2023 DCTF Magazine Team Preview: North Texas Mean Green

cousin oliver · July 9, 2023

The Mean Green Morris era kicks off — just one of the many changes in Denton.

Change was the only constant for the North Texas athletic department as 2022 rolled into 2023.

The Mean Green hired Jared Mosley to replace Wren Baker as athletic director while relieving head coach Seth Littrell of his duties following a trip to the Conference USA championship. He was replaced by former Incarnate Word head coach and Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris.

The school also enters the 2023-24 athletic calendar with a new men’s and women’s basketball coach. Oh, and North Texas is ditching C-USA for the greener pastures of the American Athletic Conference.

Morris inherits a squad that went 7-7 in 2022 and that’s reached a bowl game in six out of the last seven years despite a 21-28 record over the last four seasons. With the playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2024 with an automatic spot for the top G5 team, the Mean Green feel poised to compete thanks to location, resources, and a fresh face in charge of the football program.

“We’re trying to win the American,” starting safety Logan Wilson said. “That and a bowl game. I know we’re stepping into a new conference, but I think we’ll surprise some people.”

Morris knows how to elevate a program. He took over an Incarnate Word program that started in 2009 and was 30-67 prior to his arrival in 2018. The Cardinals went 14-22 in his first three years before a 10-3 record and a postseason run catapulted the former Texas Tech wide receiver to the offensive coordinator job at Washington State.

Incarnate Word went 12-2 last year and made it all the way to the FCS semifinals with a roster mostly constructed by Morris and his staff. UIW was one of the worst college football jobs in the Lone Star State prior to Morris. It is now one of the best at the non-FBS level thanks to him.

North Texas is in a much better starting position. Morris was forced to help with laundry, nutrition and field maintenance while at UIW. In Denton, he has a full staff on and off the field with great facilities and an administration firmly behind the team.

“There’s almost too much help here,” Morris joked. “It is important for me to make sure everyone is working towards the same goal. I divvy out the roles and trust them to do that job. My job is to get the most out of everybody.”

Read more: https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2023/07/12/2023-dctf-magazine-team-preview-north-texas-mean-green?ref=article_preview_img

97and03 · July 9, 2023

Ok write up, but they really need to better proofread and edit their work. The author says that we have Nixon back at LB but also lists him as one of our key losses. So simple to not make mistakes like that.

Edit: Ironically, I had a typo. 😂

Edited July 10, 2023 by 97and03

meangreenfaninno · July 9, 2023

I saw a lot of errors in this. Not a lot of tome put into this one unfortunately.

Okiefan · July 10, 2023

It is interesting when some of these writers appear to have not even visited with staff and make so many mistakes. The defense depth chart listed doesn’t even line up correctly with the scheme. For example Wood is not a MLB, he is a Will. We don’t have an edge defender position now. Phil Steele had it correct.

jtm0097 · July 10, 2023

12 hours ago, meangreenfaninno said:

I saw a lot of errors in this. Not a lot of tome put into this one unfortunately.

That pretty much sums up the whole magazine.

MGNation92 · July 10, 2023

DEFENSIVE MVP

CB Ridge Texada: Texada led the Mean Green with three sacks and 15 pass breakups in 2022.

Good to see Ridge expanding his skillset. Lord knows we need more quality pass rushers

Tommy Gadberry · July 10, 2023

26 minutes ago, MGNation92 said:

DEFENSIVE MVP

CB Ridge Texada: Texada led the Mean Green with three sacks and 15 pass breakups in 2022.

Good to see Ridge expanding his skillset. Lord knows we need more quality pass rushers

Haha what a joke! Did they even spend an hour on the researcher?