Coach Andy Mac

One of the Dallas area’s most prolific passers is headed to Denton. Trophy Club Byron Nelson senior quarterback Jake Wilson announced his commitment to North Texas on Wednesday’s national signing day. In just two-and-a-half seasons as Byron Nelson’s full-time starting quarterback, Wilson totaled 8,994 passing yards and 100 touchdowns. Wilson passed for 4,147 yards, 50 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions as a senior for Byron Nelson (11-2), which led all Dallas-area 6A teams in total yards of offense per game (561), passing yards per game (342.77) and points per game (49.38). He rushed for 393 yards and 8 touchdowns, too. A 6-2, 205 pound signal caller, Wilson broke out as a junior in 2021 with 3,884 yards and 38 touchdowns. He led all Dallas-area 6A quarterbacks in passing yards as a senior, and was second as a junior. He was named the District 4-6A Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, and was the district’s co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/high-school-sports/football/2023/02/01/trophy-club-byron-nelson-quarterback-jake-wilson-commits-to-north-texas/

SBLive’s All-East Texas Football Awards DB — Jayven Anderson, Galena Park North Shore, Sr. (64 tackles (33 solo), 16 PBUs, six TFLs, four INTs, four defensive TDs in 16 GP; North Texas Mean Green) Read more: https://news.scorebooklive.com/texas/2023/02/04/sblives-2022-23-all-east-texas-high-school-football-teams-awards

North Shore safety Jayven Anderson knows what a winning football culture looks like. He’s been an integral part of the Mustangs’ success during his time on Castlegory Drive. Now he’ll try to bring that experience to a North Texas program aiming for its first winning campaign since 2018. The senior ballhawk verbally committed to the Mean Green on Monday morning, choosing them over Houston, Colorado, Ole Miss and Texas, among others. Anderson is a three-star recruit and is listed as a linebacker on most of the primary football recruiting websites, even though he played safety at North Shore. He ranks as the No. 184 overall player in Texas for the 2023 class, according to 247Sports. Anderson was an All-Greater Houston selection as a junior and senior, helping North Shore reach two Class 6A Division I championship games and bring home the 2021 state title. He recorded 64 tackles, four interceptions, 16 pass breakups and four defensive touchdowns as a senior this past fall. Read more: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/hs-sports/football/article/jayven-anderson-north-shore-commits-north-texas-17751962.php

North Texas had a late start to the 2023 recruiting class but finished extremely strong. Many thanks to Mean Green Fan @jtm0097 who put together a great overview of this excellent class in a post on the Mean Green Football Board that we are re-posting here. 2023 Signees: Marcus Moore-Coffeyville C.C. (The Colony, TX) Defensive Line 6-1 / 295 Marcus is originally from The Colony, Texas. He spent 2020 at ULM before transferring to Coffeyville CC. In high school he was the district 5-5A DL of the year. This past year he was an honorable mention All-KJCCC selection. North Texas beat Arizona State for his services. I imagine he will immediately be in the DT rotation. 2022 JUCO Stats:33 Tackles 3.5 Sacks Offers out of HS: Arkansas State, Army, Grambling State, Hawaii, Houston Baptist, NMSU, Northwestern State, Southern, Texas Southern and Toledo Landon Sides-Guyer (Denton, TX) Wide Receiver 6-0 / 180 Landon played his ball at Denton Guyer. He was OU signee Jackson Arnold’s top target at WR. First team 6-A All- State WR. He also excels at track. Ran a 10.54 100 Meter dash as a junior. Chose North Texas over Incarnate Word. 2022 Stats: 60 receptions for 1,358 yards and 16 touchdowns Offers: Incarnate Word, Army, and Colorado School of the Mines Damon Youngblood - McKinney (McKinney, TX) University of Louisiana Lafayette Safety 5-10 / 180 Damon played his high school ball at McKinney High. After a redshirt year at UL-LA he decided to enter the transfer portal. Impressive high school tape. He made several INTs and pass break ups. A little undersized, but he’s not afraid to tackle in space. Our new defense has 5 DBs on at one time. He will compete for playing time. 2021 HS Stats: 77 tackles, 7 PBUs, 8 INT and 3 FF. He also scored 2 TDs Offers out of HS: UL-La, Air Force, Army, Arkansas State, Buffalo, Colorado St, Dartmouth, Furman, Liberty, Navy, New Mexico, North Texas, Rice, Tulane, and Utah State Larry Moore-Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City, TX) Texas Tech Offensive Tackle 6-5/ 275 Larry played his high school ball at Fort Bend Marshall. He committed to Texas Tech and was eventually on their depth chart as a back up OT. Larry has great size and should compete for playing time. Offers out of HS: Texas Tech, Kansas, Colorado St, Georgia Tech, Houston, UL LA, ULM, NM St, Oklahoma St, SMU, Tulsa, Toledo, TX Southern, Tulane, UTSA, and Utah State Phillip Hill-Klein Collins (Spring, TX) UNLV Safety 6-0 / 183 Phillip played his high school ball at Klein Collins in Spring, Texas. He has spent the last 4 years at UNLV. He didn’t play last year as he was recovering from an injury. Phillip had a productive 2021 season at UNLV. He should compete to be a starter this upcoming season. 2021 Stats: 46 tackles, 3 int, and 1 sack Offers out of HS: UNLV Trey Cleveland-Arlington (Arlington, TX) Texas Tech Wide Receiver 6-3 / 175 Trey played his high school ball at Arlington HS. Emmett Jones found him and extended him an offer. Played at Texas Tech the past 4 seasons. He appeared in all 12 games for the Red Raiders. I imagine he is in the WR rotation this season. 2022 Stats: 22 receptions for 344 yards Offers out of HS: Texas Tech and Southern Illinois Paula Vaipulu-Channelview (Channelview, TX) Georgia Tech Interior Offensive Lineman 6-3 / 305 Paula played his high school ball at Channelview High School. His high school coach was Jalen Hurts’ father Averion Hurts. Paula is also the cousin to Manase Mose. Paula played at Georgia Tech for the last 3 seasons. He started 9 games at guard and center. I imagine he will be either our starting center or guard next season. Offers out of HS: Georgia Tech, Arizona, Boston College, BYU, Colorado St, FIU, Hawaii, Houston, Liberty, Louisiana Lafayette, Missouri, Nebraska, North Texas, Rutgers, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas State, Tulsa, Utah State, and UTSA Chandler Rogers-Lake Ridge (Mansfield, TX) University of Louisiana Monroe Quarterback 6-0 / 194 Chandler played his high school ball at Lake Ridge HS in Mansfield. Fun fact, he was the QB that shared playing time with Jason Bean. Originally signed with Southern Miss and took a redshirt. After 1 year, he transferred to Blinn, where he started 4 games. Chandler transferred to ULM for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, where he was very productive. I see him as QB 1 next year. Very excited for this addition. I forgot to mention, 68% completion percentage this past season. 2021-2022 ULM Stats: threw for 3714 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INT. He rushed for 720 yards and 6 TDs. He also had 1 receiving TD. 66% career completion percentage Offers: Cal, Indiana, Sam Houston, and “every Sun Belt school per his Mean Green Show interview” Dietrich Moore-Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, OK) Linebacker 6-0 / 205 Dietrich played his high school ball at Broken Arrow HS in Oklahoma. Number 24 prospect in Oklahoma. Number 1 LB in Oklahoma according to his Twitter page. He flew to the ball in his highlight tape. An injury during his junior slowed down his recruiting process some. I think he will be a solid LB for us in a few years. 2022 Stats: 80 tackles, two sacks, four int, and one FF Offers: Incarnate Word, ULM, New Mexico St, Southeast Missouri St, Lindenwood, and JUCO Desmond Magiya-McKinney (McKinney, TX) Offensive Tackle 6-4 / 270 Desmond played his high school ball at McKinney High. First Team All-District 5-6A OL. I was impressed by his run blocking. He is not afraid to get in a 3 point stance and block down on a LB or DE. I liked the effort he was giving on runs that were several yards down field. He was still sprinting downfield looking to make a block. His pass blocking was not bad against the small DEs he was facing. I imagine he will need a year in the weight room to add strength for blocking FBS DL. Overall, I think he has a lot of potential. This is a good pickup for 2-3 years down the road. Offers: Alcorn, Pittsburg State, Weber State, Northern Arizona, Kilgore JC, Abilene Christian, Southern Arkansas & Incarnate Word Evan Jackson-North Shore (Houston, TX) Safety 5-10 / 170 Evan played his high school ball at North Shore. First Team All-District 21-6A DB and Returner. Very athletic DB and played for one of the top high schools in the country. He might be a redshirt candidate but I could see him contributing down the road. 2022 Stats: 62 tackles, 4.0 TFL and 7 PBU 3 punt return TDs Offers: Grambling State, Lamar, Marshall, Northwestern State and SFA Brian Nelson-Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX) Cornerback 6-0 /181 Brian played at Shadow Creek in Pearland, Texas. He had 27 offers and we beat several G5 schools for his services. 7 INTs on the season. I was impressed with his coverage skills and how he would jump routes for INTs. There were a few plays where he fought off WR blocks and made tackles. That is a skill he definitely will need at this level. It's good to see that he is not afraid of contact. He didn't have a ton of tackles the year, but that could be due to QBs not throwing his way (7 INTs). Great addition to the defense! 2022 Stats: 14 Tackles 7 INT 4 Passed Defended (I assume this is similar to pass break ups) Offers: Akron, Coastal Carolina, Miami (OH), New Mexico, New Mexico St, North Texas, Old Dominion, Texas St, ACU, Air Force, Navy and 16 FCS offers (Yes 16, I am not going to list them all). Isaac Sohn-Aledo (Aledo, TX) Offensive Tackle 6-5 / 280 Played his high school ball at state powerhouse Aledo. He has more pancakes than IHOP. Ok, that was a corny joke, but he was mauling guys in almost everyone of these cherry picked clips. Aledo played a lot of schools with FBS talent and he even labeled some of the guys "3 star DT of 5 star LB" that he was going against in the video. I was impressed seeing him go out and block on screen plays. This is a good addition to the OL. He is recovering from an injury and could be a redshirt candidate. Offers: UTSA, Air Force, Lamar, Dartmouth, La Tech, New Mexico St, Sam Houston St, San Diego St, SMU, and Texas St Matthew Moore -Ellison (Killen, TX) Linebacker 6-2 / 210 Played his high school all at Killeen Ellison High. Two-Time First Team All- District LB. He runs track and is a very good student. I was impressed with his closing speed on plays. He did a good job fighting off blocks and making tackles. He's very athletic and should be a solid contributor in a few years for us. Honestly, I think this is one of the kids that is getting hurt by the transfer portal. OU, Texas Tech, and TCU were all showing interest. I bet if his high school had a better year, he would have had more offers. This staff is turning over rocks to find kids and I like it. 2022 Stats: 129 Tackles 17 TFL 3 Sacks 3 PBU 1 FF Offers: Arkansas State, Midwestern State, Cisco College, Blinn, Kilgore JC, Southwestern, McPherson College and Texas Lutheran Kollin Lewis-Gladewater (Gladewater, TX) Defensive Back / Wide Receiver 5-11 / 170 Kollin is the lone East Texas recruit this year. He played at Gladewater High School and was the 6-3A Co-Offensive Player of the year. He is very athletic and plays DB and WR. Kollin is a coaches kid. He also plays basketball and runs track. He has speed and decent hands. He reminds me of Loronzo Thompson that is currently on the roster. He was previously committed to Texas State and recruited by Clay Jennings. 2022 Stats: 37 tackles, one sack and two interceptions; 12 total touchdowns; 41 receptions for 693 yards; 74 carries for 514 yards Offers: Arkansas St., LA Tech, TX State, and UTSA Jayven Anderson-North Shore (Houston, TX) Safety 6-0 / 205 Jayven played his high school ball at North Shore. He was high school teammates with Evan Jackson. This is the highest defensive recruit that we have signed in the modern era. He had 4 INTs on the year and 64 tackles. It seems they either had him deep covering guys or brought him down in the box to defend against the run. He was very explosive and a bully on the defense. There were several plays where he took great angles and made solo tackles. I really liked his film and I imagine he would probably compete for playing time as a freshman. He has offers from 7 P5 schools. This is a big win for the defense. 2022 Stats: 64 Tackles, 16 PBU, 4 INTs (if I am reading the stats correctly, they were all returned for TDs) Offers: Arkansas, Arkansas State, Colorado, Houston, Indiana, Ole Miss, Purdue, SMU, Texas, UTSA, and Grambling Ethan Miner-Kingswood-Oxford School (West Hartford, CT) Arkansas State Center 6-2.5 / 283 Ethan played his high school ball at Kingswood-Oxford in West Hartford, CT. He was a 2 star recruit out of of high school with offers from Arkansas State and Navy. Ethan played 32 games and started 24 of them at Arkansas State. Last season he started at center, but he also has experience playing guard. Ethan should be a starter for us at guard or center. Noah Rauschenberg-Union (Tulsa, OK) Baylor Kicker 6-2 / 185 Noah played his high school ball at Union High School in Tulsa Oklahoma. He spent the last 4 years at Baylor where he was their kickoff specialist. Noah chose us over an offer from Oklahoma State. No. 1 rated kickoff specialist for 2022 according to Pro Football Focus. He should compete to be our starting kicker. HS Stats: Owns every Union High School record including 185 career PATs … Converted 10-of-16 field goals as a senior … Had a long of 54 yards … Also booted two field goals from 53 yards … Connected on 52-of-54 PATs … Had touchbacks of 50-of-65 kickoffs with an average of 67.95 yards per kickoff (Source Mean Green Sports) Offers out of HS: Baylor, Tulsa, and Houston Keith Smith-South Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX) Defensive Line 6-2 / 280 Keith played his high school at South Oak Cliff, where he was a part of back to back state champion teams. I couldn’t find his 2022 stats, but he had 17 sacks over the last 2 years. I know he was a big reason for their dominance. Keith is a solid addition to our defense and should be a key contributor in the next few years. 2021 stats: 64 tackles, 19 TFL, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and three recoveries Offers: Arizona State, Arkansas State, Incarnate Word, La Tech, ULM, Morgan State, Sam Houston State, Texas State, and Toledo Taylor Starling-South Oak Cliff (Dallas, TX) Cornerback 5-10.5 / 170 Taylor played his high school at South Oak Cliff, where he was a part of back to back state champion teams. I couldn’t find his 2022 stats, but he played on a loaded defense. Taylor is very fast and athletic. During track season he ran a 10.49 100 Meter dash. Taylor chose us over Texas State and UTSA. He was previously committed to Colorado. Since our new scheme is a 3-3-5 there is a chance that he gets to play early. I look forward to seeing him play at UNT. 2021 Stats: 51 Tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack. 1 PBU, 2 INT, 1 INT TD Offers: Colorado, Arizona, Buffalo, Grambling State, Houston Christian, Kansas, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Purdue, Texas State, Toledo, UAB, and UTSA View full article

DENTON — Tickets to the 2023 Conference USA Basketball Championships held at The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco are now available. The two 11-team four-day tournaments begin March 8. All-session passes can be purchased for $125 (plus service fee) here. An all-session pass gives fans access to every single game of the men and women's tournament for an average single-game ticket price of $7. Mean Green fans are encouraged to purchase directly through the UNT Ticket Office as it will directly impact the UNT student-athlete experience. Courtside seating is only available through Corporate Supporter or Champions packages for the entire tournament. Please contact Conference USA at 214-774-1300 for more information. All tickets will be digital and will be delivered via the SeatGeek app in late February. With the Mean Green moving to the American Athletic Conference in July, this will be the final Conference USA Championship at the Star in Frisco North Texas will participate in. Both the UNT men and women's basketball teams reached the 2022 C-USA Championship Semifinal round. The men's team won the 2021 title to earn its first NCAA Tournament berth in over a decade. For more information on the 2023 Conference USA championship tickets, contact the UNT Ticket Office at (940) 565-2527.

DALLAS (Jan. 30, 2023) – After leading UNT to back-to-back road wins last week, senior Quincy Noble has been named the Conference USA Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the second time this season. Noble filled up the stat sheet all week averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 1.5 blocks in two contests. Noble started the week with 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the win over UTSA. She then followed it up with 23 points, three blocks, three steals and two rebounds against UTEP. Noble scored 20 points in the first half in El Paso and became the first UNT player since Terriell Bradley in 2018 to have 20+ Points, 3+ 3-pointers, 3+ steals, and 3+ blocks in a single game. She is also the first player since Bradley in 2018 to earn C-USA Player of the Week honors multiple times in the same season. Noble and the Mean Green return to action Saturday afternoon when they welcome Rice to the Super Pit at 3:30 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at a special price for the matchup here.

James Franklin McIngvale was born in Starkville, Mississippi, in 1951. Sports was in his blood from the start, as his dad, George, was a star football player at Mississippi State University. McIngvale's family moved to Dallas when he was a boy and he eventually went on to the University of Texas and then the University of North Texas, where he played football for both universities in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After dropping out before finishing his degree, McIngvale claims to have gotten his big break when he was fired from a job at a convenience store. While this would be discouraging to most, that termination allowed McIngvale to take work at a Dallas furniture store, where he learned the ins and outs of the industry. Inspired to open his own shop, he moved to Houston with his wife, Linda, and opened the first Gallery Furniture in 1981. After appearing in several Gallery Furniture TV commercials while dressed in a flimsy-looking mattress costume, McIngvale earned the nickname "Mattress Mack." Today, McIngvale's empire includes three Gallery Furniture locations in the Houston area, including a massive 165,000-square-foot store in Fort Bend County that houses a 30,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, tropical birds, exotic animals and a giant jumping mattress. read more: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/mattress-mack-17740613.php

FORT WORTH – In her son’s first year at Bonham High School, Cynthia Gorden asked coaches what it would take for Jacob to get recruited to play college football. Their response, she recalled, was clear: Play well, trust the process, and he’d be taken care of. Four years later, Cynthia and Jacob are at North Crowley High School on a cold January night, about 100 miles from Bonham, to attend a showcase for unsigned seniors. Over 30 small colleges and junior colleges have shown up. Over 100 kids have come, hoping to show out before National Signing Day on Wednesday. Cynthia, sitting in a folding chair with plenty of other parents, held a stack of business cards with Jacob’s stats as a running back, corner and kick returner, along with his GPA and SAT score. There’s also a smiling photo of him in his Bonham letterman jacket next to a quote: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” But a college football journey needs a path, and right now, Jacob doesn’t have one. “It’s hard to even get answered,” Cynthia said. “It’s hard to get exposure. And we just have to keep faith.” She’s far from the only parent who feels that way. Introducing the college football transfer portal in 2018 has given players the freedom to change schools once without penalty, and it’s allowed teams to fill their rosters with experienced players, decreasing the number of spots available for high school recruits, according to data compiled by The Dallas Morning News. They end up sliding down the college football hierarchy, landing at FCS schools or junior colleges or not playing at all. “The landscape has changed,” North Crowley head coach Ray Gates said. Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/college-sports/2023/01/30/texas-high-school-football-recruiting-hurt-by-college-football-transfer-portal-data-shows/

University of North Texas sculpture major Archit Karkare's career is soaring, and he hasn't even graduated yet. Karkare's 'Soar' sculpture was chosen from a dozen entries. It hangs 10 feet above the floor at UNT at Frisco's Frisco Landing. "I was elated, honestly," Karkare said. "I cannot believe that I got this, but it's real!" The design was the result of a class assignment. "It wasn't homework as such," Karkare said. "We were given complete creative freedom as to how we want to approach the sculpture." Karkare worked with 23 Design Co. to fabricate his idea into reality. 'Soar' is inspired by the indigenous people who once called the land where UNT at Frisco sits home. read more: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/unt-art-students-talent-soars-in-schools-frisco-branch-campus/3176654/

A partnership between the University of North Texas at Dallas and Sunset High School will award the entire senior class with automatic admission into the university. Sunset High School Principal Jesus Martinez was joined by UNT Dallas Administrators during a senior class meeting Thursday night to announce the new program, “Trailblazer Express,” to parents. Prior to March 1, all seniors will receive an email and physical letter announcing their acceptance into the University, said Jose da Silva, Interim Vice President of UNT Dallas. “I’m a first generation college student and I still remember way back when my friends were going to college and I didn’t know where to start. Just the fear of being rejected was enough to keep me from applying,” da Silva said. “I know my story is not unique… we want to eliminate that fear as a barrier.” Martinez said the automatic admission will remove other barriers for students and parents too, including those involving the application process. read more: https://oakcliff.advocatemag.com/2023/01/unt-dallas-sunset-partnership/

A Flower Mound Marcus High School assistant football coach resigned after his arrest. A hospital official at Baylor Scott & White Health in North Texas is not employed there anymore. And information on an official with First Priority of America in Fort Worth is no longer on the religious organization’s website. That is what has happened to three of 46 men recently arrested during a multi-agency operation targeting the demand for commercial sex in North Texas. The men — a majority of whom are from North Texas — face charges of solicitation of prostitution after they were arrested on Jan. 12 and Jan. 13 in an operation focused on suppressing the demand for prostitution, according to local and federal law enforcement. The operation was spearheaded by the Department of Homeland Security as part of its Blue Campaign. On Tuesday, Frisco police announced that 23 of the 46 men were arrested in their city. Undercover officers met with suspects at hotels in Frisco and Southlake. Law enforcement personnel responded to online solicitations for prostitution an arranged meetings with the suspects at the hotels with the coordination and cooperation of hotel management and staff, Frisco police said. One of those arrested was Cecil Timothy Morrison, a former teacher and assistant football coach at Flower Mound Marcus High School in the Lewisville school district. Morrison joined the Lewisville school district in April 2018 and submitted his resignation on Jan. 18. “Mr. Morrison was placed on administrative leave when the district became aware of his arrest and subsequently submitted his resignation to the district last week,” according to a statement released by Lewisville ISD officials. “This is a legal matter outside his role in our district, and we have no indication the circumstances surrounding his arrest involved students.” Read more at: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article271626892.html#storylink=cpy

DALLAS – The three-time Conference USA champion UNT softball team was voted first in the league’s preseason poll, garnering nine of 10 first place votes and 99 points overall, the league announced on Thursday. The first-place preseason selection marks the third occasion in program history to enter the season as favorites and third in the past four seasons. North Texas senior Ashley Peters was named the C-USA Preseason Pitcher of the Year after a 20-win season last year. Peters becomes the second pitcher in program history to be awarded the superlative recognition after Hope Trautwein captured the honor in 2020 and 2021. The Mean Green also placed five players on the C-USA preseason team, the most in program history passing marks of three selections in 2019 and 2020. Peters joins catcher Kalei Christensen, infielder Kailey Gamble, outfielder Lexi Cobb and pitcher Skylar Savage as members of the all-conference squad. UNT had the most selections in the league with no other team having more than two honorees, which are selected by the conference’s head coaches. “It’s good to see some of our players get recognized because they work hard and are very deserving,” head coach Rodney DeLong said. “We have a tough schedule and a competitive league to compete against so preseason polls don’t mean a lot to us. We have to work hard and stay tough through the course of the season to be successful. We are excited about this team and the opportunities that are in front of us.” UNT will begin its season at the Buzz Classic in Atlanta with a doubleheader on Feb. 10 against UIC and Saint Francis before meeting UConn and hosts Georgia Tech to wrap up the weekend. 2023 C-USA Softball Preseason Poll 1. North Texas (9) 99 2. WKU 82 3. Charlotte (1) 78 4. LA Tech 74 T5. Florida Atlantic 56 T5. UAB 56 7. UTSA 39 T8. FIU 25 T8. Middle Tennessee 25 10. UTEP 16 (first place votes) C-USA Softball Preseason All-Conference Team C – Kalei Christensen, North Texas Jr. C – Sierra Frazier, UAB* Sr. IF – Ella Chancey, Charlotte* So. IF – Kailey Gamble, North Texas* Jr. IF – Amanda Gonzalez, LA Tech* Sr. IF – Kat Ibarra, UTSA* Jr. IF – Lindsey Smith, UAB So. OF – Sara Berthiaume, Florida Atlantic* Sr. OF – Lexi Cobb, North Texas* Jr. OF – Taylor Davis, WKU* Sr. OF – Sierra Sacco, LA Tech* So. OF – Bailey Vannoy, Charlotte* Gr. DP/UT – Marena Estell, UTSA Gr. P – Lynn Gardner, Florida Atlantic* Gr. P – Ashley Peters, North Texas* Sr. P – Skylar Savage, North Texas* So. * - 2022 all-conference selection

DENTON, Texas – Accomplished athletics administrator Dr. Connor Smith has been named UNT Athletics’ new Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Vice President and Director of Athletics Jared Mosley announced Tuesday. “I’m excited to welcome Connor, his wife Cami and their daughters Coraleigh and Copelynn to the Mean Green family!” Mosley said. “Connor brings a wealth of leadership experience that will serve our student-athletes, coaches and staff well as we transition into the American Athletic Conference and continue to build on the momentum we have within our programs. He is highly respected across the industry and will be a great resource for us here at UNT.” Smith, who joins the Mean Green following a stellar eight-plus years as Director of Athletics at Dallas Baptist University, fills the position vacated by Mosley when he was promoted into his new role by UNT president Neal Smatresk on December 10. “I am thrilled and honored to join Jared Mosley, UNT Athletics, and the entire Mean Green family,” Smith said. “I look forward to serving and working alongside the incredible student-athletes, coaches, staff, and community as we strive to Build Champions and Prepare Leaders. The future is incredibly bright for the Mean Green, and I can't wait to get to work in Denton, Texas.” A native of Cedar Park, Texas, Smith was named Director of Athletics at DBU in June 2014. He was promoted to Vice President and Director of Athletics in November 2022. During Smith's tenure as the program's Director of Athletics, DBU won its first NCAA Division II National Championship when the women's golf team captured a national title in 2021. The Patriots also won 47 conference championships, advanced to seven NCAA Division I Regional appearances in baseball, including one Super Regional appearance in 2021, 21 NCAA Division II National Championship appearances, one NCAA DII Final Four appearance in women's soccer, and became one of just seven men’s basketball programs in the country to reach five consecutive NCAA DII tournaments. Additionally, the DBU Cheer and Dance programs both captured back-to-back National Championships (NCA and NDA) during the 2022 competitive season. At the conclusion of the spring 2022 semester, DBU Athletics earned a 3.4 cumulative grade point average across each of the NCAA varsity athletics programs, which marked the second highest average GPA in department history. A few of the additional academic honors for DBU Athletics during Smith's tenure as Director of Athletics included a baseball program record for NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR), Women's Academic Award of Excellence, NCAA President's Award of Excellence for an Academic Success Rate of 90% (earned in back-to-back years) and the Heartland Academic Award of Excellence. Additionally, Smith and the Patriots launched Patriots Prepared during the 2019-2020 academic year with leadership programming that prepares and equips student-athletes for life and their professional careers after graduation. Furthermore, Patriots Prepared helped provide networking opportunities for internships, employment, and aids with NIL education for DBU student-athletes. Under Smith's leadership, Patriot Athletics experienced unprecedented growth in revenue generation, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising. In March of 2019, Smith and DBU Athletics launched the Patriot Athletic Fund, the departments first-ever annual fund and department-wide booster program to support and advance all 25 intercollegiate athletics programs. During Smith's first year as athletic director, Patriot Baseball introduced a new booster fund program called the Dugout Club with the goal to advance the University's sole NCAA Division I program. Since its inception, the Dugout Club has experienced consistent growth and membership for the university's Division I baseball program. Growth was a constant theme under Smith's leadership as DBU Athletics continued to provide new opportunities for student-athletes through new sport additions. From 2014-22, the Patriots added six new sport programs and increased the total number of student-athletes from 301 student-athletes to 449. He also played an integral role in the development and completion of more than 15 capital campaign projects and facility renovations during his time with Patriot Athletics in addition to guiding the department through a pair of conference transitions joining the Lone Star Conference in 2019 and baseball competing in Conference USA in 2023. Smith was also instrumental in the launch of the Patriot Broadcasting Network, the department’s sports broadcast and streaming platform. He oversaw the negotiation of DBU’s first-ever television agreement with Bally Sports Southwest to televise multiple baseball games and a full DBU Athletics rebranding project which produced three new athletics marks along with a multi-year agreement with brand management and licensing partner IMG College Licensing (IMGCL); the first-ever athletics ticketing platform and website, DBUTickets.com. Smith has previously served on the Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2ADA) Board of Directors, the NCAA DII Regulatory Affairs Committee, was a mentor in the D2ADA Mentoring Program, and on the NCAA DII Volleyball and Women's Golf Regional Advisory Committees. Smith is also a past Chair for the Lone Star Conference Council of Athletics Administrators as well as an advisory board member for the sport of STUNT, the YMCA Grand Prairie, and AD's for Christ. Smith is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) as well as the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD). He was a four-year letterman for the DBU Golf team from 2005-09 and served as the team captain in his junior and senior seasons. Following his playing career, Smith served as the team's Graduate Assistant Golf Coach in 2009. He got his start in collegiate athletics as Assistant AD for Internal Operations at DBU from 2011-13. Smith earned a pair of degrees from Dallas Baptist with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from in December 2009 and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Project Management in December 2011. He completed his Doctor of Education in Higher Educational Leadership from TCU in November 2022. Smith and his wife, Cami, have two daughters, Coraleigh and Copelynn. https://dbupatriots.com/staff-directory/connor-smith/47

Join the alumni association in thanking UNT alumnus Rick Shaw ('74) for gifting a beautiful eagle statue to UNT at Frisco! Shaw and his friend Bob Stout ('74) recently brought the statue to its new home on campus.

https://collegeguide.texasmonthly.com/university-of-north-texas/

Listen here: https://meangreensports.com/podcasts/-gmgcast-jared-mosley/94?utm_medium=email&elq_cid=4137&RSRC=Email&RDAT=323&ehash=c52d40b594fe5f3ccaa9fc1213b39f825a90faacd07d4b40a06866c90dc2de82

Fortunately for Heupel, there are several viable options. Seth Littrell — Former North Texas head coach This seems like the perfect option to me. Littrell was Heupel’s teammate at Oklahoma in the 90s/early 2000s. He has a lot of experience coaching tight ends and he has roots in the Air Raid system — just like Heupel. Vols linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler was Littrell’s special teams coordinator at North Texas in 2020, so there’s some familiarity there with other Tennessee staff members. Read more: https://atozsports.com/nashville/5-options-new-halzle-golesh-tennessee-vols-tight-ends-coach/

“Texas universities propose two-year tuition freeze in exchange for nearly $1 billion in additional state funding” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. As Texas lawmakers consider what to do with an unprecedented $32.7 billion state surplus, leaders of the state’s six largest public university systems are pitching that nearly $1 billion be allocated toward higher education. If lawmakers agree, these university chancellors pledge to hold tuition flat for all undergraduate students for the next two academic years. In a letter sent to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman and House Finance Committee Chair Greg Bonnen in mid-December, the university chancellors asked for more general-revenue funding as well as more funding for university employee health insurance and the program that gives free college tuition to military veterans and their children. “Our education mission is funded almost entirely by two sources of funding: state support and student tuition and fees,” says the letter, which The Texas Tribune obtained Tuesday. “Without increased state support, Texas institutions must look to additional efficiencies and then tuition and fees to be able to continue to maintain high quality education. In order to hold tuition flat for our students and their families, Texas universities seek increased state investment.” The letter is signed by six chancellors: James Milliken of the University of Texas System, John Sharp of the Texas A&M University System, Renu Khator of the University of Houston System, Michael R. Williams of the University of North Texas System, Tedd Mitchell of the Texas Tech University System and Brian McCall of the Texas State University System. Read more: https://www.gilmermirror.com/2023/01/11/texas-universities-propose-two-year-tuition-freeze-in-exchange-for-nearly-1-billion-in-additional-state-funding/