North Texas taps Neal Brown as new head coach

North Texas hired veteran offensive mind Neal Brown to replace the departing Eric Morris as head coach, the school announced Tuesday.

Brown landed a five-year contract with the Mean Green, according to ESPN.

The 45-year-old from Kentucky amassed a decade of major head coaching experience at West Virginia (2019-24) and Troy (2015-18), where he compiled an overall record of 72-51 and went 5-1 in bowl games.

Brown previously was the offensive coordinator for high-flying Kentucky, Texas Tech and Troy squads. He joined Steve Sarkisian's Texas staff in 2025 as a special assistant.

"Neal is a proven leader who builds programs with integrity, vision and an unwavering commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field," North Texas athletics director Jared Mosley said in a statement.

"His history of elevating rosters, developing talent and producing results in highly competitive leagues makes him an ideal fit for North Texas. We are confident that his leadership will position the Mean Green for sustained success, and we look forward to the impact he and his family will have on our program and our community for years to come."

Morris, who has been at North Texas since 2023, will see through the ongoing season and coach the Mean Green (11-1) in Friday night's American Conference championship game at Tulane.

Morris is bound for Oklahoma State, which plans to introduce him as head coach on Monday.

Brown will attempt to build on a record campaign for the Mean Green, who won more than 10 games for the first time in program history and rose to No. 20 in this week's AP Top 25 poll.

Beating No. 21 Tulane on Friday would extend the Mean Green's winning streak to seven games and potentially send the Denton, Texas, program to its first College Football Playoff.

"Several key criteria drove my analysis of opportunities this cycle -- alignment, relationships, resources, opportunity and community. Jared and his team presented a clear vision of why North Texas and Denton check all those boxes and then some," Brown said.

"Football in Texas is special and my family and I can't wait to pour everything we have into the North Texas campus and Denton. Most importantly, our program will always be a player-driven program, and I look forward to getting to know this team and building our roster for the future."

--Field Level Media