Leaderboard

NT ranked #10 in G5, #44 amongst all bowl division teams. Only CUSA team in the Top 10. UAB and Houston in the others receiving votes, close behind. This was in today's paper. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/08/15/college-football-ucf-army-headline-group-five-power-rankings/1770477001/ Also, LB Hayden Harrison got a promotion....received a scholarship, per Mike Lawrence today. https://meangreensports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=4053 GMG

Nevermind that other coaches are paying attention as well, and can see that NT is paying their coaches well & extending them constantly. So in the event we do lose one or both of them, there will be plenty of quality coaches knocking on the door for an interview because they know NT will pay them!

This is the most likely outcome, so I'll go along with this. HOWEVER, if we beat Cal, SMU and Houston, then it's most likely a 14-0 season. I kind of made the same prediction last year when I was talking to KingDL1 at the first game's tailgating event. I remember saying that if we beat SMU and Arkansas, then we'll go 12-0. He looked at me like I'd had just taken the Lords name in vain in the middle of a revival meeting. I believe he thought that I had jinxed them.........and I probably did. HOWEVER (2) They SHOULD HAVE gone 12-0..........................😠

It has been said that, “lightning never strikes in the same place twice”. The 2020 UNT football recruiting class seems to be an exception to that rule. Mean Green football recruiting has been on fire under head coach Seth Littrell and there appears to be no end in sight. Despite putting together an outstanding recruiting class in 2019 the 2020 UNT class looks even more impressive on paper and is on track to become UNT’s highest rated class yet. The one knock on Littrell - going into his third season as UNT head coach - was that he had not yet shown the ability to dominate in the recruiting game to the same level he had excelled as a coach in every other measure. A valid defense was that Littrell was more concerned about building “culture” than risking the foundation only to land a prospect or two that might have an extra star, or a few more significant offers. Even though the pressure to win starts day one, these early recruiting classes in a coach’s tenure can often have a high level of attrition and cause issues with team chemistry and leadership. UNT was not at the top of recruiting rankings in Littrell’s first few years, he laid a foundation for a roster that has led to 3 consecutive bowl games. And though his recruiting rankings weren’t the highest, they weren’t the lowest either. He was able to show a unique ability to identify prospects that other schools missed out on. He identified all conference talents like Mason Fine, Rico Bussey and Ladarius Hamilton none of whom had the highest ratings or offer lists. The 2019 UNT recruiting class was the turning point. This was the first time in Littrell’s tenure that had them knocking on the number 1 spot in the Conference USA rankings according to 247 Sports. The “UNTamed20” class moniker is keeping on right where “FL19HTCLUB” of 2019 left off. We are a little over 4 months from early signing day and UNT has virtually been atop the recruiting the entire time. Here is a recap of where we stand at the middle point in August. This will be a two-part preview due to there already being 17 commits. The first part will be a breakdown and recap the nine 3-star offensive commits. Quarterback Kade Renfro Height: 6-3.5 Weight: 189 High School: Stephenville Hometown: Stephenville, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/kade-renfro-46080486/ The tall gunslinger from Stephenville is set to have a big senior year. UNT is going to have to work hard to hang on to this kid. He has gained a ton of interest from multiple P5 including Florida State and Ohio State. He has picked up 12 additional offers as his stock keeps climbing at the various elite QB camps. Renfro is solid to UNT and is the creator of the #LeaveALeagacyAtUNT hashtag which has become quite popular on social media. He and Friendswood TE Christian Lee have been two of the best recruiters in the class this cycle and perhaps ever. Renfro is currently the 46 ranked pro style QB according to 247. I will assume if he stays healthy and has the type of senior year, we expect he will move up in the rankings, adding some additional offers along the way. He will be an early December 2019 enrollee and should be in competition to replace Mason Fine next year if he stays committed. UNT Commits Kade Renfro, Loronzo Thompson and Christian Lee Running Back Isaiah Johnson Height: 6-0 Weight: 200 High School: Cooper Hometown: Lubbock, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/isaiah-johnson-46077164/ I get asked a lot who I think the most underrated player in the class is. Well my pick so far this year is Isaiah Johnson. The 6-0 200-pounder can really do it all. He changed schools early in high school which may have put him under the recruiting radar a bit. However, after posting some big numbers in a deep run in the playoffs last year and a big senior season upcoming he will be garnering a lot more attention. We have seen a change in philosophy in North Texas running back recruiting over the last year. The first of Seth’s tenure we saw UNT focus more on short, elusive and shifty backs (Nick Smith, Evan Johnson and Deandre Torrey). This philosophy changed last year with the addition of Oscar Adaway from Arkansas. Part of this could be due to a change in offensive philosophy stemming from struggles in short-yardage situations and on the goal-line. Isaiah is extremely underrated and under recruited for his skill set. I wouldn’t be surprised to see his recruiting take off even more than it already has with a good senior season. The re-emphasis of the tight-end position under OC Bodie Reeder should only help Johnson and the other running backs. UNT has had an extremely good run the last 20 years at the running back position (Jeffery Wilson, Lance Dunbar etc.), and Mr. Johnson could be the next guy in line. Wide Receiver Loronzo Thompson Height: 6-0 Weight: 165 High School: Clear Brook Hometown: Friendswood, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/loronzo-thompson-46056722/ Loronzo was the 6th commitment to the #UNTamed20 class. He committed just 4 days after receiving a North Texas offer. It was just a perfect fit. He racked up 8 additional offers since then including Memphis, Utah and Baylor. In his junior season he accounted for 728 yards from scrimmage and seven offensive touchdowns. Thompson caught 54 passes for 613 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing 27 times for 115 yards and one TD. Loronzo has already been working out with QB commit Kade Renfro and TE commit Christian Lee. It’s always a positive sign to see commits working together and building relationships. Rico Bussey is graduating after this season and there will be a big hole in the WR room that he could fill. Loronzo tape reminds me a lot of Rico’s high school film. Hopefully he can come in and compete as a freshman the way Rico did. Tight End Christian Lee Height: 6-3 Weight: 215 High School: Friendswood Hometown: Friendswood, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/christian-lee-46049788/ Lee was the 4th commit in the UNTamed20 class. He has been described as a swiss army knife and a matchup nightmare for his opponents. He can block like a tight end but also runs routes like a wide receiver. Seth has had great success with tight ends each of his stops in his coaching career leading up to the UNT job. Rob Gronkowski is the main one that comes to mind but there are several other good ones as well. The first three seasons of Seth time at UNT the tight end has been relatively underutilized. This like the size of running backs is changing in 2019 and going forward. Tight Ends will be used early and often in the new offensive scheme under Coach Bodie Reeder. Christian has been the ringleader in terms of recruiting #UNTamed20 and has already established himself as a Mean Green fan favorite. He has been extremely active on social media and a become a key leader for this class. Lee has complied 6 other offers including La Tech and Texas State, with likely more to come. Tight End Jake Roberts Height: 6-4 Weight: 235 High School: Norman North Hometown: Norman, OK 247: https://247sports.com/player/jake-roberts-46082835/ Roberts is the most recent addition to the Mean Green recruiting class on the offensive side of the ball. North Texas was able to flip him away from a prior Tulsa commitment. He is more of a prototypical tight end bringing outstanding size and a big frame with room to get huge. Roberts was a hot commodity, compiling six other impressive offers including Colorado, Memphis and Tulsa. He is already an exceptional blocker and ranked as one of the top players in the entire state of Oklahoma. The fact UNT is bringing in two tight ends in this class is a testament to the fact they plan on using tight ends even more moving forward. Seth - being a native Oklahoman himself - has had terrific success recruiting the Sooner state and we expect that trend to continue with the addition of assistant coach and UNT Hall of Famer Patrick Cobbs who hails from Tecumseh. Offensive Line Erik Williams Position: Tackle Height: 6-5 Weight: 247 High School: Coronado Hometown: Lubbock, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/erik-williams-46084240/ Kade Bond Position: Guard Height: 6-3.5 Weight: 281 High School: Magnolia Hometown: Magnolia, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/kade-bond-46081536/ Jett Duncan Position: Guard Height: 6-2 Weight: 291 High School: The Woodlands Hometown: The Woodlands, TX 247: https://247sports.com/player/jett-duncan-46051142/ Dane Jackson Position: Center Height: 6-0 Weight: 275 High School: Madison Southern Hometown: Berea, KY 247: https://247sports.com/player/dane-jackson-46036595/ The offensive line is arguably the hardest position to recruit in the G5 ranks. Big guys that are physical, have wheels and can carry weight are rare. It takes a warrior’s mindset to deal with the physical demands of life in the trenches. It is a position where you must gauge potential and then develop and nurture. The fact UNT has 4 quality offensive line commits this early in the recruiting game is huge. All four commits are 3 star rated players and have combined for over 12 FBS offers. What’s even more important is all of them are good people, who come from great families and programs. Very few G5 offensive linemen can come in as freshman and play right as you would prefer to give them a redshirt year and put them in the weight room. There are some exceptions to the rule. Manase Mose came in and started from day one but he’s a unique case. For the most part they take time to develop. North Texas is starting to reap those development dividends this year with the progression of tackles Jacob Brammer and Brian Parish. Commitment Erik Williams is a high-upside tackle prospect. Big frame, with room to grow, long wingspan and great feet. This guy could be 6-6, 300 plus before all is said and done. Yet, he is still raw at the position. He split time last year between OT and DE. But with a 6-5 frame and raw athletic ability he has the potential to be very special. North Texas has two guards committed currently in Jett Duncan and Kade Bond. With current seniors Thomas Preston and Elex Woodworth graduating after the season both recruits will have the ability to compete for playing time very early in the process. Guards seem to be able to adjust from High School ball to College ball the quickest. Manase Mose made the quick adjustment and so did Mason Y’Barbo before him. So, it is not out the realm of possibilities to see either come in and play soon. The fourth commit along the offensive line hails from the “Bluegrass” state of Kentucky which is not a state UNT dips into that often. Dane Jackson the lone Kentucky Native and center commit in the class. North Texas has added some Kentucky flavor to the coaching staff since Seth arrived. First was Wide Receiver Coach Tommy Mainord followed by Director of Staff Luke Walerius, and later adding Tommy Mangino this offseason. Dane is the younger brother to Drake Jackson former 4-star recruit and current Kentucky player. With Sosaia Mose graduating after the season there will be an opening at the center position next year and UNT is hoping Jackson can step right in. Stay tuned for part 2 with the defensive commits.

Who are you @Christopher Walker? CPS? You cant take my adopted son away from me if I haven't done anything wrong! I Adopted the Hometown kid last year and I would like to file an official protest to get him back.

Since smuT's return from the death penalty, they lead the series 4-6.

Question for TheReal_jayD In your comments on Dane Jackson you stated that the staff is hoping that he can replace the graduating Sosaia Mose. My question is what position does Daizion Carroll play? I see his senior video and he was the starting center on Midway's state championship runnerup. His blind snaps looked flawless and his running back had many carries up the middle behind his blocks (a number of them pancakes). It would seem to me that he would be the #1 replacement candidate. However, I've also seen him listed as a guard or just offensive lineman. He is about 3" taller and about 35 lbs. heavier than Jackson. Are we considering him as a guard or center?

This is exactly what I’m saying. As far as the trenches go, and this is off the top of my head, but I would say this game has not exactly featured good quarterbacks recently and so it came down to other positions. You could make the case this is the best group of skill position players we’ve ever had in a game against SMU. Take that with a good coaching staff and yeah, I fully expect the green to win or I will be disappointed.

When Ross committed to USC at the U.S. Army All-American game he famously said he would be attending USC "for the next three years." But Ross ended up barely playing early, redshirting in 2015. Last season was his first chance at major playing time, recording 13 tackles, two interceptions and one TD in seven games last season.

I'm not sure you know how Tinder works... I kid, I kid...

Best thing to happen in off season was GH leaving. Not sure where the problem was but we'll see if he is ready for prime time or if he was being held back.

I don’t know about any of their 16 transfers other than Buechelle. I’ve seen him play and he’s damn good. Reads defenses well, quick footed, quick release. What it may come down to is if he’s had enough time to gel with his receivers or not? What we have going for us is SMU cannot rely on last year’s tape and will have a limited time to study our new system. I don’t just want to beat them at Ford,...I want to see a June Jones-style ass whipping there. But that’s just me. Rick

I feel we are going to go to Dallas and pound them. They will raise our profile by playing strong at the end of the year. Show up in Green it’s going to be an awesome Victory on the Hilltop! GMG

Do you think Littrell is better than Dykes? Fine better than what’s his name? If the answer is yes to both, then we should win.

I don't put the collapses totally on our D. It's unfair to tell the defense "ok...go pitch a shut out in every second half" Our offense let us down in those games. We have to keep up the pace on offense. Lean on and trust our Sr Mason Fine and keep putting pressure on their Defense. Play calling has to keep them off balance. we were too predictable in the 2nd half with leads last year. If the D doesn't really know what we're going to do on 4th and 1...it's amazing how much easier it will be to run the ball in those situations.

I am stupid enough to think that every aspect of the game experience was worthy of discussion.

i am looking forward to the season and I love that we can be disappointed with a 9-4 record regardless of our schedule. However I think a lot of these predictions are overlooking the fact that our offensive line and defensive unit are a GIANT question mark and a work in progress at best, don’t kid yourself. We might have more depth at OLine, that doesn’t necessarily mean we are better, that means we have more players at roughly the same ability level (which is still an improvement). - we haven’t proven we can protect Fine or create running lanes with any consistency - we don’t have anyone that can consistently put real pressure on the QB without blitzing - not much depth at DL - question marks at LB Those things don’t normally add up to overachieving or winning games against better teams. We will have a winning record because we have very good skill players for our level on offense, and play some weaker teams in our conference. We are still a few years away from really taking another step up. These better recruiting classes we are landing don’t make an impact for another year or 2. i know I will get lots of downvoted for being realistic, but there it is.

I hope SL learned something from last year and keeps focused on the job at hand.

DRC: https://dentonrc.com/sports/north-texas-open-fall-practice----what-we/article_eed3abb7-fb16-5260-9007-8cb8c55d421f.html

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2019/8/16/20808472/underdog-pawdcast-mean-green-expectations-mason-fines-senior-season-and-more-cusa-c-usa-podcast

https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2019/01/31/north-texas-2018-season-recap-seth-littrell-leads-mean-green-to-special-season?ref=article_preview_title "Biggest surprise: Late-game collapses UNT lost three regular season games during the season. All of them were in shocking fashion, and by a combined 13 points. The first time this phenomenon occurred was against Louisiana Tech. North Texas took a 21-6 lead at the half and seemed on the way to a dominant victory. However, Louisiana Tech scored 23 unanswered points to win. The same happened to UNT against C-USA champion UAB. The Mean Green took a 21-10 lead at the half, and gave up 19 unanswered points. The worst was easily against Old Dominion, when the Mean Green blew a 28-0 lead. North Texas had a very real chance to be 12-0 in 2018. In fact, the Mean Green were the only team in college football to never trail by more than one score throughout the regular season. They probably should have been 12-0. With an experienced quarterback and excellent coaching staff, the inability to finish was perplexing." We almost gave up second half 10 point leads to UTSA and UTEP as well. Do you agree or disagree with any of these points? 1. Run the ball more with the lead. (Loren Easley's injury against La Tech was the turning point of the season going from great to good.) 2. We have a different OC now. Will he be able to make better adjustments at halftime and in the 2nd half than Harrell? We were outcoached and outplayed in these blown leads last year. 3. Just keep slinging it. Don't get too conservative. 4. Unfortunately our defense won't be as good and our leads won't be as big. Thoughts?

I am really starting to hear more chatter nationally about Mason getting drafted. He has 2 things going for him besides his numbers: his accuracy (that has to be the most desired attribute for an NFL QB) and more importantly, the changing NFL. The 6'4" 220 lb Peyton Manning/Troy Aikman clones aren't a prerequisite to get drafted anymore. There is a place in the NFL for Mason Fine.

Minor correction: Manase Mose redshirted his first year here. He is two years younger than Sosaia, who is a redshirt senior now. Sosaia started some games and played back-up to our previous center, whose name escapes me, who forfeited his last year of eligibility during Manase's true freshman season. Edit: the game one starter at center in 2017 was Creighton Barr from Flowermound Marcus HS.

Try Lincoln Park in SF for a much cheaper golf option-Great views.

Because taxis, buses and friends were unavailable prior to Uber?

how about UTSA making an appearance on the list for their showdown with UIW... so genius

Cortland Sutton disagrees

Probably at least 40k.

Fantastic. Yeah, smart to not plan too many things. Go with the flow and see what you bump into. Fort Point is beautiful. You’ll love the view. It’s a little ways from campus (easy uber ride) but some of my favorite bars are on San Pablo Ave. If you have time, do a short crawl there either at the beginning or end of your night. Although all the sausages at Top Dog are great, my favorite thing to order is a hot and a brat (hot link & bratwurst). Being a Texan, you know what great ones taste like and I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. Please let me know and have a great time... other than the game, of course.

Once (if) someone answers your question, then you must remove the question mark and replace it with punctuation of certainty exceeding that of a period, but not greater than that of a single exclamation point.

Cal fan here. While our LB unit is good, our DB’s are elite. Phil Steele ranks our defensive backfield as the 2nd best in the country, behind only LSU’s. Mason Fine should test them. He’s a very good QB. Best of luck to you. I look forward to the game.

probably kept you from that NBA dream.

I think Baylor uses either dark green or black for their warm weather uni's. From the 2018 Duke game.

The new Director of the Green Brigade. https://music.unt.edu/faculty-and-staff/daniel-cook

How about wearing the uniform of the band like every other band in America does?

Jack Fields Americas high school

I saw Jerod Douglas of Converse Judson for three years. He was the most amazing RB I've ever seen. He was a mix between Barry Sanders and LT. He went to Baylor and had a decent career, but I don't know what happened to him.

UNT will visit UTA on Monday, December 2nd. https://utamavs.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball

I like the idea of having players educated on how fundraising works and how it benefits the program but requiring players to pay is really strange. I wonder if that is even legal?

I need an updated IPF picture fix. Now!

Over on the UH board we're laughing at the fact that DCTF had the nerve to put that. We're going to run UNT off the field and have the backups in the game by the 3rd quarter.

I don’t know...... I’ve read a lot of Rob’s posts over the years.... 🙂

Why would calling people who are committing crimes criminals be racist? If people were peacefully protesting injustice and he called them criminals and thugs...like say Trump did with the NFL players, that would be different.

Lol - Dennis Prager...

This post makes me happy. It means a new generation of green bloods is growing. Rick