Dan McCarney laid out a plan to build a solid program with high school talent when he took over at North Texas just weeks before national signing day a year ago.
McCarney and his staff had a full year to recruit, not to mention a new $79 million stadium to sell, while putting together their second signing class.
UNT stuck to the plan and came away with what McCarney believes will be another key building block in his rebuilding project.
McCarney announced Wednesday that UNT had signed 24 players, the vast majority of them high school players from its backyard.
UNT signed 21 high school players, including 17 from Texas. The remaining four high school players are from nearby Louisiana.
Three transfers rounded out the class. Two of them are retuning home after short stays at Football Bowl Subdivision schools outside the state.
"There is no question that gives us a better foundation for the future," McCarney said of building with Texas high school players. "Where is it better than in Texas for high school football? There were six teams in Texas that went to bowl games, and we were 6-0. Does that speak well for Texas high school football? Sure it does. We want to be one of those teams that gets into the mix and stops sitting at home watching everyone else play."
McCarney believes that UNT landed a solid batch of players who can help the Mean Green snap its bowl drought, which stands at seven seasons, and take advantage of Apogee Stadium, its new venue that opened last season.
UNT's class includes several highly regarded players McCarney believes have the potential to be immediate impact players.
Offensive lineman Cam Feldt and safety Marcus Trice transferred from Arkansas and Oklahoma, respectively, and sat out last season. Both were counted among UNT's 2012 signees and are expected to contribute right away.
Iowa Western Community College cornerback D.Q. Johnson was UNT's lone midterm transfer and will also compete for immediate playing time.
The remainder of UNT's signees came from the high school ranks.
"I was shocked that I was the only junior college guy," Johnson said. "Normally, schools take more than one JUCO player."
UNT is taking a long-term approach to building its roster and appears to have found a few players who could play important roles for several years.
Boone Feldt - the younger brother of Cam Feldt - is ranked No. 10 among centers nationally by ESPN.
Coppell cornerback David Busby is rated No. 67 among cornerbacks nationally by ESPNU and was the lone UNT signee ranked in The Dallas Morning News' Area Top 100, coming in at No. 90.
Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn standout Devante Davis is ranked No. 63 among safety prospects by ESPNU.
McCarney credited UNT's success in putting together the class to the Mean Green's performance in his first season and the attention it garnered. UNT finished 5-7 and still had a chance to become bowl-eligible until falling to Western Kentucky in its 11th game of the season.
"The reception was much better," McCarney said. "They know more about us. Even though we didn't get to where we wanted to, we won five games, won four at home and won 59-7 in our last home game [over Middle Tennessee]."
The improvement UNT showed made an impression on Livonia (La.) running back Mark Lewis.
"What I really liked is that the program is starting to turn around," Lewis said. "They were one win from a bowl game. I feel like I can help the program take the next step."
McCarney had the same feeling about his second recruiting class, even though it was not rated highly overall by the national recruiting services. Rivals.com rankings had UNT in a tie for sixth out of nine teams in the Sun Belt with Troy. Scout.com included Sun Belt newcomer South Alabama in its rankings and had UNT eighth out of 10 teams.
McCarney was adamant that those rankings are not the best way to judge a class. He puts his faith in the job his staff did evaluating players over the course of a year.
"I like this class a lot," McCarney said. "I know more about this class than I did the class we signed a year ago. We have gotten more time, more connection, more bonding, more relationships and more evaluation.
"We got to see everyone of them practice or play a game. Many of them have been on our campus numerous times. They have evaluated North Texas as we evaluated them. In the end, we have a real fine class of guys coming."
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6970. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com . MEAN GREEN COMMITMENTS
The following is a list of players who have signed national letters of intent with North Texas:
Player
Pos.
School
David Busby
CB
Coppell
Dustin Clark
LB
Borger
Devante Davis
DB
Baton Rouge (La.) Woodlawn
Malik Dilonga
DE
Cedar Hill Trinity Christian
Boone Feldt
OL
Buda Hays
Cam Feldt
OL
Arkansas
Mustafa Haboul
DT
Arlington Martin
Carlos Harris
ATH
Frisco
Brad Horton
DE
Liberty Christian
Jarmarcus Jarvis
RB/CB
East Ascension (La.)
D.Q. Johnson
CB
Iowa Western C.C.
Xavier Kelly
CB
Katy Mayde Creek
Roderick Lancaster
WR
Oak Cliff Life School
Mark Lewis
RB
Livonia (La.)
Jamal Marshall
DB
Fort Bend Elkins
Ryan Rentfro
OL
Flower Mound Marcus
Jarrian Roberts
LB
Clarksville
Rex Rollins
RB
Tyler Chapel Hill
Nick Schrapps
WR
Beaumont Kelly
LaJaylin Smith
LB
LaPlace (La.) St. Charles
Connor Trussell
OL
Arlington Martin
Marcus Trice
DB
Oklahoma
Sir Calvin Wallace
DT
Tyler Chapel Hill
Dutton Watson
DT
Midland
