3 For Thursday (Talking Recruiting)

1. Recruiting going forward this year.

North Texas is kind of in a tough spot right now. The next head coach won’t have much to hold onto as far as guys that North Texas has committed right now. He will have to hit the ground running and try to flip a bunch of guys or get in on those guys that are sitting on the fence. You know there will be a ton of negative recruiting against North Texas the rest of this year. That’s kind of why its important to hire a guy by earlier December. He will need to hire a staff and set his recruiting board. Man the job that next head coach will have is going to be tough.

The current staff probably wont put out many offers if put out any at all. You hope that they still stay in contact with the guys that currently have offers. You hope that the guys like Perry and KP get to stay on the staff, because those the best recruiters UNT has. They could make the transition easier for the new North Texas head coach.

2. What I want the next North Texas Head Coach to focus on.

The number one priority for the next head coach should be fixing the QB issue. Now DaMarcus Smith may prove to be a good QB for next year, but after that its wide open. The next head coach has to focus on getting the next leader of this program. The second priority should be to find as many athletes as you can. It doesnt really matter if they do one thing good. Just get athletes in here and then find them a position when they get here. Patterson makes this work for TCU. I want the next head coach to repair the relationships with the DFW area. Its come up a bunch of times in the past and since McCarney’s termination. If North Texas is going to be great it starts with recruiting DFW.

3. Conversation with Gabe Brooks (Scout.com Midlands Region football recruiting analyst)

A lot of North Texas fans are concerned with the recruiting efforts from this staff specifically this year so far. They aren’t offering a lot of guys and most of the guys they have offered are guys who have loads of offers. What are your thoughts about where North Texas stands right now?

I think it’s a good idea for a school like North Texas to offer very early and very often. At the P5 level, Texas Tech does a good job of differentiating itself in that manner. Kansas has started doing that under David Beaty. Some programs worry about flooding the recruiting market with too many offers and “cheapening” their offer. Well, as a G5, North Texas should have no qualms about pursuing as early as possible on a lot of guys, and that goes back to making sure you’re succeeding in evaluation.

Why do you think North Texas hasn’t been able to land a difference maker at the QB position? Do you think recruits are turned off by the system or just the overall lack of success the North Texas has had in recent years?

Dajon Williams had a chance but that experiment didn’t last very long. I think Damarcus Smith might have a chance, too, but who knows right now. I always go back to North Texas signing Tee Goree and O’Keeron Rutherford and not offering their quarterback, 4,000-yard, 57-touchdown Blake Bogenschutz, who’s now UTSA’s starting QB as a redshirt freshman. I’ll always have a hard time understanding that, especially when the size argument is made. He’s the same height as McNulty and more athletic. Besides, size doesn’t matter quite as much at that position as it has in the past. For example, Devin Williams, the 5-foot-10 Mansfield Timberview QB who just decommitted from Texas State, doesn’t have a UNT offer and could definitely play there.

What model should North Texas adopt to awaken the sleeping giant? 

I think the Houston comparison is the best. Houston’s made a solid program out of hiring up-and-coming offensive minds and replacing them when they leave for greener pastures. UNT and Houston are almost the same enrollment and both have new stadiums and are located in enormous metro areas. UNT can be the U of H of DFW under the right circumstances.