North Texas coach Eric Morris laid out the challenge the Mean Green face heading into his third season a few weeks ago.
UNT was fresh off a loss to Texas State in the First Responder Bowl when Morris began to look to the future. This the best available roster each and every year. Some of that is retention and some of that is going out and getting some guys.鈥�
UNT to see the results of those efforts on Tuesday, when the Mean Green opened spring practice at the Lovelace & McNatt Families Practice Facility.
UNT will work out through April 12. The program will forgo a spring game this year but will hold an open practice on March 29
The Mean Green finished 6-7 last year, their second under Morris, and are looking for their first winning season since 2018.
There are a host of issues UNT will look to address as they aim to break through.
The Mean Green lost their starting quarterback to the transfer market for the second straight year and will also try to turn a corner defensively under new coordinator Skyler Cassity.
The following is a look at four key storylines heading into spring workouts.
Who will start at quarterback?
Morris has a long history of recruiting and developing top quarterbacks, dating back to his time at Texas Tech when he recruited and coached Patrick Mahomes.
UNT landed Louisiana-Monroe transfer Chandler Rogers ahead of Morris鈥� debut season and saw him thrive. When Rogers left and transferred to Cal, the Mean Green replaced him with TCU transfer Chandler Morris.
UNT didn鈥檛 miss a beat with the former Highland Park standout who threw 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns before entering the transfer portal and landing at Virginia.
Morris left the program before UNT鈥檚 bowl game. He was only with the Mean Green a few months.
Can Eric Morris do it again?
The way former walk-on Drew Mestemaker performed in UNT鈥檚 bowl loss to Texas State was a positive sign. Mestemaker threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns in addition to breaking free for a 70-yard touchdown run.
The former Austin Vandegrift standout is just one of a few intriguing options for UNT. The Mean Green also added Miami transfer Reese Poffenbarger and North Crowley product Chris Jimerson Jr.
Poffenbarger was a standout at Albany before transferring to Miami, while Jimerson was one of the top high school quarterbacks in the state.
The race for the starting job between the three will be among the top storylines of spring practice.
Can Cassity rebuild UNT鈥檚 defense?
While UNT鈥檚 quarterback race will be the headliner of the spring, the Mean Green鈥檚 biggest dilemma will be on the defensive side of the ball.
UNT struggled in 2024 while allowing 34.2 points per game. Morris fired coordinator Matt Caponi following a loss to UTSA in the 10th game of the season.
Skyler Cassity, the former coordinator at Sam Houston, arrived in the offseason.
He faces what looks like a significant rebuilding project. UNT lost its top three tacklers from last season. Five of the seven players who were listed as starters in the Mean Green鈥檚 front seven for their loss to Texas State are also gone.
Cornerback Ridge Texada, one of UNT鈥檚 more consistently productive players the last several seasons, was also a senior last year.
The Mean Green brought in a host of transfers to help fill those voids, including more than a half-dozen transfers from Sam Houston.
There are a lot of moving pieces for UNT defensively. The Mean Green will have to hope they come together quickly.
Is the overall talent there?
UNT had six players named to the All-AAC football team that included first, second and third teams as well as honorable mention selections.
None of those players are back for the 2025 season.
UNT did bring in some highly regarded high school recruits and transfers. Jimerson was one of the best players in the state last season and was highly rated.
Even with Jimerson in the fold, UNT鈥檚 overall recruiting class was among schools in the AAC by 247Sports.
Does UNT have enough talent across the board to compete in the AAC?
We will have a better idea after spring practice.
Is the chemistry there?
Cassity is far from the only newcomer to UNT this offseason.
The Mean Green have a whole new defensive coaching staff and lost Justin Owens, a key off-field staffer who led UNT鈥檚 recruiting efforts, to Texas State.
The Mean Green have just four returning on-field assistant coaches.
There are plenty of questions about how UNT will come together. The coaching staff outside of Morris is largely new and the Mean Green lost several key locker room leaders, including linebacker Jordan Brown.