North Texas HC accepts OK State job offer while competing for CFP bid

North Texas is two wins away from a possible College Football Playoff berth, but head coach Eric Morris is already thinking about 2026.

On Tuesday, ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel revealed that Morris had accepted the job to become Oklahoma State’s next coach after the program fired longtime coach Mike Gundy in September. This season, the Cowboys are 1-10, their worst record since going 0-10-1 in 1991.

Thamel noted that Morris will remain with North Texas through the rest of the regular season and any potential playoff games, creating a potentially awkward situation over the next couple of weeks.

North Texas head coach Eric Morris takes Oklahoma State job while still competing for CFP bid

The timing of Morris’ hiring is far from ideal, but as Nick Saban noted on ESPN’s “College GameDay” this past Saturday, that’s more of an indictment of the college football calendar than Morris or Oklahoma State.

But it does raise concerns about his ability to both finish a historic season at North Texas with a playoff berth and build his first Oklahoma State roster.

Early signing period begins Dec. 3, while the transfer portal opens on Jan. 2. North Texas would need to go on a Cinderella run for Morris to not be fully committed to Oklahoma State by the time portal movement begins, but making headway on high-school recruiting will be a bigger challenge.

And if North Texas stumbles before making the playoff, people will question whether Morris’ decision played a role. That won’t be a concern to Morris, however. He’ll be long gone.