Meet today's 2024-25 Mean Green???

[Cooley]

Layne Taylor (Team MVP candidate; only PG) 

Rondel Walker (Team Most Improved)

Tyran Mason (Team Newcomer of the year)

Alex Cotton (Team potential starter or more minutes)

Matthew Stone - (6th man of the year/defensive specialist)

Moulaye Sissoko - (Team bounce back award)

Terrance Dixon Jr. (Most likely to secure a scholarship)

* - As of 4/8/24 without additions/subtractions

Team record (9-21) 12th place AAC

 

 

[MeanGreenZen]

I am ready for a rule change but our roster is no different than most other rosters right now. Good thing Ross Hodge gets paid well because this is some BS to have to go through.

[Glory to the Green]

Is our NIL doing that poorly, or is this just the way it is?  This offseason is wild, man. How do you build anything?   

[GreenGuy123]

53 minutes ago, MeanGreenZen said:

I am ready for a rule change but our roster is no different than most other rosters right now. Good thing Ross Hodge gets paid well because this is some BS to have to go through.

Is he not fairly underpaid compared to the rest of the league?

[MeanGreenZen]

47 minutes ago, GreenGuy123 said:

Is he not fairly underpaid compared to the rest of the league?

Either way, he is still paid a lot of money to solve these problems. 
 

[Shark84]

14 hours ago, Cooley said:

Layne Taylor (Team MVP candidate; only PG) 

Rondel Walker (Team Most Improved)

Tyran Mason (Team Newcomer of the year)

Alex Cotton (Team potential starter or more minutes)

Matthew Stone - (6th man of the year/defensive specialist)

Moulaye Sissoko - (Team bounce back award)

Terrance Dixon Jr. (Most likely to secure a scholarship)

* - As of 4/8/24 without additions/subtractions

Team record (9-21) 12th place AAC

 

 

With all of the guards leaving, Moore may want to come back.

[Ross Hodgeson]

11 hours ago, MeanGreenZen said:

I am ready for a rule change but our roster is no different than most other rosters right now. Good thing Ross Hodge gets paid well because this is some BS to have to go through.

Yes it is!  As for him and the fans!

[MeanGreenTexan]

Honestly,
I would not be surprised if Coach Hodge encouraged the guys to dip their feet in the portal to see if they can't secure more money elsewhere.  He loves these players, and wants what's best for them.
I highly doubt he subscribes to the Littrell mantra of, "Once you're gone, you're gone".   I bet he still keeps in touch with them, letting them know that they still have spots here (with the same, if not more NIL$) if they don't get what they're looking for elsewhere.

As has been stated several times before... Coach Hodge is cut from the JUCO cloth.   Turnover is constant in the JUCO world.  He knows how to deal with this.

[Tom McKrackin]

3 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Honestly,
I would not be surprised if Coach Hodge encouraged the guys to dip their feet in the portal to see if they can't secure more money elsewhere.  He loves these players, and wants what's best for them.
I highly doubt he subscribes to the Littrell mantra of, "Once you're gone, you're gone".   I bet he still keeps in touch with them, letting them know that they still have spots here (with the same, if not more NIL$) if they don't get what they're looking for elsewhere.

As has been stated several times before... Coach Hodge is cut from the JUCO cloth.   Turnover is constant in the JUCO world.  He knows how to deal with this.

Agreed

[Shark84]

For a Coach and a system that asks guys to be unselfish, love each other and put team and others before self. It's going to be hard to get guys to buy into that for one year. He may have to change the philosophy. I don't think you will have guys knocking down the doors to come play defense. I trust Hodge will do whatever it takes to put a winning product on the floor, but I do think our system/style will be different. 

[UNTLifer]

4 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Honestly,
I would not be surprised if Coach Hodge encouraged the guys to dip their feet in the portal to see if they can't secure more money elsewhere.  He loves these players, and wants what's best for them.
I highly doubt he subscribes to the Littrell mantra of, "Once you're gone, you're gone".   I bet he still keeps in touch with them, letting them know that they still have spots here (with the same, if not more NIL$) if they don't get what they're looking for elsewhere.

As has been stated several times before... Coach Hodge is cut from the JUCO cloth.   Turnover is constant in the JUCO world.  He knows how to deal with this.

I want a coach that is telling his guys to invest in our program and make it great and not to use us as a stepping stone.

[Matt from A700]

It would have been nice to retain at least one guy between Rubin, Aaron, Jason, and CJ, to maintain some sort of leadership/culture from year-to-year.

That being said, I have trust in Hodge. It WILL be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to not just retool but upgrade your team. If you recall last year in the end against our win vs. SMU, we finished crunch time with an all-transfer lineup. We can do it again, and if we target some scorers from the NCJAA/NAIA/D2 level it could be an even more talented roster, or even a play style change.

I do think this portal insanity will eventually balance out to where you don't see entire starting lineups bolting. Outside a handful of top teams, I can't imagine big donors will continue dumping millions into NIL collectives without championships or benefit to their own business in return.

[MeanGreenTexan]

24 minutes ago, Shark84 said:

For a Coach and a system that asks guys to be unselfish, love each other and put team and others before self. It's going to be hard to get guys to buy into that for one year. He may have to change the philosophy. I don't think you will have guys knocking down the doors to come play defense. I trust Hodge will do whatever it takes to put a winning product on the floor, but I do think our system/style will be different. 

That's pretty much every single coach & system out there.  Basic staples of "TEAM".    And players know what they're getting into.

[Ross Hodgeson]

7 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

It would have been nice to retain at least one guy between Rubin, Aaron, Jason, and CJ, to maintain some sort of leadership/culture from year-to-year.

That being said, I have trust in Hodge. It WILL be a challenge, but it's also an opportunity to not just retool but upgrade your team. If you recall last year in the end against our win vs. SMU, we finished crunch time with an all-transfer lineup. We can do it again, and if we target some scorers from the NCJAA/NAIA/D2 level it could be an even more talented roster, or even a play style change.

I do think this portal insanity will eventually balance out to where you don't see entire starting lineups bolting. Outside a handful of top teams, I can't imagine big donors will continue dumping millions into NIL collectives without championships or benefit to their own business in return.

I don't think it is 100% that these guys won't be coming back.  If you look at our track record of NIL guys like Mardrez, Abou and Reese, the green pastures weren't as green as they thought they would be.  In Tylor's case at least he got paid (we hope).

[MeanGreenTexan]

33 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I want a coach that is telling his guys to invest in our program and make it great and not to use us as a stepping stone.

Spoken like a true fan.  I get it.

Coach Hodge's relationship with his players is markedly different though.   
These players are people.  
He genuinely cares about them, and if they feel like they have an opportunity (whatever that opportunity is: more PT, money, "prestige", etc...) then he might encourage them to pursue it, while keeping the door open to come home & "invest in our program and make it great".

[Shark84]

1 hour ago, Ross Hodgeson said:

I don't think it is 100% that these guys won't be coming back.  If you look at our track record of NIL guys like Mardrez, Abou and Reese, the green pastures weren't as green as they thought they would be.  In Tylor's case at least he got paid (we hope).

Other than Stone Earle in football, how many other guys have entered the portal and come back to their school? I haven't heard of many. These guys have a lot of voices in their ears. It's kind of like dumping your girlfriend because you think you can do better than you don't have the guts to swallow your pride and ask her to take you back. 

[wardly]

2 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

I want a coach that is telling his guys to invest in our program and make it great and not to use us as a stepping stone.

Coaches and AD's use G5 programs as stepping stones [ Wren, Mac] so how can you not expect players to as well.

[greenminer]

3 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

I want a coach that is telling his guys to invest in our program and make it great and not to use us as a stepping stone.

Most of them were recruited to fit McCasland's system.  What if Hodge has a different vision for our system? Do you change the system to accommodate this loyalty/investment, or do you take advantage of the portal to put yourself in a winning position...sooner?

[Mean Green 93-98]

1 hour ago, Shark84 said:

Other than Stone Earle in football, how many other guys have entered the portal and come back to their school? 

K.D. Davis comes to mind.  I know there are plenty of others, although that is certainly the exception rather than the rule.

[JT Hammons]

1 hour ago, Shark84 said:

Other than Stone Earle in football, how many other guys have entered the portal and come back to their school? I haven't heard of many. These guys have a lot of voices in their ears. It's kind of like dumping your girlfriend because you think you can do better than you don't have the guts to swallow your pride and ask her to take you back. 

KD Davis comes to my mind, but I am sure there are others.

[MeanGreenGlory]

2 hours ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

K.D. Davis comes to mind.  I know there are plenty of others, although that is certainly the exception rather than the rule.

 

2 hours ago, JT Hammons said:

KD Davis comes to my mind, but I am sure there are others.

 

 

[Matt from A700]

7 hours ago, Ross Hodgeson said:

I don't think it is 100% that these guys won't be coming back.

I am optimistic we'll still have a competitive team, but I'm not holding my breath for any of the portal entrees to come back.

[Jdawg48]

So we just lost Layne Taylor as a commit.... something is definitely going on.

[glick1980]

Hodge’d?

[GMG24]

1 hour ago, Jdawg48 said:

So we just lost Layne Taylor as a commit.... something is definitely going on.

We released him from his National Letter of Intent, he was a signee not a commit.  Staff had to release him from what he signed.