UNT's Byerly will miss upcoming season
By Brett Vito / Staff Writer
Joey Byerly, a sophomore quarterback who was projected to start for North Texas, is among four players who will not be with the Mean Green in the 2005 season.
Byerly, junior fullback Chris Nevins and redshirt freshman lineman Micah West could all return to the team at a later date, according to UNT head coach Darrell Dickey. Senior linebacker Montrell Parks has decided to give up football.
“Joey, Micah and Chris will not be able to participate this fall because of NCAA requirements,” Dickey said. “All three have informed me of their intention to address their situation and return to the team as soon as possible.”
The loss of Byerly leaves UNT without a quarterback on its roster that has thrown a pass in a college game.
Byerly spent last season as the primary backup for starter Scott Hall and was expected to compete with redshirt freshman Daniel Meager for the starting job in spring practice.
Byerly took the majority of the snaps with the first-team offense after Meager injured his right shoulder.
Meager had surgery on the shoulder in March and has since resumed working out in preparation for the season. Dickey said Meager will be ready for the beginning of fall practice.
Hall took all but a few snaps for the Mean Green last season, when he threw for 1,806 yards and 14 touchdowns while earning second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors.
Byerly threw for 73 yards on 12 attempts last season and took the lead in the competition for the starting quarterback job in the spring.
The former West Orange Stark standout completed 9-of-24 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown during UNT’s spring game when the team’s receivers dropped several passes.
Dickey said before spring practice he might consider signing a junior college quarterback to compete for the starting job in 2005. Byerly’s performance helped convince Dickey to head into the season with the quarterbacks already with the team.
Barring a late addition, UNT will enter fall practice with six players listed as quarterbacks on its roster.
Meager will join junior Cullen Mills, sophomore Jonathan Ieans, redshirt freshman Kellen Haynes and freshmen Steve Warren and Matt Phillips.
Mills left the team during the offseason, but has since returned.
The loss of Byerly could open the door for Meager, one of the top quarterback recruits of the Dickey era. Meager threw for 1,720 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Richardson Pearce and was ranked No. 63 in The Dallas Morning News’ Area Top 100 list of college prospects.
Haynes, Ieans and Mills also have experience in UNT’s system, but Dickey said he has not ruled out any scenario, including starting a freshman.
Phillips threw for 1,950 yards as a senior at San Angelo Lake View and will have a chance to compete for the job in fall practice.
UNT could also turn to Korey Washington. The Cedar Park graduate was a standout high school quarterback who is projected to play defensive back for the Mean Green. Washington was named a first-team quarterback on the Austin American-Statesman’s 2004 All-Central Texas Football Team.
Washington, 5-10, 185, accounted for nearly 3,000 yards of total offense while leading Cedar Park to the Class 5A state quarterfinals. He could be an intriguing option if UNT’s other quarterbacks struggle.
Nevins played both fullback and linebacker while contributing on special teams. West played both offensive and defensive line, while Parks was a backup linebacker who finished with four tackles last season.
The loss of Byerly will be the biggest blow for the Mean Green among the players who will not play this fall. UNT opens the season on Sept. 3 at LSU and begins Sun Belt Conference play one week later at Middle Tennessee, a team that returns 18 starters from a squad that finished 4-4 in conference play last season.
Several preseason publications have named the Blue Raiders as one of the main threats to end the Mean Green’s run of four straight Sun Belt Conference titles.
The lack of options at quarterback could force UNT to lean even more heavily on a pair of standout running backs. Senior Patrick Cobbs won the national rushing title in 2003 before suffering knee and hand injuries that forced him to sit out most of the 2004 season.
Sophomore Jamario Thomas took over for Cobbs and went on to win the Mean Green’s second straight national rushing title in his first season at UNT.
Thomas’ performance helped UNT finish 7-5, win the Sun Belt title and earn a fourth straight trip to the New Orleans Bowl last season.
The Mean Green will enter the 2005 season with a 25-game winning streak in Sun Belt play.