STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State is set to make North Texas coach Eric Morris the 21st head football coach in program history, but specific terms of his contract with the Cowboys had not been disclosed as of Tuesday afternoon.
The deal is expected to represent a significant raise from his current agreement at North Texas, where recent records place his compensation in the low seven figures annually.
Eric Morris' Oklahoma State contract details, what we know so far.
Morris’ contract at Oklahoma State is projected to move him into the typical salary range for Big 12 head coaches, a tier that has hovered around the mid-to-upper seven figures annually in recent seasons. Estimates are that Oklahoma State has been prepared to offer Morris a package in the neighborhood of at least $5 million per year to lure him from North Texas, where he has been earning under $1.5 million annually. North Texas had recently extended Morris on a deal running through 2029 with a base in the sub-$1 million range plus incentives, setting up a buyout believed to be a bit more than $2 million that Oklahoma State will need to absorb as part of the transition.
Oklahoma State’s move to land Morris comes less than a year after the school reworked former coach Mike Gundy’s deal, which reportedly carried a $15 million buyout at the time of his dismissal. Athletic department officials negotiated that figure down, ultimately saving the university more than $10 million, financial flexibility that has helped clear the path for an aggressive offer to Morris in this cycle.
Morris, 40, arrived at North Texas on a contract reported in the range of slightly more than $6 million in total value, built around a base salary of around or just above the $1 million mark with performance bonuses. Entering this season, public databases and reports pegged his annual pay between about $950,000 and $1.4 million, with a buyout a little north of $2 million after a recent extension. That structure made him an attractive target for larger-conference programs, which could more easily cover the buyout while doubling his yearly compensation.
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