DRC: Tuesday notes -- Transfer emerging, Brooks video

[Brett Vito]

DRC: West Texas A&M transfer Colton McDonald playing well, Nate Brooks video 

http://beta.dentonrc.com/sports/mean-green/2017/08/08/video-cb-nate-brooks-talks-scrimmage-mcdonald-making-move

[BTG_Fan1]

Promising that a Baltimore Ravens Scout was on hand... 

 

[MeanGreenTexan]

7 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

Promising that a Baltimore Ravens Scout was on hand... 

 

Coming back to the well that got them an All-Pro guy on the cheap.   Ozzie is the best GM in the game.   Shame he's saddled with a bad QB there.

-- UNT's punting game is still a work in progress. The Mean Green are breaking in a couple of new punters in Blake Patterson and Alvin Kenworthy.

We've been spoiled rotten at punter for the past 8 years between Atteberry and Macek/Keena.   I really hope one of these guys is decent.

[Aldo]

Quote

Smiley had a rare drop

That's what I'm talkembout. This is welcome news. I always pegged Smiley with hands issues, and now he's my sleeper candidate this season.

Edited August 8, 2017 by Aldo

[Marty]

From  Colton McDonalds bio:

"Also competed in track and was a 100m district finalist"

must have some wheels on him!

Edited August 8, 2017 by Marty

[AustinFromUNT]

Happy to see a scout was here, shame that he came when Kishawn was hurt though :(.

[jdennis82]

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

We've been spoiled rotten at punter for the past 8 years between Atteberry and Macek/Keena.   I really hope one of these guys is decent.

Curious how much credit is due Tommy Perry on this front.

Ultimately, let's hope our 3rd down conversion rate improves significantly enough to make the drop off here less impactful

[MeanGreenTexan]

6 minutes ago, jdennis82 said:

Curious how much credit is due Tommy Perry on this front.

Ultimately, let's hope our 3rd down conversion rate improves significantly enough to make the drop off here less impactful

Our ST's coach is a dang kicker now!   I hope coaching only improves.  
Atteberry was here during the Dodge years, and we know the kind of coaching he got then.
These 3 guys were very good punters.  

We have no earthly clue what we're in for now.

42 minutes ago, Aldo said:

That's what I'm talkembout. This is welcome news. I always pegged Smiley with hands issues, and now he's my sleeper candidate this season.

When I was there for the practice on Wed.  He didn't drop ANYTHING.  Clearly the best receiver on the field that day.
Guyton & Bussey dropped 3-4 easily-catchable balls each, which was concerning.  
Quentin Jackson was pretty reliable.
Rutherford went down during warm-up drills, so I didn't see him, but from other reports coming out, he's been doing well.
Darden needs some strength to be able to fight for the ball more when covered, but if he gets separation, he's catching the ball.  Excited about this kid.

Not saying this is indicative of the entire Fall, but it's what I saw that day.  

[BTG_Fan1]

27 minutes ago, AustinFromUNT said:

Happy to see a scout was here, shame that he came when Kishawn was hurt though :(.

I'm assuming McClain was still involved somewhat.. Im guessing it was to touch base with the staff and just see him some in person. Kids at UNT likely have to continue to produce to get to the NFL and 1st look.

[Mean Green 93-98]

32 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

When I was there for the practice on Wed.  He didn't drop ANYTHING.  Clearly the best receiver on the field that day.

Guyton & Bussey dropped 3-4 easily-catchable balls each, which was concerning.  
Quentin Jackson was pretty reliable.
Rutherford went down during warm-up drills, so I didn't see him, but from other reports coming out, he's been doing well.
Darden needs some strength to be able to fight for the ball more when covered, but if he gets separation, he's catching the ball.  Excited about this kid.

Not saying this is indicative of the entire Fall, but it's what I saw that day.  

If a receiver can't catch a ball, nothing else matters.

[UNT86]

46 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

If a receiver can't catch a ball, nothing else matters.

I was the OC in a triple option attack.

I couldn't care less if they could catch.

They were just skinny linemen to me, but they all could block the FS.

Nothing else mattered.

[TreeFiddy]

Not sure that I am following Bert regarding McDonald. Is he saying he is taking snaps When we have 4 LBs in or is he taking snaps with the first team in place of someone else?

[Cr1028]

50 minutes ago, TreeFiddy said:

Not sure that I am following Bert regarding McDonald. Is he saying he is taking snaps When we have 4 LBs in or is he taking snaps with the first team in place of someone else?

Edited August 9, 2017 by Cr1028

[Mean Green 93-98]

3 hours ago, UNT86 said:

I was the OC in a triple option attack.

I couldn't care less if they could catch.

They were just skinny linemen to me, but they all could block the FS.

Nothing else mattered.

What are you talking about?  We're not running a triple option, or anything remotely like it.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

This LB news is not exciting to me.  EDIT:  Nevermind.  WT A&M shows he was there four years, played two years (2014, 2016) 

DB out of high school and listed as DB at WT A&M.  No offers out of high school:  http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/player/_/id/120780/colton-mcdonald.  As far as "track" talk, recruiting showed a 4.73 40. 

That he's seeing 1st team snaps says something - and, not something good. 

Also a 6'4" LB listing at 210?  Again...probably fine in DII ball.  FBS?  He'll have guards and tackles outweighing him by 100+ pounds...H-backs, TEs, and the now rare fullbacks will easily have 30-50 pounds.

I haven't counted, maybe someone else can.  How many former Division II and FCS players now populate our roster?  I'm beginning to wonder whether Littrell and Co. known we're not I-AA anymore. 

Edited August 9, 2017 by MeanGreenMailbox

[UNTLifer]

Same size, but a little taller, as Taylor Casey.  He was pretty good and a lighter weight.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

And, Taylor was a DMN State Top 100 recruit, this kid wasn't.  Not even close.  No offers out of high school from any FBS schools; nor, from what can be found, any FCS schools either.

Unlike Taylor, who had success here pretty much from the get go, this kid wasn't even lighting it up at his DII school, okay?

He's as different from Taylor Casey as night is to day.  If we were getting Taylor Casey-type players out of this coaching staff, that'd be nice, though.  We're not.

So, if this kid, who was barely getting by at the DII level, ends up in our two-deep, it's a problem. 

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

So, if this kid, who was barely getting by at the DII level, ends up in our two-deep, it's a problem. 

I haven't seen the young man play, and I would feel comfortable stating that you haven't either, so what would lead you to say that he was barely getting by at the DII level?  

I looked it up and he redshirted his first year and then played in 11 games, starting 4 his second year in Canyon.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

17 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I haven't seen the young man play, and I would feel comfortable stating that you haven't either, so what would lead you to say that he was barely getting by at the DII level?  

I looked it up and he redshirted his first year and then played in 11 games, starting 4 his second year in Canyon.

How could I see him play - I don't go to West Texas A&M games.  And, besides, he only played two of the four seasons there.  So, even the West Texas A&M faithful didn't get to see much.

He started 12 games over four years in Canyon, alight?  Twelve.  He's nothing like Taylor Casey.  Nothing. 

Casey was the Byron Gross Award winner as a freshman, a starter as a Sophomore, and all-conference his junior year.  I mean, you're going to say this kid is anything like Taylor Casey?  He's not even on the same planet as Taylor Casey.  If only he were! 

That's becoming the problem with this ding dong coaching staff.  We're not getting Taylor Casey (recruited by his dad's ala mater, Texas Tech) guys in here.  We're getting DII/FCS guys.

We're not getting a lot of guys transferring in from FBS schools.  We are getting them transferring in from DII and FCS.  It's not a way to "build" a program...an FBS-quality program, anyway.  I'm sure we'll stack up against Lamar and, hopefully, new UAB. 

[UNTLifer]

1.  The Taylor Casey comment came about in response to your comment, "Also a 6'4" LB listing at 210?  Again...probably fine in DII ball.  FBS?  He'll have guards and tackles outweighing him by 100+ pounds...H-backs, TEs, and the now rare fullbacks will easily have 30-50 pounds.  It was not a comparison to their playing ability as I have never seen McDonald play.

2.  Do we/you know why he didn't play in 2015?  Was it injury, grades, etc...  To answer, we don't have any idea.

Once again, my issue is writing a kid off without allowing him the chance to compete/play.  He could end up a bust, all-conference, or anywhere in between, but writing him off before you have ever seen him play is ridiculous.  

Of course, labeling this coaching staff as "ding-dong" after taking a total mess, one win team and getting them to a bowl win and a couple of plays away from a 7 or 8  win season tells me all I need to know about your ability to analyze individuals.  Carry on.

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

I can't argue this any longer.  A kid who cannot play at the DII level is not going to miraculously become an all-conference player at the FBS level.  Sorry.  I'm too old to buy into Disney/Pixar-type dream fantasies.

And, yes, this is becoming a ding dong staff.  We are not recruiting well with our peers, and these guys are into their third recruiting class.  We have had the same type of recruiting for two decades since we came back to this level, and history (painfully) shows the results. 

As with all new hires, we were told Littrell would be different.  Would create excitement among Texas high school coaches and players.  It isn't happening.  Not even close.  Coaches and players are not dumb.  

We are damn lucky to be in the C-USun Belt with a sh*t ton of other teams also in our predicament.  If we were in the AAC or MWC, where many - including myself - wanted us to go, we'd be staring down a one or zero win season in 2017.  C-USun Belt allows us to f*ck around and, perhaps, notch up six wins.  RV gifted us with an incredibly winnable OOC slate for years to come as well.  

But, pete's peppers...comparing a walk-on from WT A&M to Taylor Casey in any respect is crazier than a damn road lizard!  Period. 

[Ben Gooding]

1 hour ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

I can't argue this any longer.  A kid who cannot play at the DII level is not going to miraculously become an all-conference player at the FBS level.  Sorry.  I'm too old to buy into Disney/Pixar-type dream fantasies.

And, yes, this is becoming a ding dong staff.  We are not recruiting well with our peers, and these guys are into their third recruiting class.  We have had the same type of recruiting for two decades since we came back to this level, and history (painfully) shows the results. 

As with all new hires, we were told Littrell would be different.  Would create excitement among Texas high school coaches and players.  It isn't happening.  Not even close.  Coaches and players are not dumb.  

We are damn lucky to be in the C-USun Belt with a sh*t ton of other teams also in our predicament.  If we were in the AAC or MWC, where many - including myself - wanted us to go, we'd be staring down a one or zero win season in 2017.  C-USun Belt allows us to f*ck around and, perhaps, notch up six wins.  RV gifted us with an incredibly winnable OOC slate for years to come as well.  

But, pete's peppers...comparing a walk-on from WT A&M to Taylor Casey in any respect is crazier than a damn road lizard!  Period. 

[Marty]

I'd say McDonald fits in as about an average size compared to our LB corp, almost exactly the same size as Calvin Minor.

 

20	William LeMasters	LB	6-2	217	RS SO	Dallas, TX	Parish Episcopal HS
37	Brandon Garner	LB	5-11	221	RS JR	Mansfield, TX	Timberview HS
35	Kody Fulp	LB	6-2	227	FR	China Spring, TX	China Spring HS
31	Chris Thornton	LB	6-1	215	FR	Amarillo, TX	Palo Duro HS
36	Hayden Doggett	LB	6-2	212	SO	Hutto, TX	Hutto HS
5	Mylam Peters	LB	6-5	241	RS SR	Kissimmee, FL	Arizona Western College
41	Colton McDonald	LB	6-4	210	JR	Haslet, TX	West Texas A&M
58	Ryan Bishop	LB	5-11	191	FR	Allen, TX	Allen HS
13	Connor Means	LB	6-4	224	RS JR	Deer Park, TX	Deer Park HS
59	Hayden Harrison	LB	6-2	210	RS FR	Wolfforth, TX	Frenship HS
10	Calvin Minor	LB	6-3	210	SR	Lewisville, TX	Lewisville HS
22	E.J. Ejiya	LB	6-3	223	RS JR	Blaine, MN	North Dakota State College of Sciences
42	Corey Mann	LB	6-0	198	RS FR	Decatur, TX	Temple HS
18	Joshua Wheeler	LB/DE	6-3	229	SR	Grand Prairie, TX	Tyler JC

[MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF]

14 hours ago, Marty said:

I'd say McDonald fits in as about an average size compared to our LB corp, almost exactly the same size as Calvin Minor.

 

20	William LeMasters	LB	6-2	217	RS SO	Dallas, TX	Parish Episcopal HS
37	Brandon Garner	LB	5-11	221	RS JR	Mansfield, TX	Timberview HS
35	Kody Fulp	LB	6-2	227	FR	China Spring, TX	China Spring HS
31	Chris Thornton	LB	6-1	215	FR	Amarillo, TX	Palo Duro HS
36	Hayden Doggett	LB	6-2	212	SO	Hutto, TX	Hutto HS
5	Mylam Peters	LB	6-5	241	RS SR	Kissimmee, FL	Arizona Western College
41	Colton McDonald	LB	6-4	210	JR	Haslet, TX	West Texas A&M
58	Ryan Bishop	LB	5-11	191	FR	Allen, TX	Allen HS
13	Connor Means	LB	6-4	224	RS JR	Deer Park, TX	Deer Park HS
59	Hayden Harrison	LB	6-2	210	RS FR	Wolfforth, TX	Frenship HS
10	Calvin Minor	LB	6-3	210	SR	Lewisville, TX	Lewisville HS
22	E.J. Ejiya	LB	6-3	223	RS JR	Blaine, MN	North Dakota State College of Sciences
42	Corey Mann	LB	6-0	198	RS FR	Decatur, TX	Temple HS
18	Joshua Wheeler	LB/DE	6-3	229	SR	Grand Prairie, TX	Tyler JC

Yes?  Minor has started nine games in three seasons as an undersized linebacker.  He's not lighting it up either. 

But, you still have the one main difference between the two: Minor, good enough to warrant one FBS offer out of high school:  us (a recurring theme among the coaching staffs); kid from WT A&M, none.

So, I'll go ahead and say it again...it doesn't look like the recruiting services - or other FBS coaches - were wrong about Minor either.  He was listed at 195 as a recruit; way too small to play FBS football at LB.  And...fourth year on campus and he hasn't been a consistent starter. 

Yes, he's valuable to us because, at the very least, he has experience.  But, like the majority of other in his situation (no FBS offers), he didn't light it up in college to the point where you say, "Wow!  Can't believe OU/Texas, etc. missed out on that guy.  What a bunch of dumb coaches they've had in Norman and Austin.  Can't even recognize talent within a short driving distance!" 

Iowa's coaching staff won't be watching game film for prep and say, "Boy...our coaches who recruit Texas really missed out on that guy!"

We're not in a vacuum.  Everyone sees these players in high school in the 21st Century.  The days of Pat Jones not sending Barry Sanders' game reels back to his Wichita high school coaches to get to other schools is long, long gone.