The University of North Texas Board of Regents has delegated authority to the school’s athletics department to finalize a contract extension for football coach Eric Morris.
The board considered parameters of a deal in executive session Monday morning before regents approved UNT moving forward.
The UNT athletic department now has the ability to finalize the deal that was discussed in executive session.
Morris has a retention bonus and a radio/television stipend as part of his latest contract. Both jump by $25,000 annually.
There are several other incentives in Morris’ current deal, including for appearances in conference title games and bowl games.
Morris’ buyout in his current deal is 60% of his remaining base salary.
Morris has UNT off to a 6-1 start in his third season with the Mean Green.
Morris agreed to an extension through the 2029 season earlier this year that pays him $950,000 per year with additional incentives that push his total guaranteed compensation to just short of $1.5 million.
“We’re excited that the board has given us the opportunity to move forward in conversations with Eric and his team,” UNT athletic director Jared Mosley told the Denton Record-Chronicle. “We’re certainly excited about this season and the opportunity to finish it. We want to do everything we can to keep Eric here and his staff intact as we build this program.”
Morris’ stock has soared this season after he gradually upgraded UNT’s program in each of his first two years. The Mean Green became bowl eligible with six wins by beating key rival UTSA on Saturday.
The school laid the groundwork to lock Morris up a short time later.
UNT finished 5-7 Morris’ debut season in 2023 before improving to 6-7 after falling to Texas State in the First Responder Bowl last year. He is 17-15 in his time at the school.
UNT has not only won six games this fall, but also enters the week ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring offense at 45.0 points per game.
UNT’s performance is all the more impressive considering quarterback Drew Mestemaker is in his first season as a starter. The redshirt freshman has thrown for 1,860 yards and 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Morris has developed a new starting quarterback in each of his three seasons at UNT and has built a reputation for finding and mentoring top players at the position, including Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech and Cameron Ward at Incarnate Word.
Recruiting and developing a series of quarterbacks who went on to play in the NFL, including Mahomes and Ward, has made Morris attractive on the coaching market.
UNT could look to increase the buyout provisions in Morris’ contract that would result in a financial windfall should he be plucked away by another school.
The former Texas Tech wide receiver quickly found a home at UNT after arriving at the school ahead of the 2023 season following a stint as Washington State's offensive coordinator.
Morris quickly won over UNT's fans with his powerful offense and with the way he has engaged the community. He set up the Morris Family Challenge to fund name, image and likeness opportunities for members of the UNT football team before the season.
Morris vowed to match up to $50,000 donated by UNT supporters. Longtime donor Dan Smith stepped in and donated another $25,000 in matching funds when UNT cleared the original goal.
The school later surpassed $75,000 raised, resulting in $150,000 for its football program.
Morris has often spoke about his affinity for UNT and did so again following the fundraiser.
“I’ve always thought that at North Texas, we have power in numbers,” Morris said. “It’s been cool to see people get behind this.”
UNT moved to lock up Morris and continue to build that momentum Monday.