​Caleb Hawkins stood there for a moment, letting the implications sink in. A year had already passed since his last game for North Rock Creek High School in Shawnee, Oklahoma, when he was a true freshman running back hoping to make the most of his single FBS offer from North Texas and carve out a sliver of playing time while adjusting to the pace of college football. Fast forward to Tuesday, July 7, 2026, and Hawkins’ day could not have looked more different. He found himself aboard a private jet departing from Stillwater and heading toward the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as one of four Oklahoma State representatives at Big 12 Media Days in Frisco, Texas. Eight hours were spent in front of cameras and microphones, the national spotlight suddenly focused on him and his program.
“I mean, I have a hard time getting in small spaces,” Hawkins quipped about the flight, admitting it felt a bit strange. The whirlwind trip to Frisco illustrated just how dramatically life had shifted for many North Texas players and coaches thanks to a single, late-November announcement on November 25, 2025.
That week of Thanksgiving, North Texas head coach Eric Morris accepted the head coaching vacancy at Oklahoma State. Despite the midseason timing, Morris promised to remain with North Texas through the remainder of the season—through its finale against Temple, the conference championship against Tulane, and any potential College Football Playoff appearances. Morris later reflected that his biggest regret about the move was watching the news break outside the walls of the North Texas facilities before he could speak to his players in person. Even though the departure wasn’t ideal, his players respected how he handled it.
“I don’t think there was a better way to handle it from Coach Morris’ perspective,” said Wesloski. “He wanted to tell us first, but the news got out about 30 minutes earlier, which sucked. He came in and said, ‘I’m taking this job. This is the move for my career and my family. Let’s not get anything twisted. We’re going to win this game. We’re going to win the American Conference Championship. We’ll make the playoffs. We’ll make a run.’ He was adamant about finishing this game, one week at a time, and doing as much as we could.”
Originally, Morris planned to stay with the Mean Green through the postseason. However, after North Texas fell to Tulane in the American Championship, the two schools agreed to allow him to transition fully to Stillwater. By December, North Texas had concluded its best season in program history with a 12-2 record and a New Mexico Bowl victory over San Diego State. The transfer portal opened shortly after the Mean Green returned home, a period Morris dreaded during his three years in Denton.
“The one thing that’s been frustrating for me the last couple years at North Texas and at the ‘G-6’ level is the resources to be able to retain talent year in and year out.”