Eric Morris Hired as Oklahoma State’s New Head Coach After Leading North Texas to Historic Season

When Eric Morris stepped off the field after North Texas’s 45-38 win over UAB on November 23, 2025, he didn’t know it would be his final game as the Mean Green’s head coach — not until the call came from Oklahoma State University two days later. At 11:00 AM CT on November 25, 2025, Oklahoma State Athletics Department in Stillwater, Oklahoma officially named Morris, 40, the Cowboys’ 25th head football coach, replacing the fired Mike Gundy. The move wasn’t just a coaching change. It was a signal: Oklahoma State was done playing it safe.

A Program in Need of a Jolt

For two decades, Mike Gundy was Oklahoma State football. He built it from the ground up, won Big 12 titles, and turned Boone Pickens Stadium into a fortress. But by October 15, 2025, after a 3-4 start — including losses to Kansas and Iowa State — the fan base had grown restless. Attendance had dipped to 52,000 for some games, down from an average of 55,432 in 2024. The offense? Stagnant. The transfer portal? Neglected. NIL collectives? Barely functional. Oklahoma State Athletics Department had spent $118.7 million in FY2024, with football generating 65% of that. Yet the returns felt outdated.

The Morris Effect: From Canyon to Denton

Eric Morris didn’t come from a blue-blood program. He came from Canyon, Texas, a town of 15,000, where he played wide receiver under Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2004 to 2008. He learned the Air Raid. He lived it. Then he spent years as a coordinator at Washington State, Houston, and Incarnate Word — all places where big wins were rare, but innovation was required.

At University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, he turned the Mean Green into a force. In 2023: 5-7. In 2024: 7-6. In 2025? 10-1. The first 10-win season in program history. Fourth nationally in passing offense. Top in the American Athletic Conference in scoring (38.2 points per game). And all of it with players who weren’t five-star recruits — guys who got overlooked, believed, and thrived under Morris’s system.

Why Oklahoma State Chose Him

Chad Weiberg, the 48-year-old athletic director who’s held the job since July 2021, didn’t hire Morris because he won games. He hired him because he rebuilt them — from nothing, with no resources. “He identifies, recruits, and develops some of the best players in college football,” Weiberg said in the press release. That’s code for: He knows how to win in the transfer portal.

Oklahoma State’s program had become a graveyard for quarterbacks. Mestemaker, 22, was the latest to be lost to the portal. Meanwhile, Morris’s offense at North Texas attracted talent like Caleb Hawkins, 20, a Tulsa native and dynamic tailback who could’ve been the missing piece in Stillwater. Sources say Morris is already in talks with Hawkins and other North Texas standouts about following him to OSU.

Even more telling: Skyler Cassity, 37, Morris’s defensive coordinator at North Texas since 2023, is expected to join the staff. That’s rare. Coordinators don’t usually follow head coaches across conferences — unless they trust the vision.

The NIL Imperative

This isn’t just about offense. It’s about money. Oklahoma State’s NIL collective, once a leader, has fallen behind Texas, LSU, and even Kansas State. Under Gundy, the program was slow to adapt. Players complained. Recruits whispered. Morris? He didn’t just adapt — he thrived. At North Texas, he helped create a player-led NIL collective that raised over $2.3 million in its first year. He didn’t just sign players. He empowered them.

“Eric understands that college football isn’t just about X’s and O’s anymore,” said Sports Illustrated’s senior college football analyst. “It’s about relationships, branding, and giving athletes a voice. That’s what OSU needs.”

What Happens Next?

Morris won’t be in Stillwater until after North Texas’s season ends. That means he’ll coach the Mean Green through the American Athletic Conference Championship GameAlamodome on December 6, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. If North Texas finishes as the top Group of Five team — currently ranked No. 12 in the final CFP rankings — he’ll lead them into the College Football Playoff. That’s a rare chance for a Group of Five program. And for Oklahoma State? A perfect transition. They get a coach who’s already proven he can handle pressure.

Meanwhile, North Texas has named offensive coordinator Michael Yurcich, 49, as interim head coach. The search for a permanent replacement is already underway.

Why This Matters

This hire isn’t just about replacing Mike Gundy. It’s about Oklahoma State choosing the future over nostalgia. The Big 12 is evolving. Power Five programs are now competing with Power Four and Group of Five schools on recruiting, NIL, and innovation. Oklahoma State didn’t want to be left behind. They hired a coach who built a 10-win team with 12 scholarship players who transferred in. That’s not luck. That’s strategy.

Morris walks into a program with a 60,218-seat stadium, a passionate fan base, and a legacy. But he also walks into a program that’s been coasting. Now, he’s got the keys — and the mandate to drive it into a new era.