olddawggreen
01-17-2007, 11:20 PM
UNT's Dodge in recruiting race Reply
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Dodge pedaling as fast as he can in recruiting race
Bob West column for Wednesday, Jan 17
The Port Arthur News
Todd Dodge is pretty sure the day will come when he’ll have time to kick back and reflect on the truly monumental feat of going 79-1 and winning four 5A state championships in the span of five years at Southlake Carroll. He’s dead sure it won’t be any time soon.
Dodge, in the 25 days since his Dragons came from behind to defeat Austin Westlake for that fourth championship ring, has been playing a furious game of catch-up as the new head coach at the University of North Texas. The earliest he’ll be able to come up for air is Feb. 8 — the day after national signing day.
“I’ve been busy, but it’s a good busy,” he said from somewhere on the road between Waco and Denton. “My AD keeps telling me he can’t believe what we’ve gotten accomplished in such a short time, but all I can see is what still has to be done.”
Atop the list, of course, is signing the 20 players who will form his first Mean Green recruiting class. For someone who spotted the competition about 80 yards in a 100-yard race, the former TJ All-America feels like he’s gained a lot of ground.
One of Dodge’s many recruiting positives is that North Texas’ primary positon of need just happens to be wide receiver. Can anybody who’s been paying attention to his star wars attack at Southlake Carroll imagine a receiver not wanting to be a part of the man’s offense?
“For getting such a late start, we think we’re in on some pretty good ones,” confides the star pupil of Memorial coach Ronnie Thompson. “It would have been nice to get an earlier start, but it is what is. To us, it’s early in recruiting. But for recruits it’s late and a lot of them have already made up their minds.”
To put the mountain Dodge is climbing in perspective, bear in mind that his first day on the job at North Texas was Dec. 26. And, before he could think about recruiting it was necessary to hire a coaching staff, then try to get a handle on the returning players.
The staff, heavy with assistants from Southlake and without any coach at UNT last year, is in place. Player evaluations have been made as best they could under the circumstances. With school having been out for the holidays, Dodge didn’t even get to meet with his players for the first time until Tuesday afternoon.
So how exactly did Todd begin the catch-up process in recruiting? Other schools, after all, boast sophisticated recruiting networks, have long since identified the players they want and are well into the courtship process.
UNT, meanwhile, hadn’t made a contact when the calendar flipped over to 2007.
“A lot of it’s common sense,” Dodge said. “Our starting point was scouting reports from the 16 teams we played at Southlake. Then we started to brainstorm on all the great friends in high school coaching all of us have and could call for recommendations. Those guys have been a tremendous help.”
Dodge admitted that the infomercial of a regionally televised state championship game in late December was quite a boost, as far as getting the attention of potential recruits. Especially since most of those players know Todd and his Dragons have long been the gold standard in Texas schoolboy football.
“No question, that has been a blessing,” he said. “I think the players, the parents and the coaches have seen us up close and personal, know what we do and what we’re about. That gets their attention. Then the biggest thing is selling people on the intangibles of how we did what we did five years in a row.
“Yes, we had good players who were efficient at what they did. But to win that much means a big part of it was the family atmosphere, the relationships and the unselfishness that was part of our program. I think that’s a strong selling point for kids and parents.”
Dodge said his primary recruiting target has to be the talent-laden Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. But he and his staff, relying on high school contacts, will go anywhere in Texas to try and woo players who fit their system. Southeast Texas, an area where good players seem to fly more and more under the recruiting radar, is a place where the new UNT boss expects to do well. The first example of that is likely to be Nederland’s Micah Mosley, a terrific talent who has only gotten a few recruiting nibbles.
“I played down there and I know what a hotbed of talent it was,” he said. “From what I have been told, it’s become one of the most under-recruited parts of the state. I guess it’s not as convenient to go in there as some of the cities.
“All I can tell you for sure is that opens the door for North Texas. We’ll be coming in often. I’m hoping to get down there myself later this month.”
Dodge, meanwhile, said he’s had no second thoughts about leaving his quarterback son Riley behind for his senior season at Southlake Carroll.
“I’ll only be 17 miles away and I expect to see most of his games,” Dodge said. “We were together for three years. How it played out this year, with us winning the state championship and him being the 5A Player of the Year sure helped. There really isn’t a lot more we could do.
“Riley told me he was proud of me and knew the North Texas job was a great opportunity. He thought I should take it. That made the decision a lot easier. That and what the move means to our family financially.”
So the architect of what arguably was the greatest dynasty in the history of Texas high school football moved on to the next challenge. Southlake Carroll’s loss is an incredible gain for what has long been a wannabe Division 1 power from college football’s second tier.
Move over Boise State, you are about to have company.
Link: PA News Dodge article
Posted on 1/17 9:36 PM | IP: 12.106.208.30
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dodge pedaling as fast as he can in recruiting race
Bob West column for Wednesday, Jan 17
The Port Arthur News
Todd Dodge is pretty sure the day will come when he’ll have time to kick back and reflect on the truly monumental feat of going 79-1 and winning four 5A state championships in the span of five years at Southlake Carroll. He’s dead sure it won’t be any time soon.
Dodge, in the 25 days since his Dragons came from behind to defeat Austin Westlake for that fourth championship ring, has been playing a furious game of catch-up as the new head coach at the University of North Texas. The earliest he’ll be able to come up for air is Feb. 8 — the day after national signing day.
“I’ve been busy, but it’s a good busy,” he said from somewhere on the road between Waco and Denton. “My AD keeps telling me he can’t believe what we’ve gotten accomplished in such a short time, but all I can see is what still has to be done.”
Atop the list, of course, is signing the 20 players who will form his first Mean Green recruiting class. For someone who spotted the competition about 80 yards in a 100-yard race, the former TJ All-America feels like he’s gained a lot of ground.
One of Dodge’s many recruiting positives is that North Texas’ primary positon of need just happens to be wide receiver. Can anybody who’s been paying attention to his star wars attack at Southlake Carroll imagine a receiver not wanting to be a part of the man’s offense?
“For getting such a late start, we think we’re in on some pretty good ones,” confides the star pupil of Memorial coach Ronnie Thompson. “It would have been nice to get an earlier start, but it is what is. To us, it’s early in recruiting. But for recruits it’s late and a lot of them have already made up their minds.”
To put the mountain Dodge is climbing in perspective, bear in mind that his first day on the job at North Texas was Dec. 26. And, before he could think about recruiting it was necessary to hire a coaching staff, then try to get a handle on the returning players.
The staff, heavy with assistants from Southlake and without any coach at UNT last year, is in place. Player evaluations have been made as best they could under the circumstances. With school having been out for the holidays, Dodge didn’t even get to meet with his players for the first time until Tuesday afternoon.
So how exactly did Todd begin the catch-up process in recruiting? Other schools, after all, boast sophisticated recruiting networks, have long since identified the players they want and are well into the courtship process.
UNT, meanwhile, hadn’t made a contact when the calendar flipped over to 2007.
“A lot of it’s common sense,” Dodge said. “Our starting point was scouting reports from the 16 teams we played at Southlake. Then we started to brainstorm on all the great friends in high school coaching all of us have and could call for recommendations. Those guys have been a tremendous help.”
Dodge admitted that the infomercial of a regionally televised state championship game in late December was quite a boost, as far as getting the attention of potential recruits. Especially since most of those players know Todd and his Dragons have long been the gold standard in Texas schoolboy football.
“No question, that has been a blessing,” he said. “I think the players, the parents and the coaches have seen us up close and personal, know what we do and what we’re about. That gets their attention. Then the biggest thing is selling people on the intangibles of how we did what we did five years in a row.
“Yes, we had good players who were efficient at what they did. But to win that much means a big part of it was the family atmosphere, the relationships and the unselfishness that was part of our program. I think that’s a strong selling point for kids and parents.”
Dodge said his primary recruiting target has to be the talent-laden Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. But he and his staff, relying on high school contacts, will go anywhere in Texas to try and woo players who fit their system. Southeast Texas, an area where good players seem to fly more and more under the recruiting radar, is a place where the new UNT boss expects to do well. The first example of that is likely to be Nederland’s Micah Mosley, a terrific talent who has only gotten a few recruiting nibbles.
“I played down there and I know what a hotbed of talent it was,” he said. “From what I have been told, it’s become one of the most under-recruited parts of the state. I guess it’s not as convenient to go in there as some of the cities.
“All I can tell you for sure is that opens the door for North Texas. We’ll be coming in often. I’m hoping to get down there myself later this month.”
Dodge, meanwhile, said he’s had no second thoughts about leaving his quarterback son Riley behind for his senior season at Southlake Carroll.
“I’ll only be 17 miles away and I expect to see most of his games,” Dodge said. “We were together for three years. How it played out this year, with us winning the state championship and him being the 5A Player of the Year sure helped. There really isn’t a lot more we could do.
“Riley told me he was proud of me and knew the North Texas job was a great opportunity. He thought I should take it. That made the decision a lot easier. That and what the move means to our family financially.”
So the architect of what arguably was the greatest dynasty in the history of Texas high school football moved on to the next challenge. Southlake Carroll’s loss is an incredible gain for what has long been a wannabe Division 1 power from college football’s second tier.
Move over Boise State, you are about to have company.
Link: PA News Dodge article
Posted on 1/17 9:36 PM | IP: 12.106.208.30