On Tuesday, November 25, 2025, Oklahoma State pulled off a quiet revolution — naming Eric Morris, 39, as its next head football coach. The announcement came just after 5:20 p.m. UTC, ending a search that began the moment Mike Gundy stepped away. No fanfare. No press tour. Just a cold, hard truth: the Cowboys needed offense back. And Morris? He doesn’t just bring it — he invents it.
From FCS Underdog to Big 12 Prospect
Do more with less. That’s the mantra that follows Eric Morris like a shadow. At Incarnate Word in 2018, he took a program that hadn’t won a conference title in decades and turned it into a top-15 FCS powerhouse — all with a budget that barely covered new cleats. That’s where he found Cameron Ward, a zero-star recruit out of a run-heavy Texas high school. Ward? Now the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Morris didn’t just coach him — he rebuilt his entire throwing motion from scratch.Then came Washington State — one season as OC, and the Cougars’ offense went from plodding to explosive. By 2022, he landed at North Texas in Denton. Three seasons later, he’s 21-15. And in 2025? 10-1. The Mean Green nearly made the College Football Playoff. All while ranking dead last in conference revenue sharing. That’s not luck. That’s architecture.
The Texas Connection
This hire wasn’t just about offense. It was about geography. About bloodlines. About recruiting in a state that produces more high school quarterbacks than any other. Morris spent five years under Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, where he ran the Air Raid with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback. He knows how to stretch defenses, how to exploit cover-2, how to make a 5’10” slot receiver look like a first-round pick.That’s why Oklahoma State didn’t go after a flashy name from the SEC. They went after someone who already knows how to win in Texas — and who has the contacts to flip recruits who were headed to Arkansas or UCLA into Stillwater jerseys. The Cowboys’ facilities? Boone Pickens Stadium. The budget? Big 12 revenue sharing. Morris won’t be begging for handouts anymore. He’ll be buying.
The Defense Problem
But here’s the catch: Oklahoma State didn’t just lose its offense under interim coach Doug Meechum. It lost its soul. The defense collapsed. The tackles missed. The safeties got lost in zone coverage. Enter Skyler Casity, the new defensive coordinator who stabilized North Texas’ unit on a shoestring. He’s good. But the Big 12? It’s a graveyard for bad defenses.Every coach in this conference has spent the last 20 years studying the Air Raid. Mike Leach’s ghost still haunts every film room. Morris’s schemes won’t surprise anyone anymore. He’ll need wrinkles — play-action bootlegs, motion-heavy RPOs, maybe even a wildcat package or two. And he’ll need time. Which brings us to the next hurdle.
Waiting for the Transition
Morris won’t officially take over until after North Texas’ postseason run — likely in early January 2026. That’s a gamble. What if the Mean Green make the Playoff? What if he’s coaching two teams at once? The university accepted the risk. Because they know what’s at stake: recruiting momentum. The 2026 class is already in motion. And Morris needs to be on the ground in Texas before the spring evaluations begin.He’s not just replacing Gundy. He’s replacing a generation. Gundy built Oklahoma State into a consistent winner with a conservative, ball-control identity. Morris? He’s the opposite. He’s the guy who turns third-and-long into highlight reels. He’s the guy who turns 3-star recruits into NFL starters. He’s the guy who makes quarterbacks look like magic.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just a coaching change. It’s a philosophical reset. Oklahoma State hasn’t had a truly explosive offense since the days of Gundy’s early tenure. The last time they averaged 35+ points per game? 2019. Since then? They’ve been stuck in neutral. Morris changes that. He doesn’t just want to win — he wants to entertain. He wants to fill Boone Pickens Stadium with fans who come for the fireworks, not just the wins.And if he succeeds? The ripple effect will be felt across the entire Big 12. Other schools will scramble to find their own version of Morris. Texas Tech might regret letting him go. Even Alabama’s staff will be watching — because if you can win with $10 million and no national recruiting clout, you can win anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will Eric Morris change Oklahoma State’s recruiting strategy?
Morris will lean heavily on his Texas network, targeting high school quarterbacks from Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio who were previously overlooked by Power Five programs. He discovered Cameron Ward with zero stars — and he’ll look for similar hidden gems. With Oklahoma State’s upgraded facilities and Big 12 revenue, he’ll now have the resources to offer scholarships and housing that he couldn’t at North Texas.
Why is the Big 12 a tough place to run the Air Raid now?
After decades of exposure to Mike Leach’s system, every Big 12 defensive coordinator has studied the Air Raid in depth. Teams like Texas, TCU, and Kansas State now have specialized packages to disrupt timing routes and force quick throws. Morris will need to innovate — adding motion, misdirection, and gadget plays — to stay ahead of defenses that know his playbook by heart.
What’s the timeline for Morris’s official start?
Morris will remain at North Texas through their postseason, which could extend into early January 2026 if they make the College Football Playoff. His official transition to Oklahoma State is expected by mid-January, giving him just four weeks before the 2026 recruiting dead period begins. That’s tight — but necessary to secure top Texas talent.
How does Morris’s background with Patrick Mahomes matter?
Morris didn’t just call plays for Mahomes — he shaped his decision-making under pressure. He taught him how to read defenses mid-play, how to extend plays without panicking, and how to trust his receivers in tight windows. Those are the exact skills Oklahoma State’s QBs need now. Mahomes’ success is proof Morris can develop elite quarterbacks — even on a limited budget.
What challenges does Skyler Casity face as the new defensive coordinator?
Casity inherited a unit that allowed 38.7 points per game in 2025 — the worst in the Big 12. At North Texas, he worked with limited talent but strong scheme discipline. In Stillwater, he’ll face elite quarterbacks, faster receivers, and more aggressive blitz packages. His success hinges on developing a secondary that can cover longer and a front seven that can generate pressure without overcommitting.
Will Eric Morris bring the same offensive system to Oklahoma State?
He’ll start with the Air Raid — but not as a copy. Morris has already evolved it at North Texas, adding more RPOs, quarterback runs, and pre-snap motion. Expect more misdirection, more tempo, and more creativity than Gundy ever used. The goal isn’t to replicate Texas Tech — it’s to make Oklahoma State’s offense the most unpredictable in the Big 12.