North Texas head coach Eric Morris confirmed Tuesday senior safety Isheem Young will miss the 2024 season with a knee injury.

Young, a transfer who started 30 games over four years between Ole Miss and Iowa State, was expected to start at the STAR (nickelback) position in the Mean Green's 3-3-5 defense.

Young's injury is a massive blow for North Texas's hopes to get to an average run defense. Morris envisioned a unit in the mold of the Iowa State three-down fronts which gave him fits as Texas Tech's offensive coordinator in the mid 2010s. But that scheme requires a defensive backfield that can play with a linebacker's physicality in the run game, something the Mean Green lacked in 2023. Young, at 5-foot-10, 210 pounds, and with experience in Iowa State's program, was supposed to bring the wood as a primary run-fitter for North Texas this season. 

Morris said two weeks ago that South Oak Cliff alum David Spruiells was a fall camp standout at the STAR position, but at 5-foot-8, 165-pounds, his size could limit him in the run game. Texas transfer Bryan Allen Jr. and Ohio Dominican product Jayden Hill, whom Morris referred to as a potential NFL player, were the two starting high safeties in the 2024 Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine. North Shore product Jayven Anderson (6-foot, 204 pounds) is a candidate to slide over to STAR after finishing with 30 tackles his freshman year.