Mean Green

I got a good question today on the blog, although it isn’t a very pleasant one to ponder. FanMan wanted to know where to place the blame for UNT coming up short on the APR report.

A lot of people have a hand in trying to keep athletes eligible and in school – from the students themselves to coaches to university support personnel. In this case, everyone appears to have done their job with the exception of some students who didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

In the end, that problem stems from the athletes UNT recruited.

The UNT administration has added an academic center for athletes and academic personnel. Former UNT head coach Darrell Dickey used to hold study hall for his players who didn’t make it to class at the crack of dawn. Johnny Jones emphasizes academics just like Dickey did.

There is an old saying that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. This appears to be the case at UNT, which took some risks on athletes with questionable academic credentials who didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

UNT appears as if it will take fewer of those risks in the future.

That’s definitely the way to go, but it does make me think back to some of the high-risk players that have done well at UNT. No one would touch Jonas Buckles other than UNT because of his academic situation. He graduated in four years and was a four-time all-conference selection at safety – not to mention a great all-around guy. Keith Wooden regained his eligibility at UNT after transferring from Arizona State and helped lead the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament.

You just wonder with the APR if guys like Buckles and Wooden will get the shot they need in the future.

I ran across a tidbit I thought was pretty good blog fodder today. The Sun Belt Conference has its first football commitment for the Class of 2009.

What was interesting is which team was the first to get on the board. Take a guess.

Defending Sun Belt Conference co-champ and New Orleans Bowl champ Florida Atlantic, which has risen from nowhere to become an up-and-comer in college football?

Nope.

Defending Sun Belt Conference co-champ Troy, which went to a bowl game in 2004 and 2006 and has had a couple of first-round NFL Draft picks in DeMarcus Ware and Leodis McKelvin the last couple of years?

Nope.

UNT, the team that brought the whole early commitment craze to the Sun Belt?

Guess again.

Try South Alabama, a school that doesn't yet have a team and won't play its first game until Sept. 5, 2009. The Jaguars are building their program from scratch and landed 2009 prospect Keith Evans, a cornerback from Spanish Fort, Ala.

Evans appears to be a pretty good prospect. USA was the only team to offer him at this point, according to Rivals.com, but Alabama, UAB, Auburn, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee and Samford were among the schools that showed interest.

In an interesting side note, USA also landed Richard Ross from Auburn High. Ross was a 2008 recruit who didn't sign last year.

Early commitments were a hot topic last year. UNT head coach Todd Dodge and most of the rest of the league's coaches say they find the players they are interested in and go after them no matter what point in the process the opportunity arises.

UNT has a couple of offers out at this point, but doesn't have a commitment yet and will face a few obstacles after a 2-10 season. Post your guess on the blog. When do you expect UNT to land its first player for 2009?