STILLWATER — New Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris has plenty on his plate in his previously established role coaching a North Texas program that plays for the American Conference championship Friday and could land a spot in the College Football Playoff.
But part of the deal in accepting the OSU job last week includes swapping Mean Green for America’s brightest orange.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhile Morris remains dedicated to getting North Texas to the playoff, he has some midnight oil to burn laying the foundation of his new program.
Let’s take a look at a few things that should be at the top of Morris’ to-do list at OSU:
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Identify front office staff
This one sounds like it’s already well in motion, which is critical, because these are the guys who can handle a large portion of work that needs to be done immediately.
Raj Murti, the North Texas general manager under Morris for the last eight months, has already begun work on the Cowboy roster, joined by some others from the UNT player personnel department, sources have told The Oklahoman.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMurti is an intriguing name because of his youthful age at 24, and his status as a rising star in the college football front office world. He spent five years with Dana Holgorsen at Houston, working his way up from recruiting intern to a primary role in the player personnel department.
It’s unclear exactly how many people Morris will have in his front office when it’s full, but for now, a few top figures like Murti can get to work on the nitty-gritty details of beginning to build the roster.
Former OSU defensive coordinator Mike Cassity is pictured with then-wife Colleen and their two sons, Braden, 5 1/2 months, and Skyler, 5, in 1999.Finalize most of coaching staff
College staffs are much bigger than they were just a couple years ago, so Morris has time to build out the secondary roles like analysts and quality control guys.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut the coordinators and primary position coaches need to be decided fairly quickly for recruiting purposes. It’s possible these decisions have been made already, but Morris could be waiting to get past Friday’s American championship game to let any public knowledge out.
But getting those coaches in place as soon as possible will be vital to many of the other program development decisions that need to happen.
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Morris seems likely to bring the majority of his UNT offensive staff, considering offense is his calling card. That includes coordinator and receivers coach Jordan Davis — another Texas Tech alum — as well as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Brophy.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrophy played quarterback for Morris at Incarnate Word and has worked with him since 2021. He is a nominee for the Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant coach.
The defensive staff is led by coordinator Skyler Cassity, who has multiple OSU connections. His father, Mike, once served as OSU’s defensive coordinator under Bob Simmons in 2000. And Skyler’s brother, Braden, was an OSU tight end, graduating in 2023.
The UNT staff also includes former Cowboy edge rusher Greg Richmond, who could be a candidate to return to his alma mater.
Oct 10, 2025; Denton, Texas, USA; North Texas Mean Green head coach Eric Morris stands on the sidelines against the South Florida Bulls during the second half of a game at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn ImagesAssess current roster and recruiting class
With a front office and some assistants in place, everyone can go to work moving the big rock of the offseason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt starts small, with the current recruiting class, and the front office folks have begun that process already. OSU lost two commitments Sunday night (tight end Bryton Niu of Lehi, Utah, and offensive lineman Aiden Martin of Berryhill), a result of the staff change.
That leaves the Cowboys with six players committed for Wednesday’s early signing period. But Morris and Co. have extended a couple of offers to prospects and have been in communication with others who already had OSU offers.
After that comes the internal scouting of what is left of the 2025 roster. Taking out graduates and those who have entered the portal, the roster includes roughly 75 players who could return next season.
Murti, with the help of his staff and the assistants, must identify which ones don’t fit into the program’s future plans, either because of their talent level, compensation package or a combination of both.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter that, transfer portal recruiting becomes the key focus until class begins in mid-January.
Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: What's atop new Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris' to-do list?
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