North Texas makes a coaching change

The Mean Green have a new football coach:

North Texas has named Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris as the Mean Green's new head coach, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.

Morris has deep roots in the state, having been a star player for Mike Leach at Texas Tech, a successful head coach at the FCS' Incarnate Word in San Antonio and a proven developer of both quarterbacks and prolific offenses.

Morris replaces Seth Littrell, who was fired on Dec. 4 after going 44-44 over seven years at the school. North Texas is headed to its debut season in the American Athletic Conference next year.

Littrell's .500 record actually makes him one of the more statistically successful UNT head coaches in the program's recent history. But Littrell was also 0-5 in bowl games, 0-2 in conference championship games, and - of particular importance to Mean Green faithful - 1-6 against Metroplex rival SMU. 

Following their loss to UTSA in the Conference USA championship game a couple of weeks ago, and with the change in conferences looming, the UNT administration decided that the time for a change had come. 

"I am incredibly honored to be the head football coach at North Texas," Morris said in a statement. "I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity given to me by (new UNT AD) Jared Mosley and President Smatresk to lead UNT Football into a new era in The American. As a native Texan, I understand the pride and standard of Mean Green football and I am humbled to be able to lead this storied program. My wife, Maggie, and our boys are so excited to return home. We can't wait to meet the team and get to work."

In addition to playing for Mike Leach (I am shocked and saddened by his sudden death) at Texas Tech, Morris was also on Kevin Sumlin's staff here in Houston in 2010 and 2011. In four seasons as the head coach at Incarnate Word, he went 24-18 and led the Cardinals to a pair of FCS playoff appearances.

Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as UNT’s interim coach during their Frisco Bowl showdown against Boise State on Saturday.