Titans Will Recruit SMU Tackle Unger

Dominik Unger, the Southern Methodist University defensive tackle who said that school’s football program betrayed him by flagrantly violating National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules, will be recruited by Cal State Fullerton, Titan Coach Gene Murphy said Thursday.

Unger’s twin brother, Dan, was a reserve defensive tackle for Fullerton last fall as a junior. Shortly after the NCAA suspended SMU from competing in football for the 1987 season Wednesday because of evidence that a group of SMU players had been receiving large sums of money from a booster, Dominik Unger said he would pursue the possibility of transferring and joining his brother at Fullerton.

Unger is one of 56 SMU players with eligibility remaining who are free to transfer and be eligible to play next season. The Unger brothers, immigrants from Czechoslovakia, have one year of eligibility remaining.

Murphy did not hesitate when asked if he would pursue Unger, a 6-foot 5-inch tackle who was projected to be a starter for the Mustangs next season. “We’re definitely going to try to visit with him,” Murphy said. “We’re working through Dan to try to get in touch with him.”

Murphy said he recruited both Dominik and Dan out of Fullerton College, where they continued their careers after playing football for the first time at Orange High School. He landed Dan but saw Dominik get away.

“He was one of those guys who was going to go big time,” Murphy said. “He was coming off of knee surgery, but he was still recruited pretty heavily. Dan was, too, but not as much as Nik.”