0It's been a pretty crazy push to the finish on the football recruiting front. We have last-minute additions, gray shirt subtractions (temporarily) and a whole lot of questions hanging out there.
Here's the latest I could come up with.
I gave some old friends at the Midland Reporter-Telegram a call and Midland High defensive end Dutton Watson has committed to UNT. I never got him on the phone, but the guys out there are sure he is going to sign with the Mean Green.
I talked to Jamal Marshall's coach, so we can add him in. He's the cornerback from the Houston area.
Michael Handy, a running back out of Conroe Oakridge, also popped up out of nowhere. I couldn't get any confirmation on him and have no idea if he will sign tomorrow, if he is a gray shirt candidate, what the plan with him is or if he is part of the plan.
I already reported earlier that UNT will gray shirt Andrew Tucker, Dylan McDorman and Christian Hines.
There is always a chance that a player will change his mind and sign with another team tomorrow.
Even if that happens, I can't see any way UNT is not going to over sign its class by several players.
UNT is smart to do just that. A lot of successful teams over sign. I will find it entertaining to see the people who screamed bloody murder every year when year when teams like Troy did it back track if UNT does the same thing.
It's another landmark moment for UNT as it grows up as a program. Its staff has shown another sign it has graduated from high school and gone to college.
All in all, I am pretty happy with the information we have had in the paper and the blog. My guess is that when the class is finalized tomorrow, we will have had quotes in the paper or the blog from all but a couple of the players joining the team.
Hopefully, we will have put their background and potential in better perspective as well.
Here's the list as it stands:
North Texas commitments
JUCO transfers
D.Q. Johnson, CB, Iowa Western C.C.
High school signees
David Busby, CB, Coppell
Dustin Clark, LB, Borger
Devante Davis, DB, Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn
Malik Dilonga, DE, Cedar Hill Trinity Christian
Boone Feldt, OL, Buda Hays
Mustafa Haboul, DT, Arlington Martin
Carlos Harris, ATH, Frisco
Brad Horton, DE, Liberty Christian
Jarmarcus Jarvis, RB/CB, East Ascension (La.)
Xavier Kelly, CB, Katy Mayde Creek
Roderick Lancaster, WR,Oak Cliff Life School
Mark Lewis, RB, Livonia, La.
Jamal Marshall, CB, Fort Bend Elkins
Ryan Rentfro, OL, Flower Mound Marcus
Jarrian Roberts, LB, Clarksville
Rex Rollins, RB, Tyler Chapel Hill
Nick Schrapps, WR, Beaumont Kelly
LaJaylin Smith, LB, St. Charles Catholic, La Place, La.
Connor Trussell, OL, Arlington Martin
Sir Calvin Wallace, DT, Tyler Chapel Hill
Dutton Watson, DE, Midland High
Gray shirts
Dylan McDorman, DT, Wichita Falls Rider
Christian Hines, WR, Corsicana
Andrew Tucker, RB, Tyler Chapel Hill
DI transfers who sat out last year
Cam Feldt, OL, Arkansas
Marcus Trice, DB, Oklahoma
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Nice job Brett! It should be interesting to see how it all pans out tomorrow!
There is a large difference between what schools like Troy do and what grey shirting three players signifies.
Troy oversigns by 20 -- locking in a players commitment. Then they 'place' the kid in a JUCO and hope the player makes the grades and turns out to be a good player. If the player gets injured, doesn't play well, or doesn't make the grade -- they will never see the Troy campus.
UNT is setup to have three players ENROLL in UNT and practice with the team. Later they will have a chance at a scholarship. The players are ostensibly choosing UNT for the place they want to be for school and they have the chance to play football here, but will pay for a year at UNT on their own dime.
They aren't competing with 20 other players who are spread out to 5 different JUCOs for 3 scholarship spots at Troy.
Certainly that is a huge difference in philosophies.
You sir have no clue what a gray shirt means. The scholarship counts forward to the next class, but the kids are not allowed to enroll at UNT or full time anywhere until January. Otherwise it starts their clock as far as eligibility goes. It's not a "shot" at a scholarship, its a guarenteed scholarship.
It appears to me that those you mentioned have signed.
Looks like UNT's 2012 recruiting class is pretty solid. Several 3-star recruits should bolster an already improving team. If UNT can continue to have on-field success, some 4- and 5-star recruits may be available in the near future.
Brett it has been 4 hours since I first read your brilliant reporting and well....I think I might need to contact a physician because it has been 4 hours of Chubby for Brett V!!!!!!