So How Are Things Going?

[TechFirst]

Just thought I'd check in and see how things are going with you guys. I've tried to keep up with your thread on recruiting but all the names, etc kinda make my eyes glaze over. How do things look for next year?

You probably saw that we hit a little speed bump recently. Lots of angry rednecks down here, but it looks like we actually came out of the deal alright (football-wise anyway). Keeping the same offense and adding an SEC defense sounds pretty good. We did have the best recruiting class we've ever had, but we'll have to see how that works out. It doesn't look like too many, if any, are going to bolt on us.

[UND92,96]

Just thought I'd check in and see how things are going with you guys. I've tried to keep up with your thread on recruiting but all the names, etc kinda make my eyes glaze over. How do things look for next year?

You probably saw that we hit a little speed bump recently. Lots of angry rednecks down here, but it looks like we actually came out of the deal alright (football-wise anyway). Keeping the same offense and adding an SEC defense sounds pretty good. We did have the best recruiting class we've ever had, but we'll have to see how that works out. It doesn't look like too many, if any, are going to bolt on us.

UND has far fewer question marks heading into than 2010 than there were heading into 2009. Whereas in 2009 we were heading into the season with almost no experience to speak of on offense, in 2010 we should return the qb, rb, top receiver and three full-time offensive line starters plus another who played a lot down the stretch. Somebody will need to emerge at left tackle, and we'll have a new kicker. We also need a couple of receivers to step up and complement Bamba. But as a whole, the offense looks far better for 2010.

On defense, we return pretty close to everybody. But some of the freshmen who red-shirted in 2009 will need to step in immediately to provide depth, particularly at linebacker.

Although we won't play anybody the caliber of Texas Tech in 2010, the schedule is still quite challenging with a couple of games against FBS teams who played in bowl games in 2009 (Idaho and Northern Illinois), plus a game against FCS runner-up Montana, along with four games against solid Great West Conference teams. The record may not necessarily reflect it, but I do expect a much-improved Sioux team in 2010 compared to 2009.

[homer]

Just thought I'd check in and see how things are going with you guys. I've tried to keep up with your thread on recruiting but all the names, etc kinda make my eyes glaze over. How do things look for next year?

You probably saw that we hit a little speed bump recently. Lots of angry rednecks down here, but it looks like we actually came out of the deal alright (football-wise anyway). Keeping the same offense and adding an SEC defense sounds pretty good. We did have the best recruiting class we've ever had, but we'll have to see how that works out. It doesn't look like too many, if any, are going to bolt on us.

TechFirst,

What are your overall thoughts on the Leach situation? I think he is a great coach and was sad to see him go. I don't think we will ever really know the true story or stories of what happened. I'm sure down there you are either on one side of the fence or the other. There is really no middle ground with a situation like that. From what we've been able to see up here there are a lot more Texas Tech fans who are on the coaches side and not on the players side. I personally don't disagree with that stance at all.

[TechFirst]

Glad to see your future is looking good, especially in the O-line. That can kill you even if you have good skill players. Just ask OU.

I have mixed feeling on the Leach saga. I agree that we'll probably never know the whole story, but the one that the school ran with seems pretty pathetic. IMO, they're going to have to pay him his severance money anyway, so we could have done without all the drama. They could have fired the man without embarrassing the school, turning the bowl game into a soap opera, and endangering the recruiting class. There's no doubt that politics and personal agendas took precedence over their obligation to the university. The man deserved to be treated better than that.

OTOH, I was already thinking that Leach had taken us about as far as he could. We owe him a lot for taking the team from obscurity to prominence, but he didn't quite seem to have what it takes to get us to the next level. I was getting tired of dumb calls, a mediocre defense, and a seeming inability to consistently scheme for the really big games. Plus it seemed like he couldn't connect with the players at times which resulted in them not having their heads on right in some games. There was no excuse for getting thumped by A&M last season, for example.

In the end, we seem to have landed on our feet. Tuberville has better credentials than any coach we've ever hired and the prospect of having a real defense is exciting. We were already looking to 2010 as a year we might win the conference because of our player personnel, so if the new coaches can make a smooth transition who knows how far we can go.

[TechFirst]

Oh yeah, don't ask me what I think of the James family. It can't be put into print. And daddy James just announced he might try running for the U.S. Senate from Texas. FAT CHANCE!!

[moser53]

Just thought I'd check in and see how things are going with you guys. I've tried to keep up with your thread on recruiting but all the names, etc kinda make my eyes glaze over. How do things look for next year?

You probably saw that we hit a little speed bump recently. Lots of angry rednecks down here, but it looks like we actually came out of the deal alright (football-wise anyway). Keeping the same offense and adding an SEC defense sounds pretty good. We did have the best recruiting class we've ever had, but we'll have to see how that works out. It doesn't look like too many, if any, are going to bolt on us.

Recruiting seems to be going pretty well. When we get kids from the warm weather states to sign with us you have to applaud there sense of adventure. By the way we have lots of angry rednecks to the south of us to. Ha Ha.

[82SiouxGuy]

Oh yeah, don't ask me what I think of the James family. It can't be put into print. And daddy James just announced he might try running for the U.S. Senate from Texas. FAT CHANCE!!

I thought that was very interesting timing with all of the publicity. Maybe he figures any PR is good PR and he may never have this much attention.

[star2city]

Oh yeah, don't ask me what I think of the James family. It can't be put into print. And daddy James just announced he might try running for the U.S. Senate from Texas. FAT CHANCE!!

Glad you got a coach like Tuberville: he can take you to the next level. Leach, with his character and personality, was bound to self-destruct sooner or later.

Have you read much on USF's Leavitt? Leavitt was formerly a DC at Morningside, which was a basket-case program - except in Leavitt's years - formerly in the same D2 conference as UND. Getting Morningside competitive would be comparable to Rice winning the old SWC.

Leavitt

TAMPA, Fla. -- When University of South Florida sophomore Joel Miller pulled into the St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church parking lot in New Tampa shortly after midnight on Dec. 17, he saw the other car was already there.

Jim Leavitt had already arrived for this pre-arranged meeting. The meeting was to continue the ongoing lie that Leavitt and Miller were carrying on into what really happened during halftime in the locker room of the USF-Louisville game four weeks earlier.

Leavitt, who was Miller's football coach at USF, asked him to bring all the information and provide specific details about his testimony from when Miller spoke to USF investigators about the incident earlier that day.

As Miller pulled into the parking lot, he thought how ironic it was that he was meeting outside a church -- a church of all places! -- to collaborate on a cover-up.

"He told me to bring everything that happened [during Miller's Dec. 16 testimony with USF investigators] and give him everything that me and the investigators talked about and to write it all down on a piece of paper," Miller told FanHouse in an exclusive interview Thursday.

Leavitt initially told Miller to e-mail this information to his wife's e-mail account. His wife's account, of course, would not be accessible through a public records search. But instead of e-mailing the information, Miller and Leavitt met in a church parking lot for about 10 minutes.

Miller gave Leavitt a page that he had typed with all of the details and specifics of his testimony to USF's investigators.

"It was a weird feeling," said Miller about the secretive meeting.

The clandestine meeting between Leavitt and Miller was just one example of the extremes Leavitt, the only coach in USF's 13-year history, took to try and cover up the details about what happened in the locker room that, because of Leavitt's lies, ultimately cost Leavitt his job that would have paid him $9.5 million over the next five years.

Leavitt wasn't the only high-ranking official in the athletics department who was aware of the incident. Miller said "everyone in the USF athletics building, including athletic director Doug Woolard," knew what happened to him days after the incident. "Everyone knew," Miller said. "Everyone knows what happened."

"We [Miller and Leavitt] talked and collaborated about it," Miller said.

Miller even remarked in the second half of the USF-Louisville game that some USF players told Louisville players about the incident between plays and during stoppages in play.

Two days after the Nov. 21 incident, Miller said he went to Leavitt's office to discuss what had happened. Leavitt refused to apologize or even acknowledge he had done anything wrong. According to USF's investigative report, Leavitt told Miller to "choose his words wisely, because [Leavitt said he] was the most powerful person in the building."

Miller said Thursday that quote was inaccurate.

"He said, 'Before you speak your next words, choose your next words carefully because I'm the reason you're here. You should be coming in here and thanking me [for letting him transfer from The Citadel]. How many walk-ons would have this chance? Zero. You should be thanking me for grabbing you, you were out of it,'" Miller said Leavitt told him.

Leavitt then explained to Miller how Leavitt had been "coached" as a player.

According to Miller, Leavitt told him: "My coach hit me and knocked me to the ground and I was so mad at him. He was like, 'Well leave Jim, leave.' I wanted to fight with him."

Leavitt then told Miller, "You'll look back 20-30 years on this and be thanking me."

On another occasion, Miller said he went into Leavitt's office, hoping for some type of admission of guilt or apology from Leavitt.

"Right after I walked into his office, I told him, 'You know I'm lying for you,'" Miller said. "'I'm lying for those coaches.' All he said was, if I did it, I don't remember."

[dakotadan]

Okay, I know that it has been posted around here and I even went over and read threads there for a while. But what is the Tech fan board?

[TechFirst]

There are several forums but the best (and free) one is DoubleTNation.com. But I hardly recognize the place this last few weeks. Ever since the Leach deal blew up, the membership has doubled at least. We've had guys from teams all over the country joining up to talk about what happened.

I didn't know the details about the USF deal, just that the coach hit some kid. I didn't realize he went to such extent to try and cover it up. The Leach deal was nothing like that, although ESPN tried to spin it that way just because Craig James works there. HERE is a recent article that gives a more objective view.