DENTON – Eric Morris isn’t completely new to the concept of Mean Green. Mike Leach made sure of that. 

Morris, who was introduced at a press conference on Wednesday as the new head coach of North Texas, is more comfortable in red. He played for Leach at Texas Tech as a wide receiver for the Red Raiders. He broke into coaching as a GA for the Houston Cougars. Morris eventually earned his first head coaching job for an Incarnate Word program that uses a Cardinal as a mascot. And his most recent stop – Washington State – was also a shade of red. 

Morris spent Tuesday at the funeral of Leach. His eyes watered in the introductory portion of his press conference when he thanked Leach for his mentorship. But it wasn’t all sad. Morris also shared a story to the Mean Green faithful about his new favorite color. 

The year was 2008 and Morris scored the game-winning touchdown in a showdown with nationally ranked Nebraska. During the film session the next day, his teammates and coaches began ribbing Morris about his size compared to an opponent who tried to tackle him on the touchdown. Morris says he is 5’8”. 

“Leach stops the tape and says, ‘the only little person who can do something magical like that is an elf,” Morris remembered. “He then called me up to the front of the room and from then on I was known as ‘the elf’ to coach Leach. Sometimes the ‘angry elf’ because I’d get mad when he took me out of the game.” 

The joke didn’t stop there. The next week at a walkthrough practice on Thursday, Morris heads to his locker and notices a new wardrobe in a locker room. 

“Everything that was in the locker was green,” Morris said. “He made me a green jersey. He made me green tights. I even had these little slipper type things and elf ears that he taped to the outside of my helmet.” 

Morris went to the equipment director and expected to receive his old gear back and for the joke to end. In perfect Leach fashion, it was only the beginning. Texas Tech was on a roll. Leach didn’t want to mess with the momentum. So, as Morris tells it, the new head coach of the Mean Green sported that outfit for the next five weeks during practice. 

The shadow of Leach is not new in the state of Texas, but Morris’ arrival at North Texas makes the larger-than-life figure even bigger. Twelve programs played FBS football in the state of Texas in 2022 and four of the 12 head coaches – Dave Aranda, Sonny Dykes, Dana Holgorsen, and Seth Littrell – all played or coached for Leach during his tenure at Texas Tech. Morris did both. He played and coached with Leach, and his hiring ensures that 25 percent of the FBS programs remain in the hands of Leach disciples. 

“He never listened to the outside noise,” Morris said of Leach. “He had something he believed in, and he never wavered from that. He knew how to hire people, and he wasn’t afraid to take a chance on someone.” 

Morris was one of those chances – as a player and a coach. Morris, 37, was a two-sport star at Shallowater in Class 2A. He played at a small school in West Texas and didn’t possess the size or blazing speed that attracted most college recruiters. Leach didn’t care. He figured the small, talented Morris would fit perfectly into his slot receiver position at Texas Tech. As usual, Leach knew what he was talking about. 

Then, after one year as a GA in Houston, Leach hired Morris to become the wide receivers coach for Leach at Washington State in 2011. That jumpstarted Morris’ rise through the coaching ranks. He eventually became the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under Kliff Kingsbury – another Leach disciple. From there, Morris went on to build Incarnate Word from an afterthought at the FCS level to one of the premier sub-FBS programs in the country. 

“He was a special man,” Morris said. “In his weird, quirky way, he was a man who know how to bring people together.” 

Now, that’s Morris’ job at North Texas. Beyond building a coaching staff and a roster, Morris needs to build energy at North Texas. The stadium is there, as are most of the facilities. North Texas can be a premier G5 program in a world with an expanded playoff, but that takes support. And unity. Not just in the locker room or the athletic building, but in the fan base. 

“It starts with winning,” Morris admitted. “We’re right there on a plateau, so if we can push it over the top, this will be the best G5 job in the country.”