Craig Robertson and Tobe Nwigwe will be the voices of experience for North Texas’ linebackers today when the Mean Green holds its first scrimmage of spring practice.

That fact alone shows how green the Mean Green will be next season in a key area defensively in its first year under coordinator Gary DeLoach.

Robertson started the final seven games of last season and will anchor what is essentially a rebuilt corps of linebackers that is also likely to feature Nwigwe in the middle and A.J. Penson on the outside. Colt Mahan could also push for playing time.

How the group develops is one of the key storylines of spring workouts that will reach a critical point in a 3:30 p.m. scrimmage at Fouts Field.

“I am very excited,” UNT head coach Todd Dodge said of the scrimmage. “It’s a chance to evaluate kids making plays in crucial situations.”

UNT is hoping to find a few playmakers among its linebackers who are taking over for a host of veterans. The Mean Green lost two starters and a key backup last season who combined to start 90 games in their careers and also changed position coaches.

DeLoach took over as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from Ron Mendoza, who was fired after UNT finished last nationally with an average of 45.1 points allowed per game a year ago.

Nwigwe started 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2006 before serving as a backup last season, and gives UNT a second player who has some experience as a starter.

What the Mean Green lacks in experience, it hopes to make up for in overall talent. Penson was one of UNT’s top players in Dodge’s first recruiting class. Nwigwe is the most physical of the Mean Green’s linebackers, and UNT’s coaches believe Robertson has star potential.

The former Stafford standout intercepted five passes and finished with 48 tackles, despite starting last season as a backup.

“With Craig, everyone who has followed our program knows what kind of player he is,” Dodge said. “We have challenged him to be the best linebacker in the Sun Belt Conference because that is where we need him to be.”

Several of the top linebackers in the Sun Belt return next season, including first-team all-conference selections Frantz Joseph of Florida Atlantic and Boris Lee of Troy. Despite the number of top returning players in the league, UNT’s linebackers believe they have a chance to be among the best units in the conference.

“We are capable of being anything that we put our minds to,” Robertson said. “If we want to be the best in the conference, we can be.”

UNT’s ability to reach that goal could depend in large part on the development of Penson, who could provide the Mean Green a player with dynamic speed on the perimeter. Dodge described Penson as a player with great talent and potential.

Mahan has the versatility to play both inside and outside and could challenge Penson for playing time.

Each of UNT’s linebackers is adjusting to a new system under DeLoach, who coached some of the best defenses in recent Mean Green history from 1998-2002 before leaving for UCLA. DeLoach returned in the offseason.

“I am adjusting to the new system,” Penson said. “I got a chance to play some last season, which helped me.”

Robertson was especially confident in what the Mean Green could accomplish after doing some research on UNT’s new coordinator and linebackers coach.

“Everyone is comfortable with coach DeLoach,” Robertson said. “He has been here before. I talked to [former UNT defensive end and New York Giants lineman] Adrian Awasom and he told me that DeLoach is a good coach. That makes me feel good about playing for him.”

The Mean Green will have a better idea of how its defense will look after today’s scrimmage that will provide UNT’s new look corps of linebackers a chance to play together in a game-like situation for the first time.

“We are looking forward to seeing what we have in the scrimmage,” Penson said. “We are going to learn a lot. Every day we are putting more and more in and are learning more and more about our new defense.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-395-3987. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .