Editor’s note: This is one of a series of college football previews by The Dallas Express.
North Texas Mean Green
2022 SEASON: 7-6 (6-2 in Conference USA), lost to Boise State in the Frisco Bowl
North Texas opened the season 2-3 but rallied to win five of its last eight games to reach the Conference USA Championship Game against Texas-San Antonio at the Alamodome.
The Mean Green went 6-2 in conference play, with its only losses coming to UTSA and UAB on the road. UNT also went 5-1 at home, losing only to SMU in the second game of the season.
However, North Texas was obliterated in the Conference USA Championship Game, and head coach Seth Littrell was fired after four seasons. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett took over as the interim head coach for the team’s Frisco Bowl loss against Boise State, during which the Mean Green defense allowed 318 rushing yards.
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WHAT’S NEW
Bennett and Littrell were replaced by former Texas Tech wide receiver, Incarnate Word head coach, and Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris, who has set forth on a mission to better recruit the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the state of Texas as the program enters its first year in the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
Morris will work with a new quarterback in Birdville High School alum Stone Earle as three-year starter Austin Aune departs. Several leading players on both sides of the ball are also gone, but the Mean Green brings back four experienced running backs to carry the load offensively and a veteran secondary on the back end of its defense.
Transfers like Trey Cleveland (Texas Tech), Blair Conwright (TCU), Larry Moore (Texas Tech), and Philip Hill (UNLV), as well as 14 scholarship freshmen, join the team, while leaders like Jyaire Shorter, Jake Roberts, and Larry Nixon III have left via the transfer portal.
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2023 SCHEDULE
September 2 (Sat) 3 p.m. CT vs. California
September 9 (Sat) 5:30 p.m. CT at FIU
September 16 (Sat) 6 p.m. CT at Louisiana Tech
September 30 (Sat) TBA vs. ACU
October 7 (Sat) 2:30 p.m. CT at Navy
October 14 (Sat) TBA vs. Temple
October 21 (Sat) TBA at Tulane
October 28 (Sat) TBA vs. Memphis
November 4 (Sat) TBA vs. UTSA
November 10 (Fri) 8 p.m. CT at SMU
November 18 (Sat) TBA at Tulsa
November 25 (Sat) TBA vs. UAB
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PLAYER TO WATCH
CB Ridge Texada
Texada is one of the leaders in a veteran Mean Green secondary. Last season, he claimed a starting role and flourished, leading them with three interceptions. He enters the year as an unquestioned starter, looking to build on that momentum.
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FRESHMAN TO WATCH
S Evan Jackson
The North Texas lineup is filled with upperclassmen, so it will be difficult for any true freshmen to get on the field. However, it is a new coaching staff, and the Houston North Shore product may have the best chance to get on the field as the only true freshman on the projected two-deep depth chart. He had 62 tackles, seven pass breakups, and was Second Team All-State last season while scoring three punt return touchdowns.
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BREAKOUT CANDIDATE
WR Trey Cleveland
The Texas Tech transfer highlights UNT’s incoming transfer class and will step right into the starting lineup. The former three-star recruit got few opportunities at Texas Tech, but he should be a primary option in the UNT offense.
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WHY CAN THEY CONTEND?
North Texas could surprise some people as it has a veteran team with playmakers on defense. The Mean Green also returns four experienced running backs that can carry their offense while Earle develops at quarterback and continues to gel with a talented group of receivers. A couple of unexpected wins could put them in the conversation in the AAC.
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OBSTACLES
New coaches take the time to implement their philosophies into the program. However, Morris is a coach who likes to throw the ball around, and that is not the strength of this team entering the season. UNT has one particularly challenging game in nonconference play (Cal), and the schedule makers did it no favors in conference play, scheduling four consecutive games against AAC title contenders. North Texas will need to find its footing quickly if it hopes to stay afloat.
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2023 Prediction
Record: 6-6
Bowl: New Mexico Bowl
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There are some things to like about this North Texas team, and they should have some scrappiness and grit this season. The nonconference slate is decent, but the conference slate will really challenge them. If the Mean Green can get on a roll, it can have a better season, but the obstacles in the way in a new conference will be difficult, especially for a team with so much off-season turnover. However, there are experienced players around, and the veteran presence alone should be enough to reach another bowl game.
