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JayM Offline
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Saw this on another board.

ULM, Sun Belt still in pursuit of UNT
Mean Green thought to have best football recruiting class of conference.
Paul Letlow
pletlow@monroe.gannett.com

February 16, 2004

Winning three straight Sun Belt Conference football championships has made North Texas a winner in the recruiting game too.

The Mean Green are hailing the 2004 recruiting haul as their best in six years under Coach Darrell Dickey. North Texas, the team Louisiana-Monroe and the rest of the Sun Belt Conference teams will try to unseat next season, signed six players ranked in the top 100 in the Dallas area by the Dallas Morning News.

"It is a lot easier to go talk to guys when you are a three-time conference champion, going to bowl games, playing on TV and winning," Dickey said on Signing Day. "Kids like to win and wear rings."

Longview Springhill High School running back Jamario Thomas (5-11, 190) is one of the prizes of the class. Rivals.com ranks Thomas as the No. 21 high school running back in the nation. He ran for 1,279 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior.

* After finishing second in the Sun Belt, Louisiana-Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle went for immediate help to try to catch the Mean Green. He added eight junior college players among its 27 signees.

"With a second-place finish in the conference last year, we've raised expectation levels," Bustle said. "This group needs to come in prepared to work hard and help us achieve our goals."

One-third of Louisiana-Lafayette's 27 new faces are enrolled in school for the spring semester, including running back Abdule LeVier, who signed with the Cajuns last year out of Port Barre, but decided not to begin school in 2003.

The Cajuns signed two of their area products - quarterback Michael Desormeaux and running back Caleb Rubin from New Iberia's Catholic High and Lafayette High. In addition to Desormeaux and Rubin, UL-Lafayette signed seven other in-state prospects, including West Monroe defensive back David Lewis.

* Troy State thinks it got a steal in signee D.T. McDowell, a quarterback from Tucker High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. But the Trojans will have to sweat through the Major League baseball draft to see if he's a keeper.

The pitcher/outfielder, if taken in the first three rounds, is likely to forgo his college football career. If he reports to Troy State, however, he is likely to play both sports.

McDowell was an honorable mention all-state quarterback as a junior and senior, and was ranked in the Rivals.com Top 50 recruits in Georgia. He completed 94-of-158 passes for 1,602 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior, also rushing for an additional 642 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"D.T. is a great signee for us," Troy State coach Larry Blakeney said. "We have got to help him deal with the Major League baseball issue, and we are supportive of him in whatever he chooses. He will be a difference maker at his position for us, no doubt."

* Arkansas State signee Edgar Givens (6-4, 205) is ranked the 43rd best safety in the nation by Rivals.com. He originally committed to Missouri.

* Middle Tennessee signee Chris Anderson (6-3, 295) was once rated the top defensive linemen in Florida by the Florida Times-Union. He originally signed with Florida State but attended a military academy last year.

"We believe in not backing down from anybody recruiting," MTSU coach Andy McCollum said. "The guys that went after those players didn't back down. We have to have those same type guys to play those people who have been on our schedule. We believe this place is as good as any place we are recruiting against. I couldn't be more proud of our staff for going after guys in that manner."

* Utah State signed five running backs to replace departing senior David Fiefia. The favorite among those additions to step in is Junior College Offensive Player of the Year Emmanuel Marc. A transfer from Hudson Valley (New York) Community College, Marc led the country in rushing last year at 197.0 yards per game.

"Emmanuel Marc, we are very excited about him," Utah State coach Mick Dennehy said. "He brings us a dynamic running style and a great ability to run the ball and catch the ball. I think he is a heck of a football player.

* New Idaho coach Nick Holt had eight weeks on the job to put together his first class, which included quarterback T.J. Conley from Walla Walla's DeSales High School.

Conley was a four-year starter at DeSales, where he joined UI's Brian Lindgren as one of two 10,000-yard high school passers in the state of Washington. Last season, Conley threw for 3,011 yards on 186-of-307 passing and 35 touchdowns while leading his team to the state championship game. In that game, DeSales lost after Conley broke his leg in the first quarter. For his career, Conley completed 600 of his 1,041 passes for 10,139 yards and 125 touchdowns.

SUN BELT FOOTBALL BREAKDOWN

Here's a look at how Louisiana-Monroe's football competition in the Sun Belt Conference did on National Signing Day:

ARKANSAS STATE

The 2004 Class: 28 (five junior college)

Break it down: 14 defense, 13 offense, one PK

Upsize, downsize: Camden-Harmony Grove HS OL Vincent Thrower is 6-5, 315. Hot Springs HS WR Chris Miller is the lightweight at 180, although he stands 6-2.

Signing Day stud: DB Edgar Givens (6-4, 205) is ranked the 43rd best safety by Rivals.com. He originally committed to Missouri.

The skinny: The Indians signed six offensive linemen and six defensive linemen. ... QB Travis Hewitt broke Trent Green's high school passing records at St. John Vianney HS in Ballwin, Mo.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC (future SBC member)

The 2004 Class: 23 (one junior college)

Break it down: 13 on defense, 10 on offense

Upsize, downsize: Palm Bay OL Nick Paris is 6-1, 310. Palm Beach Gardens WR Frantz Simeon is 5-9, 166.

Signing Day stud: QB McKinson Souverain was courted by Pitt, Bowling Green and Kansas State. He tallied 1,725 yards and 20 TDs. He rushed for 730 yards and scored seven times.

The skinny: FAU is moving up to I-A from I-AA and will play a I-A schedule next season. Coach Howard Schnellenberger helped guide the Owls to a No. 4 ranking and 11-3 record, and was one step away from reaching the national championship game in 2003. ... Pasadena CC CB Rickey Bethel was a teammate of ULM signees Thomas Chambliss and Darnell LoVett. He made 60 tackles, 44 solos, with 1 fumble recovery, one forced fumble and one interception as a sophomore.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (future SBC member)

The 2004 Class: 26 (all high school)

Break it down: 17 on defense, nine on offense

Upsize, downsize: Miami Edison DL Jerry Legranvil is 6-4, 315. Piper WR Julius Mincey is 6-1, 165.

Signing Day stud: Homestead QB Tavares Kendrick was ranked No. 17 on the list of Miami-Dade's Top-25 Recruits, and No. 1 among area quarterbacks. Kendrick was county coaches' 2004 Player of the Year and chose FIU over interest shown by Ohio State, Syracuse, Rutgers and North Carolina State.

The skinny: Coached by former Miami Dolphins QB Don Strock, the Golden Panthers football program will enter its third season of competition in 2004, and will begin the transition from I-AA to a I-A membership in the Sun Belt Conference by the 2006 season. ... Mincey picked FIU over UCF, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Iowa State and Florida Atlantic.

IDAHO

The 2004 Class: 31 (two junior college)

Break it down: 19 on defense, 12 on offense

Upsize, downsize: Rancho Verde (Calif.) HS OL Desmond Clark is 6-3, 300. Compton Community College CB Herbert Cash is 5-11, 161 pounds.

Signing Day stud: Bellevue (Wa.) HS star Tracy Ford has 4.3 speed. A running back and defensive back, he rushed for more than 1,900 yards but moves to WR in college. He was named all-area DB by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The skinny: New coach Nick Holt's first class included eight defensive backs, seven defensive linemen and four offensive linemen. ... The Vandals signed WR Christian Populis out of Louisiana Class 5A state champ Hahnville HS. ... Walla Walla (Wa.) DeSales HS QB T.J. Conley is one of two Washington prep stars with more than 10,000 career passing yards. Idaho QB Brian Lindgren is the other. ... Idaho signed players from eight states and one from Alberta, Canada. California had the most with 12 signees.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE

The 2004 Class: 27 (eight junior college)

Break it down: 16 on offense, 11 on defense

Upsize, downsize: OL Jesse Newman, from Powell River, British Columbia is 6-4, 312. Destrehan DB Jamarcus Smith is 5-10, 175.

Signing Day stud: ULL kept Catholic-New Iberia QB Michael Desormeaux close to home. He threw for 2,084 yards and 24 TDs as a senior.

The skinny: ULL signed five defensive lineman/ends and four offensive linemen. The Cajuns also signed four WRs. ... One-third of the signees are enrolled in school for the spring semester, including running back Abdule LeVier, who initially signed with the Cajuns last year out of Port Barre, but decided not to begin school in 2003. ... ULL signed players from five states and British Columbia, Canada. ... ULL announced a two-year contract extension for coach Rickey Bustle on signing day.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE

The 2004 Class: 36 (eight junior college and one transfer)

Break it down: 19 on defense, 16 on offense

Upsize, downsize: Holmes CC OL Brian Smith is 6-5, 320. Duncan, S.C., WR Bradley Robinson is 5-9, 165.

Signing Day stud: DT Chris Anderson (6-3, 295) was rated the top defensive linemen in Florida by the Florida Times-Union. He originally signed with Florida State but attended a military academy last year.

The skinny: MTSU signed 10 players from Georgia and nine from Florida. ... Five signees are listed at 300 or more pounds. ... WR Brian Fitzgerald set a Florida high school record with 10 catches for 356 yards in a game against Manor High School. The yardage also ranked as the sixth most nationally ever recorded in a prep game according to USA Today

NEW MEXICO STATE

The 2004 Class: 16 (four junior college)

Break it down: 8 offense, 7 defense, 1 PK

Upsize, downsize: Long Beach City CC OL Matt Yocum is 6-4, 310. Tulsa Union CB Mitchell Cato is 5-11, 185

Signing Day stud: LB John Howell from Hudson Valley CC in Troy, N.Y., will have a chance to step in right away at SLB.

The skinny: NMSU joins the WAC in 2005. ... The Aggies signed two players from the state of New Mexico, five from Texas and two from California and two from Nebraska. ...Four players - Justine Buries, Howell, Dustin Sober and Jeremy Zollarcoffer - are on campus and will compete in spring drills which begin Feb. 23. ... Hometown WR Jeremy Lawson was a first-team all-state pick as a senior at both quarterback and defensive back at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, N.M.

NORTH TEXAS

The 2004 Class: 18 signees (two junior college)

Break it down: 11 on defense, seven on offense

Upsize, downsize: Weatherford (Texas) HS OL Brady Harman is 6-6, 300. Dallas Bishop Lynch HS DB Deavin Cox is 5-9, 195.

Signing Day stud: Longview (Texas) Spring Hill RB Jamario Thomas is the No. 21 prep running back nationally and ranked No. 38 in the Texas 100 by Rivals.com.

The skinny: UNT lost three starting linebackers after last season, including Chris Hurd, the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. UNT signed Northeastern Oklahoma A&M linebacker Travis Thompson to step in. CB T.J. Covington, ranked 58th among juco players by Rivals.com, could also help a UNT defense that lost two key defensive backs. ... All 16 prep signees are from Texas.

TROY STATE

The 2004 Class: 27 (three junior college, two transfers)

Break it down: 11 on offense, 16 on defense

Upsize, downsize: West Orange (NJ) HS OL Emeka Okosa is 6-5, 295. Blakely, Ga., CB Darius Williams is 5-10, 170.

Signing Day stud: Tucker H.S. QB D.T. McDowell backed out on Nebraska after coach Frank Solich was fired. The Stone Mountain, Ga., product picked TSU over Mississippi State.

The skinny: Former Neville DE John Jackson (6-4, 250) signed with TSU out of Fort Scott (Kansas) CC. ... TSU signed five offensive linemen, a group it considers its best ever. ... Keyport (N.J.) running back Kenny Cattouse is the all-time leading rusher in the state of New Jersey. He rushed for 6,720 yards in his career, eclipsing the marks of past New Jersey greats like Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Craig Heyward, Ron Dayne and Mike Rozier.

UTAH STATE

The 2004 Class: 24 (12 junior college, one transfer)

Break it down: 16 on offense, eight on defense

Upsize, downsize: OL Brent Deladurantey of Cerritos JC is 6-3, 315. Hyrum, Utah, WR Mark Watterson is 6-0, 165.

Signing Day stud: National Junior College Offensive Player of the Year Emmanuel Marc, a transfer from Hudson Valley (New York) Community College, led the country in rushing last year at 197.0 yards per game.

The skinny: Utah State joins the WAC in 2005. ... DT Brian Soi (6-4, 290) earned a four-star ranking from Rivals.com. ... The Aggies signed five RBs to fill void left by senior Dave Fiefia. ... The team signed six Utah players and nine from California. ... Los Angeles Player of the Year James Lewis of Venice (Ca.) HS caught 63 passes for 1,352 yards and 16 touchdowns as a wide receiver. ... DB Leslie Mongo is the brother of Oakland Raiders RB Tyrone Wheatley.
02-16-2004 02:03 PM
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SwampHound Offline
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very nice breakdown. 03-cool
02-16-2004 05:18 PM
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I am very excited about the Cajuns signing Michael Desormeaux. I look for him to redshirt this season (we already have our starter Jerry Babb (So.) returning plus a 5th year senior, Matt Lane and signed a JC transfer from California Luke Snewski. However, IMHO within the next couple of years this guy will be something special.
02-16-2004 05:58 PM
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I think he'll be something special but for now I can't see it at QB. I think he'll make an impact at FS or another position and will make it at QB later in the future.
02-17-2004 12:33 AM
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