Neal Brown hopes to retain players after No. 23 North Texas made CFP push
North Texas NCAA head football coach Neal Brown speaks Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Denton, Texas. Credit: AP/LM Otero
DENTON, Texas — The most important recruiting for new North Texas coach Neal Brown is trying to retain the players that have been part of the school's first 11-win season, and still have a bowl game to play after just missing out on the College Football Playoff.
Brown met with the team before being formally introduced as coach for the No. 23 Mean Green (11-2) on Monday, a week after being announced as the successor to Oklahoma State-bound Eric Morris. Neither will coach North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl against San Diego State on Dec. 27.
“My approach on this is this 2025 season is not done,” Brown said. “So that's their team, I'm not part of that yet. All I want to do is I want to be around them. And my main goal with those players right now is building relationships.”
When Morris was named as Oklahoma State's new coach two weeks ago, he and the school said he would finish the season with the Mean Green. Their 34-21 loss to CFP-bound Tulane in the American Conference game on Friday night knocked them out of contention to be a Group of Five representative in the 12-team playoff.
Morris was introduced Monday at Oklahoma State, about 225 miles north on Interstate 35 from the North Texas campus where he was 22-16 over three seasons. He is taking over a Cowboys team that hasn't won a conference game in the Big 12 since 2023.
North Texas athletic director Jared Mosley said he had discussions with Morris about the coaching transition.
“I think certainly had the CFP (happened) ... that was something he wanted to make sure he saw through,” Mosley said. “I do think with this bowl being a little bit later and he obviously has a lot on his plate there, like we probably will look into letting him be a little more engaged there and figure out an interim solution here.”
North Texas NCAA head football coach Neal Brown, center, is introduced as the 21st coach by director of athletics Jared Mosley, right, and university president Harrison Keller Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in Denton, Texas. Credit: AP/LM Otero
Mosely said he expected to have a resolution on the interim situation within the next couple of days.
“Great thing is we’ve got a great staff in place now, I mean these are guys who have poured into these young men all season long,” the AD said. “We’ll manage this change probably in a way that’s similar to several other places going through this with us."
Brown, the 45-year-old former West Virginia and Troy coach, said he has had multiple conversations with Morris about the North Texas program, and expected them to connect again. Brown said he has sensed Morris’ deep respect for UNT and that he wants to exit in the right way.
“I wanted the opportunity to build on the success of coach Morris and to continue to do things that have never been done her before,” Brown said.
North Texas redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker has thrown 31 touchdowns and is the national passing leader with 4,129 yards. Freshman Caleb Hawkins, who got knocked out of the American title game early because of a shoulder injury, has rushed for 1,236 yards and an FBS-high 23 TDs.
Brown spent the past nine months at Texas as a special offensive assistant for coach Steve Sarkisian. Brown was 72-51 with the Mountaineers and Trojans, including a 5-1 bowl record. He also served as offensive coordinator at Kentucky (2013-14) and Texas Tech (2010-12).
Troy, a Group of Five school like North Texas, had three consecutive 10-win seasons that included bowl wins under Brown before he went to West Virginia. One of those postseason wins was 50-30 over the Mean Green in the 2017 New Orleans Bowl.
