University of North Texas Athletics
Photo by: Zach Del Bello
Littrell Happy with 'Good Start' to 2022 Class
12/15/2021 4:55:00 PM | Football
DENTON – The concept of National Signing Day has undoubtedly changed in recent years, for several reasons, but UNT head coach Seth Littrell said his program got off to a good start on Wednesday, which marked early signing day before the traditional one in February.
The Mean Green added eight players, including three transfers and five high school seniors, leaving Littrell pleased but also knowing there is more to come.
"I think it was a good start," Littrell said. "We got some great players from around this area and guys who fit a need for us. "We're making sure to bring in great competition and great depth and guys who fit our system, and most importantly, great character guys."
The Mean Green will now prepare for their bowl game, the Frisco Football Classic Presented by Ryan on Dec. 23 at Frisco's Toyota Stadium at 2:30 p.m. They will hope to build even more momentum heading into February than they already have from a season-ending five-game winning streak after a 1-6 start seemed to doom any hopes of earning bowl eligibility.
"This momentum helped (with recruiting)," Littrell said. "It always does, but more importantly, the relationships you build throughout the year is what's key. Recruiting has been going on since December (2020) through February for a lot of these guys and showing guys the great things North Texas has to offer not only as a university but in academics and the resources we have in our athletic department. It's important to build relationships with those families and the players. That's where it starts. Obviously, the momentum helps but relationships over time is the key."
Littrell happy with mix of prep stars, transfers
UNT added three transfer players and five high school seniors on Wednesday, and with the changing dynamics of college football, Littrell said he is happy with the breakdown of experience he's adding to his roster ahead of February's signing day.
Two of those transfers are quarterbacks with college experience in the form of sophomore Stone Earle (Abilene Christian) and JD Head (Louisiana Tech). Earle played high school football at Birdville in the DFW Metroplex and started the first seven games of the 2021 season for ACU before suffering an injury. He passed for 1,216 yards and 13 touchdowns with only four interceptions while rushing for a pair of touchdowns. Head played his high school ball at Houston-area power Pearland and started two games at LA Tech while playing in two other games this past season. He passed for a career-high 270 yards and three touchdowns in the season finale against Rice.
The Mean Green also added a familiar name in the transfer market in former Missouri receiver Jay Maclin, the cousin of former Missouri star and eight-year NFL veteran Jeremy Maclin.
Of the five high school players Littrell signed on Wednesday, four are from Texas – all from the North Texas area.
"I love recruiting high school guys and building that relationship and developing guys," Littrell said. "I think we've done a great job with that here. But where (college football) has gone today and with different rules and regulations there's also some immediate needs we have and when you can get more experience and maturity you do that. We'll have a good mix of both and the biggest thing is to find the best player to fit our system and our culture and do the best we can to put the best product on the field."
Littrell mentioned the importance of adding some experienced guys but did say it isn't always a necessity, as just this year true freshman Gabe Blair cracked the starting lineup early in the season and has started 10 straight games at guard.
"Guys who have played at a higher level and have college experience, that is always great but there's been a lot of high school players who have come and competed and started from Day 1," Littrell said. "Mason Fine is a great example. He played 3A or 4A ball in Oklahoma and came and adjusted to the speed of the game and was extremely smart and started four years."
RB signee playing for title Saturday
One of the Mean Green's signees will be playing for a Texas state championship this weekend, as running back Qualon Farrar will look to bring a state championship to Dallas ISD for the first time since 1958 as his South Oak Cliff team will battle Liberty Hill for the Class 5A Division II championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday, at AT&T Stadium. The game can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
Farrar, whose frame might remind some UNT fans of star running back DeAndre Torrey, stood out on a team full of dynamic playmakers by rushing for 980 yards and 16 touchdowns while using his track speed to average 10.1 yards per carry on the season.
"Big game this weekend for him," Littrell said. "He's very talented. He's a little different than some of the bigger backs we have. He's more like DeAndre - compact and great twitch with great vision and speed. He also runs physical. He's averaging 10 yards a carry for a really good football team. That team has a lot of great players, but he shows out."
More signees incoming for the Mean Green
With just eight players signed on Wednesday, Littrell said he will look to add between 12-14 more players by February's signing day.
He said it's a strategic move, as he expects a great deal of really good high school players to go unsigned between now and February because of the changing rules of college football and the transfer portal.
"Early signing day was a little different this year," Littrell said. "From now until February will obviously be a huge stretch for us to make sure we finish off the class in a great way. We're still continuing to work on this class. We have a lot of work to do yet but it's a good start. The plan is to get at least 12-to-14 more depending on how everything else works out. After all these bowl games and the transfer portal and all the things going into it, you just never know how it ends up."
The Mean Green added eight players, including three transfers and five high school seniors, leaving Littrell pleased but also knowing there is more to come.
"I think it was a good start," Littrell said. "We got some great players from around this area and guys who fit a need for us. "We're making sure to bring in great competition and great depth and guys who fit our system, and most importantly, great character guys."
The Mean Green will now prepare for their bowl game, the Frisco Football Classic Presented by Ryan on Dec. 23 at Frisco's Toyota Stadium at 2:30 p.m. They will hope to build even more momentum heading into February than they already have from a season-ending five-game winning streak after a 1-6 start seemed to doom any hopes of earning bowl eligibility.
"This momentum helped (with recruiting)," Littrell said. "It always does, but more importantly, the relationships you build throughout the year is what's key. Recruiting has been going on since December (2020) through February for a lot of these guys and showing guys the great things North Texas has to offer not only as a university but in academics and the resources we have in our athletic department. It's important to build relationships with those families and the players. That's where it starts. Obviously, the momentum helps but relationships over time is the key."
Littrell happy with mix of prep stars, transfers
UNT added three transfer players and five high school seniors on Wednesday, and with the changing dynamics of college football, Littrell said he is happy with the breakdown of experience he's adding to his roster ahead of February's signing day.
Two of those transfers are quarterbacks with college experience in the form of sophomore Stone Earle (Abilene Christian) and JD Head (Louisiana Tech). Earle played high school football at Birdville in the DFW Metroplex and started the first seven games of the 2021 season for ACU before suffering an injury. He passed for 1,216 yards and 13 touchdowns with only four interceptions while rushing for a pair of touchdowns. Head played his high school ball at Houston-area power Pearland and started two games at LA Tech while playing in two other games this past season. He passed for a career-high 270 yards and three touchdowns in the season finale against Rice.
The Mean Green also added a familiar name in the transfer market in former Missouri receiver Jay Maclin, the cousin of former Missouri star and eight-year NFL veteran Jeremy Maclin.
Of the five high school players Littrell signed on Wednesday, four are from Texas – all from the North Texas area.
"I love recruiting high school guys and building that relationship and developing guys," Littrell said. "I think we've done a great job with that here. But where (college football) has gone today and with different rules and regulations there's also some immediate needs we have and when you can get more experience and maturity you do that. We'll have a good mix of both and the biggest thing is to find the best player to fit our system and our culture and do the best we can to put the best product on the field."
Littrell mentioned the importance of adding some experienced guys but did say it isn't always a necessity, as just this year true freshman Gabe Blair cracked the starting lineup early in the season and has started 10 straight games at guard.
"Guys who have played at a higher level and have college experience, that is always great but there's been a lot of high school players who have come and competed and started from Day 1," Littrell said. "Mason Fine is a great example. He played 3A or 4A ball in Oklahoma and came and adjusted to the speed of the game and was extremely smart and started four years."
RB signee playing for title Saturday
One of the Mean Green's signees will be playing for a Texas state championship this weekend, as running back Qualon Farrar will look to bring a state championship to Dallas ISD for the first time since 1958 as his South Oak Cliff team will battle Liberty Hill for the Class 5A Division II championship at 11 a.m. on Saturday, at AT&T Stadium. The game can be seen on Bally Sports Southwest.
Farrar, whose frame might remind some UNT fans of star running back DeAndre Torrey, stood out on a team full of dynamic playmakers by rushing for 980 yards and 16 touchdowns while using his track speed to average 10.1 yards per carry on the season.
"Big game this weekend for him," Littrell said. "He's very talented. He's a little different than some of the bigger backs we have. He's more like DeAndre - compact and great twitch with great vision and speed. He also runs physical. He's averaging 10 yards a carry for a really good football team. That team has a lot of great players, but he shows out."
More signees incoming for the Mean Green
With just eight players signed on Wednesday, Littrell said he will look to add between 12-14 more players by February's signing day.
He said it's a strategic move, as he expects a great deal of really good high school players to go unsigned between now and February because of the changing rules of college football and the transfer portal.
"Early signing day was a little different this year," Littrell said. "From now until February will obviously be a huge stretch for us to make sure we finish off the class in a great way. We're still continuing to work on this class. We have a lot of work to do yet but it's a good start. The plan is to get at least 12-to-14 more depending on how everything else works out. After all these bowl games and the transfer portal and all the things going into it, you just never know how it ends up."
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