Harry

Cooley - thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot about Collins. I am pretty sure that I hear he is around 6-4, 280? He is big and they think he might be the answer at defensive tackle. They like him alot. for those that aren't familiar, Seneca Collins originally signed with Tulsa as a basketball player out of Duncanville high school. He transferred to UNT football last year but had to sit out a year due to I-A transfer rules. I think he will have only 1-2 years of eligibility. From what I can tell he was a pretty good basketball player for Tulsa, a starter, but got disenchanted with the new coaching staff and came to Denton. I ran into him at the Huricane Katrina Fundraiser in Denton prior to the season last year. I pretty much know most of the players but didn't recognize him. He stood out, very tall and impressive build. I shook his hand and he seemed like a very nice guy. Everyone should keep an eye out for him in Spring ball.

Strong DE - This could be interesting. I have heard that they might try putting Pistole here and move Jeremiah over to DT. Pistole's weight was a real problem last year as he got as low as 230. He was only a sophomore so he still has some time to shine at UNT. If that fails look for steady Chapman to fill the starting role. Keep in mind, Chapman was never healthy last year, he had a bad ankle that required major ankle surgery in the offseason and he probably won't be available in the Spring as neither will Sky Pruitt. We need more proven depth here. When Chapman came out this position really was a problem for us. Blake Burriss has one year left to get to the potential that he has shown flashes of. He broke his arm last year and needs to recover from that and stay healthy this year. DT - This is the biggest hole on the team. Sky Pruitt oculd be better, remember he played all of last year with a pretty bad shoulder which he had surgery on in the offseason. He's not a star but he could be steady if healthy. Montey Stevenson had his moments in 2005 but he is just a little too small to be an every down guy. I would like to see Montey come in passing situations because he can run. Jeramiah Chapman could also be in the mix. I think they will try to land a JUCO to help and hope that Jonathan Stewart from Arlington develops. I haven't been able to clarify if Robert Peachy is slated to play on the defensive line or on the o-line but my guess is he will be an offensive lineman. NT - Right now, soph Joe Miller is the returning guy and they want him to put on another 15-20 pounds which he has the frame to do. Miller was a high school pitcher and never lifted weights so he has some potential if he dedicates himself in the weight room. Ike Thomas just never was healthy last year. He went from being the Scout MVP on defense as a freshman to getting deathly ill and just never got back on track. He also has potential and will be only a sophomore. Weakside DE - I know this sounds like a broken record but Willie Ransom was never truly healthy last year either. I think he could have a strong 2006 if he can stay healthy. 6-5 Gilmore got a lot of playing time and really could be a force in 2006 if he gets his upper body strength where it needs to be. Davis Collins is another possibility here. Ty Rexrode has never really made the adjustment after playing QB and RB in high school but there is still some hope he will get better. Linebackers - I think Nwigwe has a good chance to get the middle linebacker spot. He is very physical and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets the scout team defensive POY award. Of course Mendoza will be back and has proven that hge can play at this level although his speed is a liability against passing teams. At the strong side, I believe Maurice Holman is a lock. He is probably our best linebacker at this time and should have a strong junior season. He should be pushed some by Ryan Davenport who showed some good things last year as a freshman. On the weakside, Shawn Early and Phillip Graves will be battling it out. Early is a beast and added a lot of size in the offseason. If he can stay healthy it will be huge for the defense. Colt Mahan will also vie for time there. Brandon Monroe may have the most raw talent on the team but never was healthy in 2005. He could be a starter at the middle spot or the strong side if he gets it together. Safties - Junior Aaron Weathers is a lock at the strong safety spot but we need insurance behind him. I think they will keep bring Steve Warren along and he will be a fairly good player at the FS. Still we need a big hitter here. They have a youth movement as both Desmond Chatman and Kartey Agbottah (both 6-2 and can run) have size, talent and ability. I think they may look at Korey Washington at FS which could be interesting as well with his speed. I think they have some players as Weathers is something else but need either to develop or find a BIG hitter that will keep defenses more honest. Corners - As weird as this sounds, I think we will be better off at corner than we were last year. Last years corners were extremely talented but foolish and I think we underestimated how big a learning curve Jamel had at the position. TJ was just out of control and at times did not run the covers his coaches told him to run. I think Dominique Green is a talent and he showed me some good things last year. The other two that I expect to get a lot of time are Antoine Bush who may be the best cover guy on the team and Deavin Cox from Bishop Lynch. The other player that could impact things is Coffeyville's Roy Loren who has corner speed and could bring some experience to the group. My early projections? SDE - Jeramiah Chapman DT - Sky Pruitt NT - Joe Miller WDE - Willie Ransom SLB - Maurice Holman MLB - Tobe Nwigwe WLB - Shawn Early SS - Aaron Weathers FS - Kartey Agbottah CB - Antoine Bush CB - Dominique Green

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2285564 Riding the Trojan horseBy Mike Fish ESPN.com TROY, Ala. -- Not all boosters run around town singing their school's fight song. Or dressing like colorful clowns on football Saturdays. Some like Joe Malugen, current sugar daddy to Troy University's upstart Division I-A squad, never set foot in a class on campus. His roots, in fact, trace to the University of Missouri (Class of '73). So here, in a rural southeast Alabama town of about 15,000, boosterism has nothing to with emotional ties and everything to do with smart business. Joe Malugen, left, didn't attend Troy University, but that hasn't stopped him from becoming the school's No. 1 booster.And let it be noted the dough isn't coming out of Malugen's pocket, but the coffers of his video rental company, Movie Gallery -- No. 2 in the business behind only Blockbuster. Two years ago, Malugen signed a $5 million marketing deal with Troy to name its freshly renovated stadium Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. Malugen fancied it as a way to tie the company's name to a sports team -- a Trojan program flush with a pair of NCAA Division II national titles that aspired to tee it up with the big boys -- and also curry favor in the local community, where Movie Gallery is headquartered just an hour down Highway 231 in Dothan. Years ago, Syracuse kicked off the football naming rights deals with the Carrier Dome, followed by Louisville and Papa John's Stadium and Texas Tech's SBC Stadium. And now comes Troy. "We sort of rolled the dice and did the deal, and what we found was the impact was greater than we anticipated," says Malugen, the Movie Gallery chairman and CEO. "And I think that is probably due to the TV coverage we have gotten of the stadium. And, of course, one of the good things is we picked a good horse to ride. Troy University is kind of a Cinderella-type team. They have had some great successes beating Marshall and beating Missouri [in 2004]. They sort of delivered in doing what they said they were going to try and do. "Obviously if they'd gotten blown out in every game I probably would be less excited about it. They've been on national and regional TV quite often, so that Movie Gallery Stadium, logos and all, has certainly gotten around the southeast." POWER OF THE BOOSTERS It's a love-hate relationship that binds a college and its boosters. They are often the first ones pointed to when recruiting violations surface. And the first ones called upon when facilities need an upgrade. With their money comes their two cents. Some call it influence. Others say it's meddling. ESPN.com examines the role of the college booster: TUESDAY • Just do it! It's not just a Nike catch phrase, it's heady advice in dealing with billionaire philanthropist Phil Knight, who lords his money over his alma mater. • Money talks: Giving $100 million to his alma mater does more than get Boone Pickens' name on OSU's football stadium, it buys him decision-making influence. • Corporate $upport: Joe Malugen didn't graduate from Troy University, but he saw the giant-killing football team as a marketing vehicle for his company. WEDNESDAY • Wave of support: In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation, Tulane's athletes have served as roving ambassadors for the storm-ravaged university. • The high price of supply and demand: The face value of a seat at a college football game is but a fraction of its real cost, thanks to mandatory donations tied to season-ticket sales. THURSDAY • A Tiger of a trustee: He might be slight of frame, but none throws his weight around like the Most Powerful Booster in college sports. • Power Brokers: The power to pull strings isn't always decided by those with the fattest wallets in ESPN.com's top-10 list of college boosters. ALSO • Boosters Gone Wild: Deep pockets, dirty deals and death threats make for college football's "most unhealthy rivalry." This fall's 4-7 Troy squad didn't prove quite the entertainment buy, yet Malugen can't say much after a steeper-than-anticipated downturn in the movie rental business resulted in $12.5 million third-quarter losses for Movie Gallery. Both sides are in this for the long haul anyway, thanks to the 20-year naming rights deal. So what does Movie Gallery get for Malugen signing on? For starters, Suite 509, a 20-seat skybox perched squarely above the 50-yard line, outfitted with movie theater seats and posters from "Radio" and "Remember the Titans" hanging on the walls. The company this fall leased a larger, 40-seat skybox that's near the 25-yard line. Malugen also sits on the Troy University Foundation's Board of Directors, the major fund-raising arm of the university. According to the most recent IRS Form 990 filed last year, the foundation has $32 million in net assets after having issued cash grants of almost $5.5 million -- $3.4 million of it going to the athletic department. When Troy went looking for an athletic director last fall, Malugen was called to serve on the eight-person search committee that eventually hired Steve Dennis, an Auburn football assistant before becoming associate director of Tigers Unlimited, the athletic department's development office in 2003. Around the same time, Malugen proved the closer, the man of money and influence, as Troy landed its first-ever bowl appearance in the now-defunct Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, Calif. Malugen worked the phones politicking right alongside athletic department folks. At one point, he fueled up the company jet and flew down to lobby Shreveport bowl officials with head coach Larry Blakeney, interim AD Scott Farmer and sports information director Ricky Hazel. After a Shreveport bid failed to materialize, Troy landed its deal in San Jose. Malugen swears it wasn't a case of quid pro quo, yet soon after the bid was announced Movie Gallery stepped in as the bowl's presenting sponsor. At the very least, the company helped cover a large portion of Troy's cost. The actual bowl payout was a measly $50,000 or so, thus an arrangement was worked out for Troy to get all but $50,000 of the Movie Gallery $200,000 sponsorship deal. After he led Troy to its first bowl appearance, the Cowboys made Demarcus Ware their first-round pick in last year's NFL draft."I'll tell you, it was very pleasant having Joe Malugen by our side, knowing wherever Troy went he wanted to be involved," recalls Farmer, who's now Troy's senior associate athletic director. "We couldn't have had a better partner." Malugen says he doesn't meddle in the day-to-day affairs of the athletic department, and by all accounts that's true. When he does offer an occasional thought, it's usually about scheduling -- Troy has an ambitious, if not downright silly nonconference road stretch next season at Florida State, Georgia Tech and Nebraska -- and down the road perhaps upgrading its Sun Belt Conference affiliation. "He gives money, offers his opinions, but doesn't dictate," Farmer explains. Troy chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. says the university has no trepidation dealing with outside corporate types such as Malugen and Richard Scrushy, former HealthSouth founder and CEO. Hawkins buys into the grander sports profile as a vehicle to bring name recognition and push his vision for a global campus; Troy currently has a physical presence in 13 countries. Perhaps even more pressing is the necessity to find and attract diverse revenue streams to keep the university running, which is true of most universities not named Harvard or Yale. When Hawkins came to Troy almost two decades ago, he says 43 percent of his budget was derived from the state. Today, the number is only 23 percent. So there'd be no big-time athletics if not for corporate checks signed by Malugen and Scrushy. And, as an acknowledgement, displayed prominently on a wall in the athletic department offices are enlargements of the original checks they wrote. Scrushy -- who still faces civil claims after a June acquittal on federal fraud charges in the $2.7 billion overstatement of earnings at HealthSouth, the chain of rehabilitation hospitals he helped found -- provided the seed money spawning Troy's move to I-A. Hawkins had personally lobbied Alabama Gov. Fob James for Scrushy's appointment to the Troy board of trustees. And you find the football field still bears his name, if you look hard enough. After Joe Malugen and Richard Scrushy pledged to bankroll Troy's jump to Division I-A, other boosters quickly followed.It was at a 1998 meeting at the HealthSouth headquarters in Birmingham that Scrushy pushed Troy trustees to take the sports teams to the next level. "We were wrestling with, 'Do we go I-A?'" Hawkins recalls. "Right in the middle of the meeting, Richard slapped the table and he said, 'I'm good for a million dollars.' And the hands went up and we went I-A." In Scrushy's case, there was an emotional attachment because his wife and an uncle graduated from Troy. For Malugen, at least initially, it was bottom-line business. "I see the athletic programs as really the marketing department for the university," Malugen offers. "I feel like these universities are really a brand. Just like a Movie Gallery brand or the Hollywood Video brand. Just like the ESPN brand. "Like I tell them at Missouri, 'People don't sit around on any given day very often and talk about what is happening at the University of Missouri's School of Business. They sit around and talk about what is happening with the Mizzou football team.' It is just branding." With rare exceptions, more and more schools are happy to play the game. Mike Fish is an investigative reporter for ESPN.com. He can be reached at michaeljfish@gmail.com

Disappointing development.

One note on Miller - he was a high school pitcher, actually a pretty good one and thus never was available to lift weights in the Spring. When he got to UNT, he had not ever , I repeat ever lifted weights. So the potential is there - it is up to him.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

The 2005 Football Banquet Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 01/03/2006 The 2005 North Texas football banquet is set for Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. The event will again be held at the Gateway Center at North Texas with the doors opening at 5:30 pm. Dinner is being catered by Outback Steakhouse and Verde Catering and will be served at 6 pm. Tickets for the event are $30 each or $240 for a table of 8 seats. Seating is limited and RSVP's will be accepted until January 16th, or until all available seats are filled. George Dunham of The Ticket and MGRN will be the emcee. If you have any questions or would like to reserve your seats, please contact Ryan at (940) 369-8627.

We r having some technical difficulties but should have it fixed quickly. Hang tight!

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

Congrats Joey! Also anyone else see any resemblence between FireFighting Joey and our own Soundman (Eric)? Possibly a separated at birth?

2005 MID TERM SIGNEES QB - WOODY WILSON DB - ROY LOREN OL - TRENT STANLEY TE - BRIAN CARLSON WELCOME TO THE MEAN GREEN FAMILY!!! LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU THIS SPRING!

Evans has Denton.

Eric you been doing those liquid breakfasts again?

Spielman is excellent. Always enjoy his insight and humor.

That's Dasmond Chatman not Desmond...Dasmond is Desmond's twin brother from Conroe. Desmond is at UNT and redshirted this year.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

The database is not set up in date order, as we have it broken down by position. Keep an eye on the red highlighted players as they are "hot" and the ones we are typically updating at this particular time. If you see a player profile in green it means they have committed or signed with us and if it is blue they have committed elsewhere. I will be having verbal updates on the MGR which will also identify key players that we are after.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr/recruit.php

I guess it is possible. For the most part, Dickey hasn't been real big on transfers.

I think our b-ball girls are going to give them Horns a run for their money. The NT Exes are putting together a nice deal for those coming to the game. I've got it as a pinned thread at the top of the board. GMG!

nm = no message

THE AUSTIN CHAPTER OF THE NORTH TEXAS EXES cordially invites you to join us for lunch and to watch the Lady Mean Green basketball team take on the Lady Longhorns! Sunday, December 18, 2005 Fajita lunch buffet 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Serranos Symphony Square (Downtown), 1111 Red River Women's Basketball Game 2:00 p.m., Frank Erwin Center Cost is $20 each, includes buffet and game ticket. You will be able to pay and receive your game ticket at the restaurant. Game tickets are for reserved seating behind the team bench. Please RSVP by Thursday, December 15, to AustinNTExes@unt.edu or 512.349.7167.

http://www.gomeangreen.com/mgr

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/...g.1114df25.html Wilson commits to UNT 04:39 PM CST on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 By BRETT VITO / Staff Writer Woody Wilson, a 6-1, 185-pound quarterback from Coffeyville Community College confirmed late Monday night that he has orally committed to play for North Texas. Wilson will transfer to UNT at the semester break and will have three years of eligibility remaining with the Mean Green. Wilson threw for 910 yards and rushed for 214 last season, despite playing in just six games before breaking his collarbone early on in a loss to Garden City in the Red Ravens' seventh game of the season. Tight end Brian Carlson has also committed to UNT. The 6-5, 271-pound former Kilgore Junior College standout said he cancelled a visit to New Mexico after committing to UNT. Wilson was recruited as a defensive back by Nebraska, Kansas State and Kansas. For complete coverage of UNT recruiting, see Wednesday's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com

It will be released in the MGR later this afternoon. Stay tuned. Exciting news for Mean Green fans.