Another major domino has fallen on the college football coaching carousel.
North Texas head coach Eric Morris will be taking the vacant job at Oklahoma State after the conclusion of UNT’s 2025 season.
Morris will remain coach of the Mean Green (10-1, 6-1 American) as they chase both a conference championship and a potential berth in this season’s College Football Playoff, the school said in an announcement.
“Eric informed me earlier today that he has accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State University,” UNT athletic director Jared Mosley said in a statement sent Tuesday afternoon.
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“On behalf of the University of North Texas, I want to express our deep gratitude to Eric for everything he has done for Mean Green Football over the past three seasons. … Coach Morris has committed to leading our team through the remainder of the season as we look to finish this historic year strong.”
Morris has built a reputation for having a strong offensive mind as one of the up-and-coming names in the profession.
He knows how to bring life back to a program, launching Incarnate Word into an FCS power during his time in San Antonio prior to heading to Denton. Plus, as a native Texan, he should have no trouble recruiting an area that’s been critical for Oklahoma State over the years.
As recently as early October, however, Morris appeared committed to what he was building at North Texas.
“It’s a compliment and means, hey, we’re doing something right around here,” Morris said about his name swirling around open jobs at other universities. “But for me, I have such a good relationship with [athletic director] Jared Mosley here, and then I just love the people I work with every day, so I stay as far away from that stuff. I’m so committed to what’s going on right here, right now.”
Morris is set to become the 25th head coach in Oklahoma State’s history. The program parted with longtime coach Mike Gundy in September after another slow start for the Cowboys this season.
“Today begins the next era of Oklahoma State Football,” Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg said in a statement.
“I am thrilled to introduce Eric Morris, his wife Maggie and their boys Jack and George to the OSU Family. Coach Morris has proven his ability to build and lead winning football programs. He has consistently identified, recruited, and developed some of the best players in college football.”
In all, Gundy spent well over 30 years at Oklahoma State as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He arrived as head coach in 2005.
As late billionaire T. Boone Pickens poured millions into the program, Gundy turned Oklahoma State into an unlikely powerhouse that often affected the national championship race. The Cowboys won the Big 12 in 2011 and played in the Big 12 title game in 2021 and 2023. He led the Cowboys to five New Year’s Six bowl appearances and eight 10-win seasons.
But the Cowboys couldn’t keep up as college football changed. The transfer portal and NIL made it more difficult for a coach who made his name mining diamonds in the rough. Gundy lost 11 of his final 12 games with the program, the last straw coming on Sept. 19 after a 19-12 loss at home to Tulsa.
In three seasons at UNT, Morris built the Mean Green from a 5-7 record in his first season to a team that is still in contention for some major postseason stakes. Those three seasons have also produced three of the top four seasons for total offense per game in North Texas history.
“For many reasons, including the kind of person he is and the lasting relationships he builds with his players, Coach Morris is the perfect fit as the next leader of Cowboy Football,” Weiberg said. “The future is bright for OSU Football and I look forward to introducing him and his family to our team, our former players and all Cowboy fans.”
Back in Denton, meanwhile, a national search for the next head football coach at North Texas will begin immediately, the school said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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