Goodbye, Eric Morris

The Best Offensive Coach in program history signs with Oklahoma State

The press release by the University:

“Eric informed me earlier today that he has accepted the head coaching position at Oklahoma State University.

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. He took over at one of the most chaotic times in college athletics and brought great success on the field, including two bowl-eligible seasons and the program’s first national ranking in over six decades, while our student-athletes excelled in the classroom and in the Denton community.

Coach Morris has committed to leading our team through the remainder of the season as we look to finish this historic year strong.

We wish Eric, Maggie, and the entire Morris family nothing but the very best at Oklahoma State.

A national search for the next head football coach at North Texas will begin immediately. We will have no further comment until a new head coach is named.”

Back when Seth Littrell was rumored to either Kansas State or Mississippi State, MGN lived right near the UIW campus and saw an opportunity to go visit the Cardinal head coach Eric Morris. He was a little confused at why a North Texas writer would want to talk with him, but he was interesting and engaging and all that stuff.¹

When North Texas decided to hire a new coach after parting ways with Seth Littrell, I hoped it would be Eric Morris. I liked his style, I liked his resume of success at a program like Incarnate Word that basically had nothing in the way of resources. He won there, and set records. I could see that happening in Denton. Most of all, I saw his ability to find QBs. In his time here in Denton, he has put Chandler Rogers, Chander Morris, and now Drew Mestemaker at QB and each has thrown for at least 3,000 yards, 26 TDs.

The real challenge was defense. In years one-and-two the defense was the worst in the nation. Of all the decisions made by the head man, the first defensive coordinator was the worst. North Texas built up a huge Cal matchup as the debut and it landed with a thud. North Texas was blown out the water, and getting fans into the stands was a difficult lift for the next two seasons. Long time observers know it was a series of false-starts, and wilting in the spotlight that had done it — dating back to Seth Littrell’s first year. North Texas is still on a bowl losing streak. In there were also two terrible losses in league championship games and some other Big Matchup games that saw North Texas fall flat.

We wrote recently that just one year ago, Eric Morris made the decision that would ultimately change his career trajectory. Firing Matt Caponi, and hiring Skyler Cassity moved Morris into position ahead of a light schedule to take full advantage of the opportunity. MGN has written often about how good the offense under Eric Morris has been, and simply getting an average defense would do wonders. Combine that with a light schedule — no Tulane, no Memphis on the regular season schedule — and UNT would have a chance to reach 9-and-10 wins. Well, that all happened. North Texas won 10 games — something not done in over 60+ years. North Texas is currently ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll. That hasn’t been done since 1959.

It just took the right coach and the right set of circumstances.

Coach Dan McCarney once asked, “Why Not North Texas?” and he was right. Some luck and some preparation and lo, and behold North Texas is in the national conversation.

The flip side of that recognition is that you will definitely lose someone. Eric Morris had a national-ranked offense for three years and simply had to hire a head coach. He found a QB three straight years and one even was drafted. Those are the things that people notice, and he was likely on some hiring short lists if he could get some wins in Denton. He did, and now he is gone.

Well, technically he takes the job at the end of the season but the papers are signed and it is all happening. The vibes were set to be like when Grant McCasland left a few years ago for Texas Tech. I shook his hand on the Vegas floor where he won the NIT and thanked him for everything he did. Nothing was announced, but we all knew what was about to happen.

The college football playoff was and is too much to expect for North Texas at this time. The league? Well North Texas can and should be competing for the American regularly. The difference between the top and the bottom is not super great. The real differentiator is talent along the defensive lines, and quarterback. Eric Morris gave North Texas a chance — with the worst defenses in college football — simply by his ability to find and develop and produce with quarterbacks every season.

There are many ways to win in college football and we’ve seen the Power Air Raid + Turnover-Getting Defense version make a run. The job is still not done — last I checked there is no trophy in the cabinet — but it puts pressure on the final regular season game — Temple! — and the likely American championship game.

Again, the CFP is a beauty pageant that is outside of North Texas’ control. The league? Very much so. Here’s to a couple of more weeks of the Eric Morris era. He did what we asked him to do: win and elevate the program. The journey involved a lot of frustrating weekends with terrible defenses, but I don’t know that anyone would trade this season for much of anything. This year has been magical and it doesn’t happen if Morris doesn’t learn that he needed something different on defense.

Looking back on the coaching rumor posts these were the names on the list:

Justin Fuente, former Memphis and Virginia Tech coach | Now an analyst at Indiana
Garrett Riley, TCU assistant and Broyles Award finalist | Clemson assistant
Eric Morris, former UIW assistant and current Washington State coordinator. MGN interviewed Morris before the matchup.
Ryan Walters, Illinois DC, and former NT secondary coach. | Flamed out at Purdue, now Washington DC
K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston coach | Temple head coach
Graham Harrell, former NT offensive coordinator | USC, Purdue (fired), now ACU Co-OC with former NT WR coach Joel Filani (7-1!)
Kenny Perry, TTU associate head coach | remains
Emmett Jones, TTU wide receivers coach | Now at OU
Joe Gillespie, TCU defensive coordinator | Midway HS Coach

How about our favorite running back coach Patrick Cobbs? How about our favorite NFL DC Zach Orr? The search begin immediately, says the press release. The job remains the same: compete in the American. The resources should be higher now, and Morris helped do that.

GMG

1. Interestingly, when he left for Washington State to be their offensive coordinator I got an email from the Incarnate Word press office.