Mean Green

UNT women's basketball coach Shanice Stephens continued to make headway in rebuilding her team this week when she landed her third recruit since arriving on campus. The latest to hop on board is Jasmine Godbolt, a forward from Garland Naaman Forest.

Godbolt will be a senior this fall and has pretty impressive credentials, including being named first-team All-District 10-5A and all-region last year.

I caught Godbolt on the phone in between games with her AAU team that is at a tournament in New Orleans this week.

Check out tomorrow's paper for the full story and be sure to post your thoughts on the blog. What is your impression of UNT's recruiting class thus far under Stephens?

We have an interesting debate going on the Mean Green Blog over Todd Dodge and his public comments that he is holding UNT to the promise it made him to have a stadium by 2010 when he was hired.

Zach T. weighed in with the following today:

"Here's the funny thing, hypocritical really...Darrell Dickey got accused of whining when he spoke about the need for better facilities; Dodge mentions it, and people praise him. Yes, my alma mater's football fans are indeed that stupid and superficial...with memory banks equal to that of sheep. Wake me up when Dodge has four consecutive bowl teams. To me, a coach going 2-10 then running around giving his opinion about the stadium, etc...please. He's the moron who came in saying there'd be no excuses. Gee, things sure do look different from the drivers seat, eh, Todd? Dope."

It's an interesting point. Darrell Dickey often said it was tough to win at UNT because of the overall situation and was blasted for that.

Perhaps my favorite Dickey quote ever went something like this after practice was called of for the day due to rain.

"We were going to go practice in our indoor facility, but we were afraid the players would get hurt running into the lockers."

Insert cymbal crash here.

Lets keep this going. Post your thoughts on the blog on Dodge going public with UNT saying it would have a stadium by 2010 when it hired him and whether is he getting a free pass for saying the same things about UNT's facilities as Dickey.

I finally was able to run down Rowlett cornerback Hilbert Jackson and his coach tonight after getting my feet back under me following Sun Belt Conference Media Days.

Jackson committed to UNT after attending a camp for seniors over the weekend. Jackson was an honorable mention All-District 10-5A selection last season. He didn't have any other scholarship offers, but Louisiana Tech had shown interest. I should have a story in the paper on Jackson the day after tomorrow since he called back late tonight.

While UNT landed one cornerback, it missed out on another when Dallas Lincoln's Keivon Gamble committed to Tulsa. Gamble had several scholarship offers, including ones from Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State and Arkansas State.

A few UNT fans probably already saw this, but a new defensive tackle's name has come up in connection with the Mean Green. John White of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, a historic hotbed for UNT in recruiting, has an offer from UNT and another from Michigan State. The Mean Green is going to sign a class full of linemen this time around and White appears to be one of their targets. Having a couple of NEO players on the roster should help UNT's chances.

Post your thoughts on the blog. What are your impressions of UNT's efforts thus far in recruiting?

The popular topic of conversation at Sun Belt Conference Media Days was the arms race in the league when it comes to facilities. I asked a few coaches, Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters and UNT head coach Todd Dodge about the issue for a story that will be in tomorrow's paper.

I made the mistake of waiting until Day 2 to write it, but the most interesting part of the story is what Dodge had to say -- no big surprise there. Dodge expressed confidence in UNT's ability to build a new stadium last year and didn't back off this year. The kicker was Dodge said he was told when he was hired that UNT would have a new place by 2010.

To me that is significant.

If you hired a new coach with the assumption that a new stadium would be in place by a certain date and he went out and sold players on having a new facility by that date, it makes it pretty important to come through.

Something will have to take place pretty soon for that to happen. In an interesting side note, Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger said the Owls are aiming for 2010 as well and will have to get something done in the next few weeks in the way of financing to make that goal a reality.

Time appears to be of the essence for UNT.

We will also have a notebook with more on Mack Cole -- I talked to his junior college coach today -- and the Sun Belt's new alternate bowl tie-ins in tomorrow's paper.

The big news during the final session of Sun Belt Conference Media Days was the announcement of three new bowl tie-ins for the league. The St. Petersburg Bowl, Papajohns.com and PetroSun Impendence Bowl all entered into agreements with the Sun Belt that if the conference that hold first rights to their bowl slots do not have eligible teams, the Sun Belt will have the first opportunity to fill those slots.

The agreements could help the Sun Belt avoid having a bowl-eligible team left at home. Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said that there are an average of 70 bowl-eligible teams for 34 bowl games.

I just finished up writing my media days story and notebook for the DRC. While I was at it, I managed to pick up some recruiting news. Enjoy. And be sure to pick up a copy of the paper tomorrow.

The more Houston Cypress Ridge offensive lineman Keenan Flax saw of UNT, the more convinced he was that the school was the right place for him to continue his college career.

Flax (6-5, 270) said Monday that he has orally committed to play for the Mean Green after attending a camp at UNT over the weekend. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day recruits in the Class of 2009 can sign a letter of intent is Feb. 4.

"I went up there on three separate visits and liked the campus and the coaching staff," Flax said. "That is how I made up my mind. They talk about academics and setting you up with an academic coach. They remind me of my high school coaches."

Flax was an All-District 17-5A selection last season and is a former teammate of incoming UNT freshman cornerback Royce Hill.

Flax, who is expected to play guard or tackle for UNT, said he also received scholarship offers from New Mexico State, Georgia Tech, Colorado State, Buffalo and Arkansas.
"The coaches told me by the time I get there, some spots will be open because of the number of seniors who are on the team," Flax said.

North Texas was picked to finish seventh in the eight-team Sun Belt Conference in the league's preseason coaches' poll. Florida Atlantic was a near unanimous pick to win the title, receiving seven of the eight first-place votes.

UNT had just two players selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference team, offensive lineman Kelvin Drake and wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald. FAU swept the preseason player of the year honors with quarterback Rusty Smith earning Offensive Player of the Year and linebacker Frantz Joseph Defensive Player of the Year.

The following is the full team and poll. Post your thoughts on the blog.

Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll
School;Points
1.Florida Atlantic (6);62
2. Troy (1);51
3. Louisiana-Monroe (1);46
4. Arkansas State;39
5. Middle Tennessee;32
6. Louisiana-Lafayette;26
7. North Texas;19
8. Florida International;13

All Sun Belt Conference Team
The following is the All-Sun Belt Conference team selected by the league's head coaches and select media members who cover the conference on a regular basis.
Offense
QB - Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic, Jr.
RB - Reggie Arnold, Arkansas State, Jr.
WR - Cortez Gent, Florida Atlantic, Jr.; Casey Fitzgerald, North Texas, Sr.
TE - David Johnson, Arkansas State, Sr.; Zeek Zacharie, Louisiana-Monroe, Sr.
OL - Matt Mandich, Arkansas State, Sr.; Nick Paris, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Chris Fisher, Louisiana-Lafayette, Jr.; Kelvin Drake, North Texas, Jr.; Dion Small, Troy, Sr.
Defense
DL - Alex Carrington, Arkansas State, Jr.; Robert St. Clair, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Jervonte Jackson, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Kenny Mainor, Troy, Sr.
LB - Ben Owens, Arkansas State, Sr.; Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Boris Lee, Troy, Jr
DB - Tavious Polo, Florida Atlantic, So.; Corey Small, Florida Atlantic, Sr.; Greg James, Louisiana-Monroe, Jr.; Alex Suber, Middle Tennessee, Sr.; Sherrod Martin, Troy, Sr.; Tavares Williams, Troy, Sr.
Special teams
P - Scott Love, Louisiana-Monroe, Jr.
PK - Drew Edmiston, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sr.
RS - Desmond Gee, Middle Tennesse, Jr.
Offensive Player of the Year - Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic
Defensive Player of the Year - Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic

I came across a couple of recruiting tidbits that I thought I would pass along tonight.

Andrew Russell, a center from Richardson who attended a UNT camp, has committed to Louisiana-Monroe. Russell did not have an offer from UNT, but was offered by UNLV. Several other schools in Texas had shown interest, including Baylor, SMU and UTEP. The Warhawks have quietly picked up five commitments from some pretty solid players.

One recruit UNT has offered is Sean Warren, a defensive tackle from Blinn Community College. Warren told Scout.com that he would not commit early. He is going to wait and see what offers come along during and after the season. Warren didn't have to wait long. Rivals.com is reporting that UAB has offered.

I pulled the drive-by late this morning to take a look at what was going on at UNT's camp for seniors.

The players were all in UNT green or white jerseys with numbers, so there was no way to tell who was who. There were several dozen players there, including a large group of linemen. UNT really needs to land a few at this point.

UNT's lone recruit thus far, wide receiver Daniel Mayberry, attended the Mean Green's first camp.

The way this usually works is players meet with UNT's coaches after the end of the workout. Several of the players on hand have probably been in contact with UNT for quite a while. A few could receive offers before they leave if UNT's coaches had their minds made up heading into the workout.

The coaches will also meet to discuss players and could offer more who attended sometime in the next few days. They could offer a few tonight.

If UNT lands a player, the news will leak to someone, typically a recruiting service that has been covering the player's recruitment or a local media member who already has a relationship with him.

Either way, I would expect some news -- either on offers or new recruits -- in the next day or so.

I managed to get an advance copy of North Texas fall roster today. Here are a couple of interesting tidbits I picked up from the list.

I am not sure if this has been mentioned already, but UNT will gray shirt Southlake Carroll offensive lineman Nick Leppo. The Dragons' starting center suffered an injury last year and will gray shirt this season. Leppo will take less than a full class schedule in the fall and officially join the team at the semester break when a scholarship opens up. He is not on the fall roster.

A few interesting names came up as walk-ons. Sterling Carter will walk on and is listed as a defensive lineman. I have no confirmation of this, but my guess is this is the lineman who played for Houston Strake Jesuit last season and never signed. Scout.com had him listed at 6-3, 265.

There is an offensive lineman named Dan Holt on the roster that I am betting is a transfer from Midwestern State who played at McKinney North. Holt was listed at 6-5, 300, all the way back in high school.

And now for what you all really wanted to know. All the key players who were at one point or another were rumored to have left the team are still on the roster, with the exception of those we already know about - defensive ends Eddrick Gilmore and Alonzo Horton.

Robbie Gordon is also back on the roster.

Of course there is still some time left until the end of summer school, but UNT head coach Todd Dodge said he does not expect any more players to fall short academically.

There will be a story in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle with comments from head coach Todd Dodge on UNT losing projected starting defensive ends Eddrick Gilmore and Alonzo Horton.

Dodge also gave us some insight on where UNT might turn in an effort to fill the void in the Mean Green's lineup.

In the mean time, here are a couple of tidbits.

UNT is going to consider moving Troy Franklin, an OL-DL recruit from Celina, to defensive line this fall. The Mean Green recruited Franklin as an offensive lineman, but if it looks like he can help on defense, moving him is something Dodge will consider.

Dodge also said that UNT is in good shape with its other players taking summer school. UNT does not expect any more losses.

Freshmen will report Aug. 2 with the full team reporting the next day for fall practice.

The cat is already out of the bag, but it is worth pointing out on the blog that Alonzo Horton, perhaps the recruit UNT needed the most in the wake of Eddrick Gilmore's departure, is no longer on the Mean Green's roster.

Most people -- myself included -- were projecting Gilmore and Horton to start at the two defensive end slots for UNT next season.

Gilmore was among the Mean Green's most productive defensive players late last season and was starting to look like a potential star. Just how good was Gilmore? I have no way of telling if the e-mail was valid, but one person asked me if I had contact info for Gilmore to see if he would be interested in playing in Canada next season now that he is out of options on the college level.

UNT does not have a whole lot of options left now at defensive end. Marquis Sykes had better be everything the Mean Green's coaching staff hopes he can be, or the Mean Green will be in a world of hurt.

I received a question via e-mail today about just what happens at player-run offseason workouts.

I immediately thought back to a quote I heard somewhere, although I can't recall who to credit.

"It's like the Underwear Olympics"

Some players get a lot out of offseason workouts. UNT's quarterbacks are working with their wide receivers, getting their timing and chemistry down. Defensive backs can work against receivers and improve their footwork.

UNT's skill position guys were going though all the typical drills.

What I wonder is if linemen really benefit much from the whole offseason routine. If you have ever stood around at practice during the season, offseason workouts resemble the first two minutes after teams break their players out into positions.

The linemen all line up, get in their stance and move in unison at an imaginary snap. There are times players will work one-on-one in pass rush drills in the summer, but for the few minutes I was around yesterday, everyone was working on those famous footwork drills that former UNT line coach Harold Ethridge was fond of using in practice.

I am sure they are very beneficial, but they often remind me of a step show or line dancing for those of you who are country music fans. I have often wanted to scream out "Hey, Macarena" while watching linemen move in unison with no one on the other side of the line.

I refrained for the few minutes I was there having a photo taken for an advertisement that will run in the paper this fall.

I happened to swing by Fouts Field today to attend to some business and happened upon one of UNT's voluntary offseason workouts. This was strictly a player-run practice, but all the usual suspects were there -- Giovanni Vizza, Riley Dodge and Daniel Meager, to name a few. There were also a host of receivers and defensive backs and several linemen.

I was only there for a few minutes, but there were a few tidbits worth mentioning.

Defensive lineman Draylen Ross looks huge.

Dodge looks like he is well on his way back to full strength after offseason shoulder surgery.

Vizza looks crisp as usual and appeared to be in charge of the proceedings.

UNT appears as if it will have a more athletic and polished receiving corps this season. The whole crew appeared to be on hand.

I am back on the blog after taking a few days off to catch my breath and make a still ongoing futile attempt to put in a paver patio behind the Denton homestead.

Any way, media days are the beginning of next week, which means it's almost time to start working on our annual eight-page UNT preview section that is part of the overall DRC football preview edition.

While I am at it, I have come across a recruiting note.

Sean Warren, a defensive lineman from Blinn, is one of the few prospects UNT has offered thus far in recruiting. Warren spoke to Scout.com and it doesn't look like he will be committing early.

"North Texas offered me so I have a D-1 offer," Warren told Scout.com. "My goal in coming to Blinn was to go D-1 after I finished so I'm excited I have that option right now. SMU, UAB, Troy, McNeese State and LSU have been sending me stuff too, so I might have more offers if I do well during the season."

Post your thoughts on the blog. Is landing Warren a key to UNT having a solid recruiting class?

There was some movement on the recruiting front today when UNT target Tony Peoples, a running back from The Colony, committed to Tulsa. Peoples had not been offered by UNT, which took a similar multi-purpose back last season in Lance Dunbar.

Some of UNT's faithful might have seen this earlier today, but tennis coach Sujay Lama signed another foreign standout this week in Irina-Alexandra Paraschiv of Romania. Paraschiv was the No. 1-ranked player in her age group in her country at one point.

Lama is quickly putting together an impressive team at UNT. Lama set out a goal to be nationally ranked quickly in his tenure with the Mean Green. That goal is starting to look like it could become a reality sooner rather than later.

I received a couple of good questions today on the blog that I thought I would answer to go along with some thoughts on the loss of Eddrick Gilmore and a few other roster notes.

J.D. wanted to know if Gilmore was an academic casualty or if he left the program for personal reasons. UNT officials are not allowed to say because of privacy laws what a student's academic status is. The simple fact of the matter is players just don't drop off the roster when they are going to be starters for no reason.

UNT has lost several players over the last year for various reasons. Defensive backs Kevin Ealey and Evyn Roman have left. Offensive lineman Jack Crumes is gone and now so is Gilmore.

Those losses are the types that can come back to haunt a program when the next round of APR scores come out. UNT is heading into next season five scholarships down for its latest four-year score.

UNT isn't out of the woods yet when it comes to keeping its players eligible for next season either. Summer school is still in session and UNT has several players who need to do well to be eligible next season.

Just remember, UNT will only be hit if its four-year average score is below 925 and a player drops out of school while he is academically ineligible.

I got a hold of an updated fall roster and there are a few interesting notes. Along with Gilmore and Crumes, Missouri transfer Donte Neal is also no longer on the roster.

Riley Dodge will wear No. 11. Wide receiver recruit Kenny Barrett will wear Johnny Quinn's old number -- 81.

Andrew Smith's No. 12 is not taken. I have to compliment head coach Todd Dodge on that decision. I would like to see Smith's number retired or see the school recognize the former quarterback in a lasting way. For those of you out there new to the program, Smith led UNT to a win over Cincinnati in the New Orleans Bowl in 2002 and was later killed in a car accident.

As for losing Gilmore, UNT really took a tough blow to a part of its roster without a lot of depth. UNT's backups are either unproven or older players who have not produced a whole lot. One of the challenges Jeremiah Chapman faced last season was every team UNT played knew he was one of its few legitimate pass-rushing threats. Top-rated recruit Alonzo Horton is going to be in the same boat next season unless Marquis Sykes breaks out.

Losing Gilmore will weaken UNT's front seven as a whole. The Mean Green brought in a host of players that could make an impact in the secondary, but outside of Horton, UNT is going to have to go with what it has on hand. Outside linebacker Craig Robertson is great, but Tobe Nwigwe, who had just 10 tackles last year, will start at middle linebacker. AJ Penson has potential, but is a sophomore with little experience. Joseph Miller is solid at defensive tackle, but UNT has few other potential standouts up front. Isaac Thomas has been solid at times, but has had trouble staying healthy.

Miller is UNT's only returning player who had a sack last season.

UNT brought in three junior college defensive backs and six high school defensive backs. Four had better be ready because they could end up being the strength of UNT's defense.

Post your thoughts on the blog. Are you concerned with the number of players UNT has lost in the last year and the Mean Green's defensive front seven?

A UNT official confirmed today what had long been rumored this off-season. Defensive end Eddrick Gilmore will not be back with the Mean Green this fall.

Gilmore was one of the few playmakers UNT had on defense last season. He finished with 35 tackles, including six for losses, 1.5 sacks, five pass breakups and two quarterback hurries in just nine games, seven of which he started.

Losing Gilmore is a tough blow for UNT, which was counting on the former Alief Hastings standout to be a cornerstone in the rebuilding process after a disastrous 2007 season defensively. UNT finished last nationally with an average of 45.1 points allowed per game.

Gilmore would have been a perfect complement for incoming junior college defensive end Alonzo Horton. UNT will now have to turn to a host of young players to fill the void, including Marquis Sykes.

There will be a full story in tomorrow's edition of the Denton Record-Chronicle.

Post your thoughts on the blog. How big a blow is losing Gilmore for UNT?

One of the best parts about the summer in the sports business -- other than vacation and not having to stand around at football practice in the 95 degree heat -- is that we have space in the paper and time to bring readers stories we wouldn't have either for the rest of the year.

Today, we told the story of UNT tennis coach Sujay Lama and the school for orphans his family runs back in his homeland of Nepal. Lama raises money for the school and is actually going back for a visit this summer.

One of the challenges Lama faces is building a new set of benefactors for his family's charity in Denton.

Most of the attention among UNT fans goes to the major sports -- football and men's and women's hoops -- but Lama's story is one that is worth reading if you have time. I actually heard from a UNT fan today that said he is considering donating to the charity.

I won't rehash the story here on the blog, but if you are interested, click here to read the story.:

This is a link to the charity's Web site:

www.supportprojectnepal.com

Lama is not only making an impact in his homeland, he is also doing a nice job with the UNT tennis team. The Mean Green finished 13-9 last season after going 2-19 the year before.

I was killing some time tonight while waiting for the late games to end so that I could finish laying out tomorrow's paper when I ran across a column that is sure to get the Mean Green faithful's blood boiling. Hang around an area long enough and someone is sure to forward you any column or note on the team you are covering.

Any way, Scott Farrell, who used to work at the Morning News, but is now running MustangManiacs.com, wrote a column on SMU's schedule and threw UNT under the bus along the way.

The premise of the column is that the scheduling deals SMU announced with regional rivals like UNT last week do not fit SMU's mission to be a top-25 caliber program.

"The trouble spot is Orsini allowing SMU to be baited into the four-game set with North Texas. That series and two throw-away games against Stephen F. Austin occupy what may become valuable schedule slots in the future that, should SMU improve and ESPN comes calling, could be used for a national TV date or a lucrative paycheck-earning game at Ohio State or Tennessee or Nebraska or such."

Part of the deal when you work for a newspaper is trying to be a neutral party and casting a skeptical eye on what is going on around a program. Work for a fan site and you are paid to drink the Kool-Aid.

Scott is only doing his job, but saying SMU should not play UNT because the Ponies are destined to be a Top 25-caliber program that will need open dates to go take down Notre Dame on ESPN seems to be rather large leap, but hey, I am sure the Pony faithful loved it.

If you are a Rivals.com subscriber like most of us in the media business who have to work the recruiting beat, here is the address. I still haven't figured out how to get the link function to work on the new blog.

http://smu.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=823433

I know some of you are asking what in the heck do I care about what some SMU fan thinks? Maybe you don't care, but if the column gets your blood boiling, be sure to post your thoughts on the blog.

After all, would I blog about an inflammatory SMU column to stoke UNT fans' Scrappy-loving, Jamario Thomas T-shirt-wearing, Todd Dodge-believing fire just to drive blog traffic?

You better believe it.