Eric Morris: College football's under-the-radar quarterback mastermind

Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward, John Mateer, Chandler Morris and Drew Mestemaker.

If I asked you to tell me what they all have in common, you would probably say they are quarterbacks that to a varying degree, are all very good at football.

I don’t need to say much about Mahomes, Ward just went #1 overall in the NFL draft, Mateer was the Heisman favorite before his injury, Morris is leading Virginia to their best season in nearly two decades, and Mestemaker is among the best Group of Five quarterbacks in the country.

What if I told you that one coach was a driving force behind the development of all of them?

Meet Eric Morris.

The North Texas head coach has a track record with quarterbacks that is so good that it almost seems fake, and he is sure to be one of the hottest names on the coaching market this winter.

Morris grew up in Texas, playing football and winning a state championship in basketball.

He went on to play wide receiver at Texas Tech for four years, earning a First Team Big XII All-Academic spot in 2007 and a Second Team All-Big XII spot as a punt returner in his senior season.

He was nicknamed “the Elf” due to his undersized frame, but his football intelligence allowed him to be an effective player.

He played one year in the CFL in 2009 before deciding to hang up the cleats for a headset, becoming a graduate assistant at Houston for two years before going to Washington State as a wide receiver coach for one year.

He returned to Texas Tech in 2013 as assistant offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach, before he was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2015.

In his first season as the playcaller, the Red Raiders' offense was electric.

They averaged 388.8 passing yards per game, good for second in the country.

In his second season, they led the country with 463.0 passing yards per game. The next best team was Louisiana Tech at 363.4.

Mahomes' departure for the NFL had the offense take a step back in 2017, but they were still a top-ten passing attack in the country.

In the final days of 2017, he accepted the position as head coach at Incarnate Word, his first head-coaching gig of his career.

In his first year in charge, Morris led the Cardinals to their first-ever FCS playoff birth.

He was selected as the Southland Conference coach of the year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach Of The Year Award.

In 2019, Morris pulled off perhaps his most impressive act.

Zero-star recruit Cam Ward had only one offer in high school, and that came from Morris and Incarnate Word.

Ward joined the Cardinals and immediately blew up.

In his first season, he led the FCS with 24 touchdowns in only six games due to the COVID-shortened season and won the Jerry Rice award as the most impressive freshman in the FCS.

In his sophomore year, Ward threw for 4686 yards and 46 touchdowns as Incarnate Word went 10-3, winning the Southland and ending the season 12th in the polls.

After that season, Morris was hired as the offensive coordinator at Washington State, and Ward followed him there.

Right after taking the job in Pullman, Morris was able to flip John Mateer’s commitment to Washington State.

His return to Wazzu only lasted one year, as he accepted the North Texas job after that season.

In his first year with the job, the Mean Green took a step up to the American after spending a decade in Conference USA.

He led them to a 5-7 record, only one game worse than their previous season, even with a more difficult schedule.

In 2024, the Mean Green and Morris returned to a bowl game.

Chandler Morris was top ten in the country in passing, and the Mean Green were top ten in the country in scoring, but they fell in the First Responder Bowl.

Even with Morris transferring out to UVA, North Texas has taken a step forward in Morris’s third year at the helm.

They currently sit at 6-1, holding the second-best chance (14.7%) at being the Group of Five representative in the College Football Playoffs according to ESPN Analytics.

Drew Mestemaker is leading this offense, and this is yet another major developmental success for Morris.

Chandler Morris did not play in the First Responder due to his transfer status, and as a true freshman, Mestemaker stepped in and threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns.

Mestemaker was another zero-star recruit, but unlike Ward, he wasn’t even a quarterback.

He played punter and safety at the varsity level, never playing a game under center above JV.

Somehow, six months after graduating high school, Morris had him lighting up a bowl game.

Through seven games in 2025, he has thrown for 1860 yards and 17 touchdowns against only three interceptions as a redshirt freshman.

Morris will be one of the most attractive candidates to teams with coach openings due to his offensive genius, and likely getting three years of Mestemaker alongside Morris makes him an even better option.

Whichever Power Five team hires Eric Morris this winter will be getting one of the best offensive minds in the country, and their quarterbacks should all be celebrating.

Edison Pellumbi is a first-year student studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at ejp5889@psu.edu.