington, D.C. area starting in 2011 before he picked Georgia Tech among offers from Boston College, Duke, Iowa, Maryland, N.C. State, North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest and ECU. ... Commissiong was dismissed from the Yellow Jacket program in the summer of 2013 and resumed his career at Iowa Western. ... The Pirates obtained his signature on a national letter on Feb. 26 after he had received offers from Georgia State, Idaho, Iowa State, Louisiana-Monroe, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Southern Miss and Troy. ... Commissiong became the 19th player in the 2015 ECU signing class. ... Iowa Western went 11-1 in 2014 and reached the junior college national championship game. ... Commissiong had 63 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss, earning him second-team all-league honors. ... Should improve ECU's pass rush. ... Must complete his degree work academically at Iowa Western. ... Could be July before he gets to campus in Greenville. ... Likes the genuine quality of the Pirate coaching staff and is looking forward to warmer weather. ... [Listed 03.08.15] ABU KAI KAI (6-2, 250) LB/DE, Kettle Run High School, Nokesville, VA ... Kai Kai made a visit to East Carolina for the Pirates' spring football game on April 12 and soon accepted a scholarship offer. ... Old Dominion also pursued him but Kai Kai liked the football atmosphere at ECU. ... Cougars coach Jeff Lloyd persuaded Kai Kai to play football after seeing his potential in a basketball setting. ... Kai Kai continued to play hoops but emerged as a football standout through his efforts in the weight room, adding about 50 pounds and two inches since his sophomore year. ... Kai Kai holds Kettle Run weight room records in the power clean left (315) and the dead lift (605). ... He has done 335 in the bench press and squatted 545. ... ECU defensive line coach Marc Yellock was Kai Kai's primary recruiter. ... Kettle Run was 7-5 last season. ... Kai Kai made 77 tackles as a junior and had seven sacks in earning first team all conference, All 3-A East Regional and second team all state honors. ... Kai Kai also played tight end although he is projected as a defender for the Pirates with the ability to line up on the front or drop into coverage. ... Kai Kai's teammate, wide receiver/defensive back/kick returner David Eldridge, also is on ECU's recruiting radar. ... Eldridge had 1,463 yards receiving as a junior and has received offers from Boston College, Connecticut, Illinois, Old Dominion and Virginia. .... [Listed 05.01.14] — Was not included on East Carolina's official list of signees as announced on Signing Day, Feb. 4, 2015] EMMANUEL OLENGA (6-4, 241), DE, Charlotte Olympic High School ... The athletic Olenga had offers from Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee among others before committing to ECU on Dec. 22. ... Donnie Kirkpatrick was listed as the primary recruiter with defensive line coach Marc Yellock contributing assistance. ... Olenga runs 40 yards in 4.7 seconds and has bench pressed 280 pounds. ... He has a 2.9 grade point average. ... Olympic is coached by Keith Wilkes. ... The Trojans were 5-7 in 2014 with a 3-4 record in the South Mecklenburg Eight 4-A Conference. ... Olenga was averaging 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in the Trojans 8-1 start for the 2014-15 basketball season. ... He also received offers from Campbell, Charlotte, Miami of Ohio, Old Dominion and Towson. ... Among the programs showing interest were Clemson, Florida State, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Wake Forest. [Listed 12.27.14] [Olenga withdrew his commitment to ECU and pledged to N.C. State on 01.24.15] Seems like a good/great recruiter!

You are so wrong, check your history. Compare the Jones schedule with the ones when NT was in the MVC or the Blakeley era. There is frankly no comparison, because the schedule of the older teams were much more difficult. Elvin Haynes, Oscar Robinson, Mark Aguirre, Larry Kennon, Wes Unseld or a few players that NT faced in those nostalgia times. No the argument is not based on nostalgia, in my case it is based on viewing the teams. However, just look at the history and check how many ranked teams NT beat versus Jones who never came close to achieving that. Look at the competition, Blakeley or Spika didn't play a Sun Beltt schedule and both had much better teams than Jones ever came close to putting on the court.

I don't get all the negativity and debating on whether we should accept him. The kid should be applauded for earning his degree and staying out of trouble. I, for one, would welcome him to UNT, even if it means giving up a scholarship. So he hasn't had a great college career thus far? Guess what? Neither has any of our current class of HS recruits. And, without being too negative myself, this was one of the least impressive recruiting classes I've seen. If he comes to play at UNT and has a big season, that's great. If he comes to play at UNT and stands on the sideline, that's still great. Why? We let a hometown kid come home to UNT and finish out his college football career. And we can use all the UNT ambassadors we can get, in respect to Denton ISD, and other area school districts.

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!