A collection of the most influential figures in North Texas athletics crowded into a swanky restaurant a little more than a month ago.
UNT was well into one of the best seasons in program history back on Oct. 20 and athletic director Jared Mosley wanted to talk about an issue that loomed on the horizon.
UNT had just signed Eric Morris to a contract extension in January — shortly after he led the Mean Green to an appearance in the First Responder Bowl. That deal through the 2029 season with a base salary of $950,000 didn’t look like it would be nearly enough to fend off schools that might come calling for UNT’s third-year coach.
Rex Glendenning, a former UNT player and real estate developer who helped bring the Cowboys’ headquarters to Frisco, seven members of UNT’s athletic advisory board, as well as longtime donors Don Lovelace and Dan Smith, spent the night formulating a strategy to retain Morris over dinner at Lombardi Cucina Italiana at The Star in Frisco.
The plan they hatched has largely come to fruition over the last few days.
What remains to be seen is if it will be enough.
“We’re trying everything we can to get into the arena, but I don’t know,” Glendenning said. “North Texas has always been the poor guy at the table. We don’t have the money to throw around like SMU does.
“What we do have now is leadership at the university that is willing to up the ante and keep us in the ballgame.”
The Denton Record-Chronicle spoke with a half-dozen people involved in those efforts, including Mosley. The members of the group detailed where UNT stands as it heads into the stretch run of its battle to retain Morris.
UNT’s coach has come up in connection with several jobs, but the one boosters are most concerned about is clear. Oklahoma State is looking for a coach to replace Mike Gundy, who spent 21 seasons guiding the Cowboys.
Morris emerged as a leading candidate for the job over the last several weeks as UNT continued to stack up wins. The Mean Green moved to 10-1 after rolling to a 56-24 win over Rice on Saturday.
Morris’ name has also come up in connection with the opening at Arkansas.
“There are a lot of people getting on board with this effort,” Lovelace said. “We’re really expanding our donor base and are in a great place. All the things that need to happen are happening.”
That includes key donors stepping forward to bolster UNT’s financial position. Glendenning is among the boosters who made a significant financial commitment after last month’s dinner meeting.
The university has also committed more resources, particularly when it comes to funding name, image and likeness opportunities for members of Morris’ team.
Morris said before the season began that UNT’s budget for players this season could exceed $2 million.
UNT’s regents recently delegated authority to the school’s athletics department to renegotiate Morris’ contract for the second time this year. That move represented another significant financial commitment from the school.
“We are in a position to more than double our revenue share pool for student-athletes, enhance our salary pool for assistants, along with a putting together a competitive compensation package to put coach Morris in the top end of head coaches in the American Conference,” Mosley said.
What UNT is offering
Mosley didn’t want to tip his hand as far as what UNT is able to offer, but Glendenning suggested the school offer Morris a $3 million base salary. Morris ranked sixth among the nine American coaches listed in USA Today’s coaches’ salaries database for 2025 in terms of total compensation at $1.4 million.
South Florida coach Alex Golesh and UTSA coach Jeff Traylor topped the list that does not include private schools at $2.5 million. Private schools are not subject to open records requests for contract information.
What could be just as important are the funds UNT has committed as a university to bolster the school’s NIL funding.
“The university has agreed to pitch in $1.6 to $1.7 million,” Glendenning said. “The alums who are active come up with another million. Now you’re in the game. It’s not like Texas Tech, which is spending $25 million, but you almost have to have around $2.5 million to $3 million to play.”
UNT boosters and officials believe what the school is offering beyond salary and NIL resources will also be critical. The school announced on Friday that it will break ground on an expansion of its athletic center this summer that will add 15,000 square feet to the venue. The project has been in the works for years.
“We continue to grow, evolve and get more and more support from our administration,” Morris said. “We’re about to build a new weight room here, which is much needed.”
A larger salary pool for assistant coaches could also be a key enticement. UNT is sure to have assistant coaches who will be hot commodities in the offseason.
Skyler Cassity has helped UNT make a dramatic jump in his first season as its defensive coordinator and could be tough to hang on to. The Mean Green entered their game against Rice tied for fourth nationally with 24 turnovers forced.
“Morris has shown that he deserves a compensation package — including revenue sharing, NIL money, assistant and support staff pay and his salary — that rank at the top of the Group of Five nationally,” said Dillon Lovelace, Don Lovelace’s son and a key booster. “He deserves a package that will make it very difficult for him to leave Denton for places other than for a perennial top 15-20 job.”
More than just money
UNT boosters and school officials are hoping the comfort level Morris has found at the school could be their ace in the hole when it comes to their efforts to retain him.
Morris has spoken about his love of the UNT community and Denton throughout his time at the school and did so again following the Mean Green’s win over Rice.
“My family loves where we live and our bosses, from the president to the athletic director in Jared,” Morris said. “We spend so many hours in the office. If you don’t love the people you work with, it can be miserable at times. We have great people who are helping us.
“This isn’t a one-man show. We have an army that helps me, has seen the vision and worked with me on it for a long time.”
UNT’s players say they have bought into that vision, including the members of a young core of offensive playmakers.
Star quarterback Drew Mestemaker is a redshirt freshman. Running back Caleb Hawkins is a freshman, and wide receiver Wyatt Young is a sophomore.
UNT would be set up for the foreseeable future if it retains Morris and its top players. That might be easier than it sounds.
Both Mestemaker and Hawkins would be highly sought-after players on the transfer market. Mestemaker signed with Process Sports Management, an agency that helps players maximize their NIL earnings, earlier this year.
UNT lost starting quarterback Chandler Rogers to Virginia after last season despite making him an NIL offer of about $500,000. Virginia landed him after offering more than $1 million.
The concern among UNT boosters is that if the school loses Morris, his top players could follow him to his next stop, which would certainly have more resources than UNT.
The Mean Green’s key players have seemed open to staying at the school, particularly if Morris sticks around.
“I’m really blessed to be in this position under coach Morris,” Young said Saturday night. “He’s a great coach. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Mosley and UNT boosters have spent the last few weeks working to give Morris as much to work with as possible.
“Eric is the perfect guy for us right now,” Don Lovelace said. “Besides being a really good person who has a strong rapport with the players and the donors, he really knows football. Who knows, a few years down the road he may be coaching at LSU, Notre Dame or Southern Cal. Right now, he’s what we need.”
UNT has lined up all it can to try to retain him. The Mean Green’s core supporters are confident the program will continue its upward trend if Morris is around to lead the way. Smith has as long of a history with UNT football as just about anyone. He played for the Mean Green from 1959 to 1961 and says this season’s run has produced the best publicity the program has ever experienced.
“Eric is the key without a doubt,” Smith said. “If we can keep him here, we can blow the top off and build something really positive for North Texas.”