We have suddenly gotten pretty busy on the recruiting front in the last day or so, with some new developments and UNT’s first commitment.

I talked to Claude Mathis, the head coach at DeSoto, this morning about Johnavhon Grahm, the defensive end who committed to UNT last night.

Mathis said that UNT has really gotten a pipeline going to DeSoto and that Grahm should be a steal. Mathis said he has great work ethic and will continue to grow. He could be an inch or two taller by the time he graduates. He’s 6-1 now.

I also asked about Nick Orr, the younger brother of Zach Orr. Nick is really starting to blow up. It sounds like he is going to take his time and look at his options.

I will have a story in tomorrow’s paper about Grahm.

UNT is also continuing to send out a host of offers.

@damonsayles After an exciting spring Galena Park ATH – Anthoula “Tank” Kelly receives his 1st offer, UNT! hudl.com/athlete/478700…

— Coach Joe Price III (@CoachJP3) May 24, 2013

Anthoula Kelly of Galena Park North Shore is among the latest. Here is his Rivals.com profile. He looks like a slot receiver.

Austin Westlake HS OT Will Copa was offered by #UNT earlier this afternoon. Copa has a #TXST offer.

— Brent Thibodeaux (@BrentThibodeaux) May 24, 2013

UNT has also offered Austin Westlake tackle Will Copa. Here’s his Rivals.com profile

Johnavhon Grahm, a defensive end from DeSoto, became the first player to commit to UNT for its 2014 recruiting class tonight.

Grahm (6-1, 250) was a second-team All-District 7-5A selection last season. UNT was the first team to offer him a scholarship, although several other schools were showing interest. He was recruited by Ryan Walters, UNT’s new cornerbacks coach.

UNT has a signed a host of players from DeSoto over the last few years, including linebacker Zach Orr, who played a key role in recruiting Grahm.

“After talking to coach Walters and Zach Orr, I felt like North Texas is a good fit for me,” Grahm said. “I fit into their scheme, can make their defensive line better and become a leader.”

UNT projects Grahm as a rush end. He posed seven sacks last season. He will have to put on weight in college, but believes UNT’s strength and conditioning staff can help him reach that goal.

Grahm has not visited UNT yet, but plans to in the next few weeks.

Grahm is just of the players UNT is targeting from DeSoto this year.

The Mean Green is also after highly regarded cornerback Nick Orr, the younger brother of Zach Orr.

Grahm said that he has talked to the younger Orr brother about following him to UNT.

Check back in Saturday’s paper for more on Grahm.

Denton Record-Chronicle (Noith Texas has offered Ryan defensive lineman J.T. Williams, shown here in a game against Southlake Carroll last season.)

We reported earlier today on the blog that UNT defensive coordinator John Sladany was at Ryan this afternoon, talking with Raiders offensive coordinator and former UNT assistant coach Conroy Hines.

Ben Baby, our man at the scene at Ryan, was able to confirm that UNT has offered Raiders defensive lineman J.T. Williams.

Houston has also offered Williams, whose older brother plays at Missouri.

Williams is 6-1, 282, and the latest in a long, long line of standout defensive lineman at Ryan.

Ryan is among the elite programs in the state. UNT has not landed many players from the school over the years. The last I can recall is Cass Starks.

UNT offered a few more players late this week and is on the prowl in Denton today. Here’s a rundown:

Ayy UNT just offered me

— Fonzale*scored*again (@FonzaleD) May 23, 2013

Fonzale Davis, wide receiver, South Oak Cliff.

He also has offers from New Mexico State and Toledo, according to his Rivals.com profile

4th offer comes from North Texas#MeanGreen#blessed

— Too Long Jones (@Jeremy_Jones2) May 23, 2013

Jeremy Jones, quarterback/athlete, San Antonio East Central.

He also has offers from Air Force, Rice and Rutgers, according to his Rivals.com profile.

And finally, Damon Sayles over at ESPN is reporting that UNT has offered Fort Bend Hightower linebacker Matthew Adams

#MoCity Hightower OLB Matthew Adams reports new offers from #Rice & #UNT. es.pn/16bNl2Y#txhsfb #Owls #MeanGreen

— Damon Sayles (@DamonSayles) May 23, 2013

He has offers from Boise State, Houston, SMU, Tulsa and Texas Southern, according to his Rivals.com profile

And in other news, UNT defensive coordinator John Skladany was in the office of Denton Ryan offensive coordinator and former UNT assistant Conroy Hines today.

Smart move. Joey Florence and the Ryan Raiders are the unofficial suppliers of defensive linemen to the Big 12 and SEC.

Think I’m kidding?

Here’s a list of a few of the guys who have come through Ryan the last few years: Jarvis Moss (Florida), Mario Edwards (Florida State), Derek Lokey (Texas), Dominique Banks (Baylor), I could go on.

This year, Ryan has weakside end Sekou Clark, who has an offer from Washington State and great measurables. He could blow up if he plays well this year. Defensive tackle J.T. Williams could also be a top prospect. His brother plays for Missouri.

UNT used to spend a lot of time recruiting in Oklahoma. Some guy named Patrick Cobbs came from there.

Point being UNT offered a wide receiver from the Sooner state today:

Just got offer from North Texas #GodIsGood #2ndOffer #Blessed

— Jalen Adams (@Stixx_7) May 23, 2013

Here’s his Rivals profile that lists offers from Tulsa and San Diego State.

Former North Texas standout Tony Mitchell is solidly in the first round of the NBA draft, according to several post-lottery projections. (Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton)

The NBA mock drafts are being updated as we speak following the lottery last night.

It’s no surprise that Tony Mitchell is solidly in the first round of them all.

The talk of Mitchell dropping out of the first round because of a tough sophomore season and his admission that he didn’t hustle at times was just that — talk without a whole lot of meaning behind it.

Talent rules, just like it does at any level.

Thus Mitchell will be selected in the first round.

Sports Illustrated has Mitchell going with the 19th pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Mitchell is a 6-9, 236-pound beast with undeniable inside-out skills. His production tailed off last season and reports of poor effort — reports Mitchell confirmed to the media and team officials at the combine — will stick with him for a while. Still, Mitchell is a tantalizing talent

CBS has Mitchell going with the 30th pick to the Phoenix Suns:

His stock fell this past season, but he’s a high-level athlete who needs to learn how to play hard every possession.

North Texas head coach Tony Benford talks with his players during a game against Louisiana-Lafayette last season. Benford believes the addition of a few key players will address some of the team's weaknesses last season. (Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton)

While I was over in the basketball offices yesterday, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Tony Benford a little bit about his incoming recruits and how they will fit in this season and further down the line.

We heard a little about what the coaching staff thought of the players in the class when they signed, but I thought Benford had some interesting things to say. Roger Franklin, who is about to head off to Europe to play, also came by and talked a little about what he thought of some of the players joining the team next season.

One question I asked was how Armani Flannigan and Greg Wesley fit in the plans and how they compared.

UNT sees Flannigan as a straight power forward. He’s extremely athletic along the lines of Tony Mitchell and is expected to become a top-notch rebounder. UNT has a pretty big void when it comes to rebounding following the departure of Mitchell and Franklin, who combined to average 14.8 rebounds a game last season. Mitchell grabbed 8.5 a game.

UNT sees Wesley as being a bit different from Flannigan in that he can play either forward spot and has more of a face-up game. He can play the small forward spot and score.

Franklin described Collin Voss, an incoming JUCO power forward, as a wall. Voss was a top tight end in high school. He should be a good post defender and will provide toughness and rebounding. Franklin said he’s a smart player.

Franklin actually played with George Mason transfer Vertrail Vaughns on Team Texas in AAU over the summer when they were in high school. Franklin said that Vaughns can really shoot the ball and is a good defender. He is also a guy with a lot of experience and leadership qualities, who I anticipate will help fill the void left by Franklin’s departure. We will see him some at the point guard spot when Chris Jones isn’t in the game.

Franklin was part of the season Vaughns ended up at UNT.

We have already heard a lot about Oklahoma/Marquette/Paris JC transfer T.J. Taylor. Benford and Franklin reiterated what we have already heard — that Taylor is a great shooter.

Benford really expects the addition of a few capable shooters to make a difference next season.

Brandan Walton will be back to go along with Vaughns and Taylor. UNT had one guard who shot it well last season in Jordan Williams.

Benford has really hammered on the point that UNT lacked outside shooting last year after Walton went down, and with good reason. Williams and Mitchell were the only players UNT had last season who made more than 10 3-pointers on the year.

UNT feels like it addressed that concern with the guys it brought in.

I picked up a few items of interest on the basketball front today. Seeing as it is a long way to the beginning of two-a-days in the fall, we will spread this out a bit over the next couple of days.

First off, I’m sticking by my assertion that the eagle (big recruit) has landed in women’s basketball. The sticks in the nest are being arranged just so to make the landing a little more comfortable.

UNT has a good team coming back despite the departure of a few key players, including Loryn Goodwin, who transferred, and Sara Stanley, who graduated. By the way, Loryn, if you are reading this, your trophy for being named to the All-Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and third team all-conference is available for pickup over at the Super Pit.

Just a gut feeling here, but Petersen could be on to something next year with the team he is putting together.

On the men’s basketball front, former Texas Tech recruit Wannah Bail is still out there and has not signed. UNT could get a visit, but the competition to land him will be tough.

UNT still has a spot to give after Zach Peters decided to sign with Arizona.

There are still a ton of players out there who are looking for a spot where they can use the NCAA loophole that allows seniors who have graduated to transfer and use their final year of eligibility.

I will have some additional thoughts on some of the guys UNT has coming in for next season on the blog over the next few days.

Stay tuned.

And be sure to pick up a copy of tomorrow’s paper that will include a feature on UNT’s women’s 400 relay team.

North Texas running back Brandin Byrd carries the ball in a win over Texas Southern last season at Apoee Stadium. Byrd was named one of the top 15 running backs in Texas college football recently. (Denton Record-Chronicle/David Minton)

The guys over at the Morning News put out a slide show/list of the top running backs in Texas college football today.

A UNT player made the list that brings up an interesting debate.

The Morning News has Brandin Byrd listed as the 15th-best back in the state.

I won’t go through the whole list. Go ahead and click through it.

What is up for debate is this — Just who is UNT’s best back?

Byrd is a power guy who picked up 860 yards at 4.2 yards a pop and scored four touchdowns last season. He looked a lot quicker in the spring.

One just has to wonder if UNT’s top back this season won’t be Antoinne Jimmerson. He picked up 544 yards on 5.0 yards a carry and scored five touchdowns in just 10 games. He also caught 12 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, including a 78-yarder that gave UNT one of its four wins last season.

One of UNT’s strengths last season is that it had three good players to rotate. That will likely be the case again this year with Reggie Pegram joining Jimmerson and Byrd.

Any one of those three guys could end up being UNT’s top rusher or best back, including Byrd. He was a solid pick to be among the top 15 backs in the state. But he certainly wasn’t the only option.

The UNT board of regents approved the school’s athletic department moving forward with an agreement with Trophy Club to build a new short-game facility and establish the venue as the home for the school’s golf program.

I mentioned on the blog after the Don January tournament that UNT was in the process of planning a $1.8 million facility that will include putting surfaces and an area where players can work on their short game.

UNT has already raised nearly $400,000.

The board approved UNT moving forward with the 25-year agreement once the remainder of the money is raised today.

UNT would be able to use the club’s locker rooms and will have playing privileges at the club as part of the agreement.

UNT would be able to add to the facility in the coming years.

The UNT golf program won four national titles in the late 1940s and early 1950s and has shown signs of returning to national prominence under head coach Brad Stracke, who has led the Mean Green to the NCAA regionals in each of the last three years. Rodolfo Cazaubon is headed to the final rounds of nationals after finishing as the top individual not on one of the five teams that advanced at the Pullman Regional last week.

For more on the story, including comments from Stracke and Cazaubon, see tomorrow’s paper.