Reggie Pegram confirmed today that he is headed to UNT. Either this fall or in 2013, he will be eligible, depending on the way his hardship appeal with the NCAA on the basis of his mother's health turns out.

He will be on scholarship at one of those two points as well.

UNT was not exactly hurting for depth at running back. I can understand where some people have questioned how adding Pegram makes sense in terms of the roster that has some holes in other spots.

The more one looks at it, the more adding Pegram makes sense, though.

Jeremy Brown and Brandin Bryd came out of spring practice atop the depth chart. Brown will be a senior and Byrd a junior in the fall.

UNT's staff likes Antoinne Jimmerson and Zac Whitfield quite a bit and both will be redshirt freshmen in the fall.

Just for the sake of argument, let's say Pegram's appeal does not go through. This is UNT football. UNT never wins appeals with the NCAA in football.

That would mean that Pegram would be a junior when Brown is gone, Byrd is a senior and Jimmerson and Whitfield are sophomores. At that point, UNT would have the option to spread the ball around a little between four players.

Pegram will also probably play at 210-215 and offer some power that Jimmerson and Whitfield might not at that stage in their careers.

Considering UNT does not have a lot of proven running backs, adding another is not going to hurt matters.

I also like the fact that Pegram is from Madison, one of the Dallas area schools UNT is and should be targeting in recruiting as the public school in the area.

And to top it off, Pegram is the cousin of UNT Hall of Famer Erric Pegram and future Hall of Famer Brandon Kennedy (he should already be in along with Scott Hall, but that is a discussion for another time).

Any way one looks at it, Pegram just makes a whole lot of sense for UNT.

Reggie Pegram, a former Dallas Madison standout, confirmed Tuesday afternoon that he will enroll at UNT.

Pegram played two seasons at Purdue. Here is his bio: Pegram

Pegram rushed for 109 yards on 22 carries last season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining at UNT.

Pegram plans to file a hardship waiver with the NCAA based on the health of his mother, who has a heart condition.

UNT recruited Pegram out of Dallas Madison, where he was an all-state running back. Pegram elected to sign with Purdue and played two seasons.

Once Pegram decided to transfer closer to home, UNT became an attractive destination because of his family's connection to the school. Pegram's cousins Brandon Kennedy and Erric Pegram are both significant players in program history.

Pegram led UNT in rushing twice, and went on to play seven seasons in the NFL. Brandon Kennedy was the Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2002 and 2003, during one of the golden eras in the history of the program -- UNT's four-year run as Sun Belt champions.

UNT lost Lance Dunbar, the leading rusher in program history, following his senior season last year. UNT will turn to a host of unproven backs, including senior Jeremy Brown, Brandin Byrd and redshirt freshmen Antoinne Jimmerson and Zac Whitfield next season.

Depending on how the NCAA rules on his hardship waiver, Pegram could be added to the mix this season. If not, he will have a chance to carve out a role beginning in 2013.

I checked today in with Brock Berglund, the former Kansas quarterback who is looking for a new home.

Berglund was in Arizona, continuing a tour of the country and a whole lot of schools from the Sun Belt level (UNT and Florida International) all the way up to the SEC (Ole Miss).

I have no idea which way Berglund is leaning at this point, but I am sure of this -- the guy has plenty of options.

If he ended up at UNT -- and I am not saying that he will -- Berglund would be arguably the best quarterback prospect the Mean Green has signed in pretty much forever.

While we are on the topic of recruiting, it should be interesting to see how the announcement that UNT is on the way to Conference USA helps the Mean Green this year.

The Sun Belt Conference has been great for UNT, but there is little question that playing in C-USA where the Mean Green will have some regional rivals fans and recruits care about will help matters quite a bit.

I have heard that the announcement of the move has helped matters already.

UNT has yet to land a prospect that we know of, but the few that have come off the board so far are headed to big-time programs. Rockwall Heath linebacker Raaquan Davis committed to Baylor today. UNT was one of about a dozen teams in the hunt.

Mesquite defensive end Dimarya Mixon committed to Arizona State. Texas, Ohio State, USC and Houston have picked up commitments from players UNT has offered.

UNT has more to sell than ever before.

That should translate into a solid recruiting class, one that might even include Brock Berglund. We should know in a few days.

It's hard to consider Carl Sheffield a new coach at UNT considering he hung around for more than a decade as an assistant coach.

He hasn't been around long as the man in charge of the Mean Green's track program for long, though. And that makes what UNT's women's track team accomplished over the weekend impressive.

UNT won the team title on the women's side for the first time since 2003.

It's been a while.

UNT broke through in dramatic fashion, winning the 4x400 relay at the end of the meet to beat out Western Kentucky. Both teams entered the final race with 111 points.

Jamila Cartwright, Ashley Harrison, Chastity Stewart and Kendria Burton won that final race for UNT in 3:42.74.

The win couldn't have come at a much better time for UNT, which will have to start building toward a move to Conference USA. UNT's new league is pretty good in track overall and will be a step up from the Sun Belt.

Sheffield took over in August of last year.

He quickly led the UNT women to the top of the Sun Belt. It will be interesting to see what he can do once the program joins C-USA.

The Sporting News came out with a pretty interesting list a couple of days back -- a full run down of the coaches in college football from the best to the worst.

Lists always make for some lively discussion, and this should be no different, especially since Dan McCarney came in at No. 87 overall and No. 6 in the Sun Belt rankings. Here's a link: Sun Belt rankings

On the surface, yeah. I can see how McCarney could come in at 6 out of 10 after going 5-7 in his first season. He spent more than a decade at Iowa State before coming to UNT.

So the guy has had pretty much bubkus to work with compared to the guys he has been competing against his whole career.

Granted, UNT will have a lot more to work with going forward, especially with a pending move to Conference USA.

But let's be honest here. That 5-7 last year was pretty impressive considering McCarney took over following the biggest fiasco arguably in the history of UNT athletics and indisputably UNT football.

They should have given Mac a pointy hat after last season. It was pure magic he came up with considering what he had to work with.

Troy coach Larry Blakeney topped the list for Sun Belt coaches, with Mario Cristobal right behind him. I don't have a problem with either pick. Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn was No. 3, even though he hasn't coached a game at ASU yet.

As far as the national list goes, there are a few interesting names on there. Kansas State's Bill Snyder is No. 11. UNT will face the Wildcats this season.

June Jones at SMU checks in at No. 22. He has won two bowl games with the Ponies.

Ton Levine at Houston is No 112. It should be interesting to see what he does with what he inherited. UNT faces the Cougars this season.

Take a look through the list and post your thoughts on the blog.

Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News
Former DeSoto wide receiver Darius Terrell (pictured at a game between DeSoto and Plano in 2009 at Eagle Stadium in DeSoto) is headed to UNT. He plans to arrive at the school in July and enroll in August.

When Dan McCarney arrived at North Texas before last season, he inherited a few solid wide receivers. There was Brelan Chancellor and Chris Bynes. No one knew at that point that Tyler Stradford wouldn't work out.

The team quickly added Chaz Sampson, a 6-5 Mansfield standout who was committed to Tulsa before the coaching change at the school.

When UNT elected to redshirt Sampson and Stradford turned out to be a bust, it was left with a batch of players that didn't exactly strike fear in a lot of opponents.

Chancellor made some plays. So did Bynes, but UNT didn't have the overall talent it wanted or needed.

The Mean Green took a step toward addressing that issue this week when it picked up for DeSoto standout Darius Terrell.

Terrell has talent. He has size a 6-3. The question will be if he can get back to the form he showed at DeSoto and display the kind of speed he will need to be an impact player.

Texas tried to bulk Terrell up to play tight end. He was 238 at one point. He is down to 228 now and will try to get down to 215 by the time he plays at UNT.

Bottom line -- If he was fast enough to sign with Texas, he's fast enough to play in the Sun Belt or Conference USA.

There is a huge difference between Sun Belt fast, C-USA fast and Big 12/Texas fast.

Being 6-3 is also going to help.

Terrell is essentially down to his last chance at UNT. Even if he receives a hardship waiver, he has just three years left. UNT will be his last stop.

When I talked to him yesterday, Terrell seemed determined to take advantage of the opportunity. UNT's coaching staff has raved about strength coach Frank Wintrich and the job he has done getting players to where they need to do in terms of size and strength.

A few years ago, there was a pretty big wide receiver at UNT who needed to work on his speed. Johnny Quinn went across the street and asked former UNT track coach Rick Watkins for help.

That worked out pretty well for UNT.

UNT wanted to upgrade it talent level at wide receiver heading into next year. Terrell might not be a burner in terms of speed, but he has talent.

That talent ought to make him a pretty important part of the overall equation at UNT.

Darius Terrell confirmed this afternoon that he is transferring to UNT after two seasons at Texas.

The former DeSoto standout will have two years of eligibility remaining at UNT after sitting out next season. There is a chance he could get a waiver from the NCAA based on the health of his grandmother that would allow him to play three seasons beginning this fall.

Terrell was a four-star recruit and the 46th-ranked receiver in the country coming out of DeSoto, according to Rivals.com.

Texas recruited Terrell has a slot receiver and H-back because he is a pretty big guy at 6-3.

When Texas changed offensive philosophies, the new offensive coaching staff moved Terrell to tight end. He put on weight to try to adapt to the new position, but it became apparent that he would never contribute in a meaningful way at Texas and decided to transfer.

Houston, Arizona State and UTEP were interested, but Terrell hit it off with UNT head coach Dan McCarney and offensive coordinator Mike Canales. It also helped that Terrell's former DeSoto teammates Zach Orr and Antoinne Jimmerson are currently on UNT's roster.

Terrell will play wide receiver at UNT and wants to get down to 215 by the time he is eligible.

Terrell is in good standing academically.

UNT has two seniors among the six players on its post-spring two-deep depth chart in Chris Bynes and Ivan Delgado. Brelan Chancellor, who was UNT's top receiver last season, will be a junior. UNT also has Chaz Sampson headed into his redshirt freshman season, when the Mean Green's coaching staff is hoping the 6-5 Mansfield product begins to emerge as a key player.

UNT signed a pair of wide receivers in its last class who will be freshmen in the fall -- Roderick Lancaster and Nick Schrapps.

A few people have asked me over the last couple of days when I will have contract information for UNT's new basketball coaches Tony Benford and Mike Petersen.

I put in a request for those contracts right off the bat when they came to town, but had not gotten anything back.

As of today, I was told that there has not been a contract completed.

It sounds like the basic parameters were agreed to by all parties. It's down to the fine print and some haggling back and forth.

If you remember, Johnny Jones had a provision in his deal that made his buyout smaller if he took over at an SEC school (LSU).

There is a reason agents get paid good money.

My guess is that those contracts should be available in the next few days.

I mentioned this earlier, but Rob Evans will be the associate head coach under Benford. I still expect David Anwar, who was at Nebraska, to join UNT's staff at some point. Benford said he was considering him for a spot.

A couple of people who are good with math -- I never was -- have asked about UNT's roster in women's basketball as the signees pile up.

I mentioned this before and it still holds true -- expect a whole lot of turnover next season. There are way too many additions and leftovers to arrive at the scholarship limit without some players who were expected to be on the team to vanish from the roster.

A couple of additional people gave me a call back today and provided some additional information on the John Odoh story.

Odoh is the center from Hill College, who signed with UNT in the early period and later parted ways with the school after Johnny Jones left for LSU and was replaced by Tony Benford.

UNT ended up signing Keith Coleman, another top-rated JUCO center, to take the place of Odoh. Benford came out fine in the end and filled a huge void in UNT's lineup with the 6-10 sophomore who has three years of eligibility left.

A few people have implied that the reason UNT and Odoh have parted ways is not because he does not want to play for the school, but rather because he would not qualify academically.

Odoh has some summer school classes he has to take to finish his two-year degree and qualify to play at the Division I level next year. That's not unusual. UNT has had football players transfer in from junior colleges who were finishing up their two-year degrees until practically the start of two-a-days over the last several years. Odoh is expected to finish without any problem.

The suggestion that Jones had been trying to convince Odoh to back out of his commitment to UNT to play for the Tigers has also been out there

Jones denied that was the case this morning.

"We are not involved with any UNT players at all," Jones said. "I would call and ask the current head coach's blessing if we planned to contact anyone after they were released. I have been at several universities and have never tried to recruit a player who was going to a school I left. I don't operate that way."

A second person involved in the process confirmed that UNT's staff has not contacted Odoh.

As of this afternoon, Odoh has not received his release from UNT. A school official said that UNT has not received the necessary paperwork yet. That appears to be a formality, one that Odoh should take care of once he is aware of how the process works.

I don't blame Benford a bit for going a different direction in terms of finding a big man. Odoh was clearly not comfortable with the situation at UNT with a new coaching staff. He had to find someone to fill the role Odoh was supposed to play for the Mean Green.

One way or another, Odoh will end up being released by UNT and I have little doubt that restriction regarding LSU will be in there. I just doubt at this point it will come into play after Jones quickly added several players to his roster since taking over in Baton Rouge.

I expect that once Odoh is released, he will be snapped up pretty quickly by a high major program. More than a dozen programs have inquired about Odoh over the last few days.

You just hope he finds a situation he is comfortable with quickly.

Rob Evans will serve as UNT's associate head coach under Tony Benford. The school will announce the move today.

Evans was the head coach at Ole Miss and Arizona State and has been in coaching for 40 years.

If there was any concern about Benford being a first-time head coach, the addition of a veteran like Evans should address them.

Benford has one more coaching hire to make. It looks like Jeff Luster will stick around as UNT's director of basketball operations.

The name floating out there is David Anwar, who was at Nebraska last season. Benford acknowledged that Anwar is someone he is considering.

We should hear something in the next few days.

Ernie Kuehne, a former UNT athlete and one of the athletic department's biggest financial backers, will help guide the school's push to add a basketball practice facility.

Kuehne donated $1 million to the UNT athletic department in the spring of 2011 and has been heavily involved with the program over the last several years.

"It isn't whether we want to do it," Kuehne said this spring of building a practice facility. "It's something we have to do to be successful."

Kuehne said he plans to support the project financially.

UNT plays at the UNT Coliseum, also known as the Super Pit. The Mean Green also conducts most of its practices at the venue, which is owned by the university.

Since the university controls the venue, UNT's teams often have to work around the Coliseum's schedule that includes everything from other university events to high school graduations.

UNT often moves its practices to the Norval Pohl Recreation Center, the Physical Education Building or the Mean Green Volleyball Center.

The lack of a dedicated basketball practice facility also often precludes UNT's players from coming in to shoot or workout on their own. The addition of a practice facility would also help UNT's players and coaches control who participates in off-season pickup games.

UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said the addition of a practice venue was in the school's plans during the Sun Belt Conference tournament in March.

"It's definitely a priority for us," Villarreal said. "It's not like we have a terrible situation, but we want to take that next step and this is a part of that process."

UNT's men's basketball program has developed into arguably the school's headliner program over the last several years. UNT advanced to four of the last six Sun Belt Conference tournament finals and played in the NCAA tournament in 2007 and 2010 under former head coach Johnny Jones.

Jones left to take over the program at LSU this spring and was replaced by former Marquette assistant Tony Benford.

Benford has said since taking over the program that UNT has the ability to develop into one of the top teams in the region.

UNT will move to Conference USA in the summer of 2013, which could also bolster the program.

The school could look to renovate an existing facility, which would reduce the cost or build a new venue.

UNT swapped out big man prospects today, parting ways with John Odoh and signing Keith Coleman.

No matter how one looks at this, Tony Benford has clearly taken a bad situation and turned it around.

The bottom line is that Odoh was the key to UNT's entire recruiting class and a big reason a lot of people were talking about UNT as a potential top 25 team next season.

Tony Mitchell is a NBA lottery pick in waiting and the players who will be around him next season are about as strong as one could hope for at a mid-major program. Chris Jones, Jordan Williams, Roger Franklin, Justin Patton -- those guys could play just about anywhere.

In a side note -- Tony Benford mentioned Jones directly today, which makes me think Benford must be pretty confident that his grades will be in order.

The only hole UNT had was in the post, where this team needed someone to come in and play in the paint so that Mitchell could fully exploit all his talents next year.

That was where Odoh came in. At 6-10, he had size, the ability to rebound and play defense, which is the reason he was so highly recruited.

Coleman is a pretty similar player. He was released at Nebraska after the coaching change there and one of Benford's best friends just so happens to be former Nebraska assistant David Anwar (don't be surprised if he is added to UNT's staff in the next few days, by the way).

UNT went in and picked up Coleman and also landed Houston Christian Life point guard P.J. Hardwick late.

If Coleman is what he is supposed to be, UNT has all the pieces.

The one negative in the story is that UNT will release Odoh, but won't release him to LSU. Odoh has only been in the country a couple of years. I talked to him once and talked to his coach multiple times. I believe Swede Trenkle when he says Odoh has had some trouble understanding the whole process.

UNT probably has good reasons to take that position of not releasing him to LSU, although they are not going to put them out there. And I can understand why LSU fans feel like UNT should release him to play for the Tigers.

Like anything else, there are two sides to the story and people on both sides have a point. You just hope that Odoh lands on his feet somewhere. I think the two of us understood about two words we spoke to each other on the phone when he committed to UNT, but I have never heard a negative thing about the guy personally.

It does set up an interesting debate for the future, though. Odoh is ranked No. 102 in JUCO Junction's rankings, while Coleman is nowhere to be found.

Van Coleman's website has Keith Coleman ranked seventh nationally among JUCO power forwards and doesn't list Odoh anywhere.

Odoh was an honorable mention JUCO All-American, Coleman an honorable mention Region II selection.

We will have to wait and see how both players do, as long as Odoh lands somewhere.

The bottom line is UNT doesn't need a superstar. It has one in Mitchell.

With Kedrick Hogans and Alonzo Edwards graduating, UNT needed a solid post presence -- a guy who can average eight points and eight boards a game and free Mitchell up.

Johnny Jones thought that player would be Odoh. Benford thinks Coleman can be that guy, and I have no reason to doubt either player or coach.

UNT got its guy in the end. It just wasn't the guy we all thought it would be.

UNT has completed an overhaul of its roster as it heads into the first season of the Tony Benford era.

UNT has signed Keith Coleman, a 6-10 center out of Marshalltown (Iowa) CC, to go with P.J. Hardwick, the point guard out of Houston Christian Life Benford signed last week.

Those two players will replace John Odoh, the center out of Hill College that UNT signed in the early period, and Forrest Robinson, a highly rated forward who never panned out at UNT.

Robinson was actually released from his scholarship before Benford took over the program.

The interesting twist is that UNT won't release Odoh to LSU, where he could follow Johnny Jones and Shawn Forrest, the two guys who recruited him to UNT.

Odoh is from Nigeria and has only been in the U.S. a couple of years. The personal relationship he built with UNT's former coaches was important to him. He never felt comfortable with the idea of playing for someone else at UNT.

That situation put Benford in a tough spot. He did a great job of remaking the roster late in the process considering the circumstances. Robinson didn't look like he would ever contribute and was on his way out. It was pretty obvious over the last couple of weeks that Odoh wouldn't end up at UNT.

Van Coleman's Hot Hoops 100 ranks Coleman as the seventh-best JUCO power forward in Class of 2012, but does not have Odoh ranked.

JUCO Junction has Odoh ranked No. 103 overall in its ranks for 2012, but does not have Coleman ranked.

Coleman was a high level prospect coming out of high school. Scout.com had him rated No. 23 among centers nationally, while ESPN had him at No. 37.

I will be back with some thoughts later.

Former Kansas quarterback Brock Berglund is finishing out a series of visits to colleges across the country and could have a decision on where he will continue his college career within the next week.

I spoke with Berglund early last week to see where he was in the process picking a new school.

Berglund was one of the top-rated dual-threat quarterbacks in the country and began his career at Kansas. He left the school and is being pursued by multiple teams across the country, including UNT and its current Sun Belt and future Conference USA rival Florida International.

Berglund said that he has or will visit Miami, FIU, UCLA, UNLV, SMU and Ole Miss before deciding where to enroll for summer school. He will have at least three years of eligibility remaining once he resumes his career.

"It will come down to what my purpose is when I take the next step," Berglund said last week of what will influence his decision of where to continue his career. "What the goal is and how I can accomplish that. I want to see what school fits athletically, academically and socially."

Berglund visited UNT on April 13.

"I loved my visit to North Texas," Berglund said. "They have a great group of coaches and a great group of guys."

Berglund said that he would take his time while deciding where to continue his career.

The former Valor Christian standout was rated No. 15 among dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in the Class of 2011 by Rivals.com. He would be arguably the most highly regarded quarterback to sign with UNT in recent memory if he elects to play for the Mean Green.

Derek Thompson is at the top of UNT's depth chart coming out of spring practice after a solid sophomore season. Brent Osborn, another junior, is listed as Thompson's backup.

Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton
North Texas freshman linebacker Michael Stojkovic (31) slams into Indiana sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker last season at Apogee Stadium.

When it comes to college football recruits at North Texas the last few years, Mike Stojkovic had maybe the most unusual story of them all.

Stojkovic was a high school quarterback who somehow ended up at Valley Forge Military Academy, became a linebacker and then a starter practically from Day 1 at UNT.

And just like that, he was gone.

Head coach Dan McCarney confirmed today that Stojkovic had left the program after ranking among the top 10 tacklers on the team as a freshman.

It's a tough blow for UNT, but it's one the Mean Green can overcome.

Jeremy Phillips, the player Stojkovic replaced, is back from injury. So is Will Wright, who seems likely to start on the opposite side.

UNT looked better on defense in the spring than it has in a long time under John Skladany.

UNT's new defensive coordinator will just have one fewer option when it comes to his corps of linebackers.

When one looks back at it now, we probably should have expected a little attrition in McCarney's first class. UNT's staff arrived just weeks before national signing day. UNT's recruiters barely had a chance to say hello to the prospects in the area before asking them to sign on the dotted line.

There have been some misses in that first class -- Terell Brooks, Kerry Swarn and now Stojkovic to name a few.

There have been some hits as well. Cyril Lemon comes to mind.

As UNT moves forward, it will have a whole lot more time to study the players it is signing.

McCarney said today that he feels great about the players in the program. More of them are in with both feet than in the past. McCarney also said he feels more comfortable than in the past about his incoming recruiting class. He knows those players better, and so do his assistants.

Throw in the fact that UNT is headed to Conference USA, and the Mean Green's staff will have more to sell to players they know better.

That should pay off in the long run.

Losing Stojkovic could hurt UNT next year, especially if the injury bug hits.

There is no question about it.

UNT will just have to hope what it has going for it down the line will help soften the blow.

Mike Stojkovic has left the UNT football program, head coach Dan McCarney confirmed Monday afternoon.

The sophomore linebacker from Katy finished fifth among UNT players with 48 tackles last season, despite not playing in the Mean Green's season finale against Middle Tennessee.

"Stojkovic is leaving the program to pursue other opportunities," McCarney said. "We wish him the best. He was not dismissed or pushed out the door."

Stojkovic came to UNT from Valley Forge Military Academy and moved into the starting lineup in the third week of the season after Jeremy Phillips suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for six games.

Stojkovic played a key role for the Mean Green the rest of the season. He finished fourth on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss.

Perhaps Stojkovic's best game came when he posted nine tackles in a loss to Arkansas State.

The loss of Stojkovic will leave UNT with just two of its top 10 tacklers from last season returning.

Phillips is listed as a starter at one outside linebacker spot on UNT's post spring depth chart with junior Will Wright on the opposite side. Wright started three games last season and finished with 31 tackles. Redshirt freshmen Chad Polk and Kendall Washington are listed as UNT's top backups at outside linebacker.

"We feel good about who we have, the depth that we have and the competition," McCarney said. "It's really good. We also know a lot more about the players that we are bringing in this July than the players we brought in previously."

UNT's staff, which is headed into its second season, had more time to evaluate the players that will form its next recruiting class.

McCarney came away from spring practice with a positive feeling not only about his incoming recruiting class, but the veterans who will return next season as well.

"I met with every one of the players and there is a different feeling now," McCarney said. "A lot more of those kids are in with both feet now than there were in the past."

UNT's performance in its first season is a key reason. The Mean Green finished 5-7 in McCarney's first season, equaling its win total from the previous two seasons combined.

UNT will look to build on that performance after losing two of its key defensive players who were scheduled to return next year for at least the beginning of the year. Freddie Warner, UNT's top defensive back, tore his ACL in spring practice and will be out until at least October.

Stojkovic was part of a 2011 recruiting class McCarney's staff put together in a matter of weeks that produced several players who contributed right away. Cyril Lemon started every game of his freshman year on UNT's offensive line, while Andrew Power was a key contributor at tight end.

While that class included its share of hits, there were also a few misses in the group. Defensive tackle Terrell Brooks left the program during his freshman season, while Lincoln safety Kerry Swarn left the program following last season.

Stojkovic is the third member of the class to leave the program.

I picked up a copy of North Texas post-spring depth chart today.

There are a couple of surprises in there:

1. Brent Osborn is at No. 2 on the depth chart at quarterback.

One of the big surprises last year was that when Derek Thompson went down with an injury and couldn't go against Tulsa, UNT turned to freshman Andrew McNulty over the much more experienced Osborn, a JUCO transfer. McNulty had his moments, including scoring the first touchdown in Apogee Stadium history. He also struggled at times and had observers wondering if he was the better pick rather than Osborn. The switch could be an indication that UNT plans to redshirt McNulty this year.

2. Mike Stojkovic is nowhere to be found

Stojkovic was one of the big surprises of last season. The prep school transfer and former Katy standout finished fifth on the team with 48 tackles, even though he didn't play in UNT's season finale against Middle Tennessee. Will Wright is listed as a starter at one outside linebacker spot opposite Jeremy Phillips, while two redshirt freshmen -- Kendall Washington and Chad Polk -- are listed as the backups.

3. Kevin Maduka is a top backup at cornerback

This might not matter by the time UNT heads to Baton Rouge to face LSU, but the starters at cornerback at this point are Freddie Warner and Hilbert Jackson with JUCO transfer D.Q. Johnson and Kevin Maduka as the backups. Warner is out until at least October with a torn ACL. The way it looks on the depth chart now, Maduka would start in Warner's spot. I have a hard time thinking that would be the case. I would expect Johnson to start. UNT is hoping that some of its freshmen will be ready to go in the defensive backfield, especially Baton Rouge Woodlawn product Devante Davis at cornerback. Xavier Kelly of Katy Mayde Creek would be another option. Coppell's David Busby is expected to move to safety.

4. UNT will go with undersized backups on its defensive line

The heights and weights listed on the post-spring two-deep are often a little off, especially by the time the season rolls around. UNT's players are working hard to get bigger, but this team has some undersized players on the depth chart up front on defense. Daryl Mason has shown a lot of promise, but is small at 6-3, 209, for a defensive end. Alexander Lincoln is also on the small side after moving inside to defensive tackle from defensive end at 6-2, 249. Both are listed as top backups.

OFFENSE
WR
10 Ivan Delgado 6-2, 205 Sr. Killeen
14 Chaz Sampson 6-5, 183 Fr-RS Mansfield

LT
71 Antonio Johnson 6-6, 285 So. Diboll
64 LaChris Anyiam 6-4, 292 Jr. Allen

LG
57 Mason Y'Barbo 6-2, 312 So. Sulphur Springs
74 Cam Feldt 6-5, 308 So. Pilot Point

C
60 Aaron Fortenberry 6-4, 300 Sr. Era
63 Nick Summerfield 6-1, 268 Sr. Killeen

RG
62 Cyril Lemon 6-3, 313 So. Marble Falls
77 Travis Ellard 6-3, 282 Fr-RS Deer Park

RT
70 Coleman Feeley 6-5, 305 Sr. Austin
65 Micah Thompson 6-4, 307 Fr-RS Jones, OK

WR
3 Brelan Chancellor 5-9, 177 Jr. Copperas Cove
16 Derrick Teegarden 6-0, 187 So. Odessa

WR
81 Chris Bynes 6-1, 220 Sr. Lauderdale Lakes, FL
17 Lynrick Plesant 6-2, 205 Jr. Mesquite

TE
1 Andrew Power 6-5, 258 Sr. Myrtle Beach, S.C.
86 Drew Miller 6-1, 253 So. Prosper

RB
24 Brandin Byrd 5-10, 211 Jr. Copperas Cove
20 Jeremy Brown 5-8, 183 Sr. Whitewright

QB
7 Derek Thompson 6-4, 220 Jr. Glen Rose
11 Brent Osborn 6-4, 215 Jr. Valley, AL

DEFENSE

DT
97 Richard Abbe 6-4, 319 Jr. Lubbock
96 Tevinn Cantly 6-4, 311 Sr. Arlington

DT
90 Ryan Boutwell 6-3, 261 Jr. China Spring
95 Alexander Lincoln 6-2, 249 So. Cibolo

DE
93 Brandon McCoy 6-2, 270 Jr. Carrollton
49 Daryl Mason 6-3, 209 So. Garland

DE
48 K.C. Obi 6-2, 249 Sr. Mission Hills, CA
44 Aaron Bellazin 6-2, 255 So. Everman

MLB
35 Zachary Orr 6-1, 231 Jr. DeSoto
52 Derek Akunne 6-0, 250 So. Garland

OLB
45 Jeremy Phillips 6-3, 215 Sr. Waller
42 Chad Polk 6-0, 203 Fr-RS Dallas

OLB
11 Will Wright 6-2, 217 Jr. Garland
53 Kendall Washington 6-2, 197 Fr-RS Mansfield

CB
21 Freddie Warner 5-10, 176 So. Dallas
17 Kevin Maduka 5-10, 170 Sr. Carrollton

CB
6 Hilbert Jackson 6-1, 183 Jr. Rowlett
2 D.Q. Johnson 5-11, 185 Jr. Des Moines, IA

S
8 Marcus Trice 5-8, 190 Jr. Mesquite
31 Kenny Buyers 5-11, 175 Fr. Hurst

S
27 Lairamie Lee 5-10, 183 So. Tyler
15 Mike Marshall 6-0, 196 So. Grand Prairie

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK
37 Zach Olen 5-9, 221 Jr. Richardson

P
41 Will Atterberry 5-11, 199 Sr. Lewisville
37 Zach Olen 5-9, 221 Jr. Richardson

I spent some time running down a couple of the experts in college basketball recruiting to lend a little perspective on P.J.Hardwick, the Houston Christian Life point guard who signed with UNT last week.

I never had a chance to use what Mike Kunstadt and Jim Hicks gave me until today.

Something about a new conference for UNT.

Kunstadt runs Texashoops.com and is the authority on Texas high school players, while there might not be a more knowledgeable guy when it comes to Houston players than Hicks, who runs RCS Sports.

Both described Hardwick as a pass-first point guard who is college ready due to the type of teams he played on the last few years.

Hardwick played on an elite AAU team like every other top prospect and also played on a high school team with five Division I players in the starting lineup.

Hick said he kept them all happy and showed an ability to get the ball to teammates in the right spots. Kunstadt said he is very fast with the ball in his hands.

There is a reason Hardwick signed with Mississippi State before being released from his letter of intent.

What I thought was interesting is that Hick said the addition of Hardwick could open doors in Houston for UNT. Playing Rice every year in C-USA will also help.

There is a ton of talent down there. Remember, Calvin Watson was a Houston-area product.

The news is not as good for UNT when it comes to John Odoh.

New UNT head coach Tony Benford has not talked with Odoh yet and there are no plans for the two to meet, Hill College coach Swede Trenkle said Sunday. The longer this drags out, the more I am starting to think Odoh won't end up at UNT.

And I don't think there is any way UNT releases Odoh so that he could sign with LSU. I don't even know if LSU is interested.

The whole process has just hit a stopping point.

It would be a tough break for UNT to lose him because he is the key to the Mean Green's incoming class.

Clarke Overlander will be a good shooter for UNT down the line, but the important piece in the class is Odoh, a 6-10 center. Adding Odoh would allow UNT to move Tony Mitchell to the wing. UNT is losing Kedrick Hogans and Alonzo Edwards to graduation. Those two guys were the only other true post players UNT had.

Forrest Robinson is a face-up forward as is NIko Stojiljkovic.

If Odoh doesn't end up at UNT, that essentially leaves the Mean Green without a true post player other than Mitchell.

It's tough to imagine UNT finding one at this point, although Hogans was a late get for the Mean Green about five years ago now.

UNT might have to look for another player like Hogans if Odoh doesn't end up at UNT as planned.

I went by UNT's softball doubleheader against Northwestern State today. UNT came back from eight runs down after an inning and a half to win 17-8 via the run rule.

I talked to TJ Hubbard and some of the players after the game. I don't know if I have seen anything like it.

The story will be in tomorrow's paper.

The really interesting twist of the last day or so is how C-USA realignment is going.

UNT fans are just happy the Mean Green is in, and who can blame them.

What I find interesting is that it looks like Middle Tennessee is entering the picture.

Here's Adam Sparks' story: MTSU still has a shot

I wouldn't mind seeing MTSU come along for the ride, but I have a feeling most UNT fans would love to leave the school behind.

There has never been a whole lot of love for the Blue Raiders in Denton.

Post your thoughts on the blog.

Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton
North Texas director of athletics Rick Villarreal speaks during a news conference Friday announcing that the school will join Conference USA in 2013 in all sports.

North Texas finally made it to the Promised Land on Friday.

UNT is going to be a member of Conference USA in another year.

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion by Monday night. The rest of the week seemed like a long wait until it all became official.

But let's face it. This was a move that was in the works a whole lot longer than that. UNT has pumped money into its athletic program for nearly a decade now while building venue after venue from the Mean Green Athletic Center to the Mean Green Village and finally Apogee Stadium.

UNT officials maintained throughout the whole process that the investment the school made over that time was the right thing for the program and the school.

It was, but landing in a league that makes sense makes the payoff all the more satisfying for those involved in the process.

UNT came pretty close to getting into the league back in 2004. Eight years later, the school got a second chance and capitalized.

The analogy of the day was making a cake. There was a lot that went into it and a lot of people who contributed from the UNT officials who set the course to the students who voted in a fee that helped fund the construction of Apogee Stadium to the coaches who helped guide the school's teams over the years.

You had to feel good for guys like John Hedlund who didn't have a whole lot to work with when he started building the school's women's soccer program from scratch and turning it into a two-time NCAA tournament participant.

UNT officials and the school's coaches said they believe the programs they guide will be immediately competitive in C-USA.

This much is certain. UNT will have more to work with than ever before. More money, more bowl opportunities, not to mention more regional rivals that ought to attract recruits and fans to games at levels UNT has not seen in the past.

That is the scenario UNT has been chasing for years.

The dividends should be apparent almost immediately for the school.

It will be fun to watch how the school capitalizes.

This much is for sure. The school and the people in charge of athletics at UNT certainly have had a long time to think about what they would do if this day ever came.

It finally did on Friday.

For UNT, the time is now.