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FRISCO, TX – Since arriving in Stillwater back December, the main discussion surrounding Eric Morris has been about the offense. And rightfully so as Morris has very quickly earned the reputation of being an offensive genius.
North Texas averaged over 500 yards of total offensive in 2025, 318 through the air and 194 on the ground.
While Morris brought most of the offensive playmakers from UNT with him, Drew Mestemaker, Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young just to name a few, Morris spent a good chunk of his first Big 12 Football Media Days talking defense.
“It's been really fun to watch this defense come together. I'll be the first guy to tell you, like, I know I'm an offensive guy, and I still call the plays and have been known for putting up numbers or quarterbacks or whatnot. You know, the two biggest reasons for our success last year was, number one, Skyler Cassity, our defensive coordinator, came in. They had new expectations. We played great defense last year, and it won us some football games. Another one is our special teams coach, Drew Svoboda, has done a phenomenal job. We've been able to change games in the kicking game.
“For me right now, you know, especially as a head coach, I’ve had to learn this over the course of time how important playing good defense is. When I think about it, our defensive end, the position as a whole, we have one of them here today, Jaleel Johnson, who I think is an All-Conference-caliber player. He has the size, the talent to play on Sundays. I’m really excited to watch the defensive end position.
“Our linebackers in Ethan Wesloski and Tate Romney. We have a nickel in Christian Bodnar, who had a phenomenal spring. Quinton Hammonds is a safety we're bringing over from North Texas that had an incredible year last year. Has only played defense two years now. LaDainian Fields, a cornerback who played the last half of the season and had one of the highest PFF ratings. A bunch of talent and a bunch of people that have played a lot of snaps, although those snaps might not have been Oklahoma State. I think returning snaps this year in college football we're No. 3 in the whole entire nation. That was something we did intentionally in the portal. So really hoping that that experience pays off for us in year one.”
Jaleel Johnson is one of the few returning OSU players from last year’s squad. He’s a fifth-year senior out of Oklahoma City, who played in four games last season, recording 16 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Ethan Weslowski is projected as one of the top defenders on the roster heading into the fall. He recorded 113 total tackles at North Texas last season, nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, one interception and six QB hurries.
Tate Romney comes from Arizona State, where he recorded 13 tackles, a pass breakup and one fumble recovery last season. He’s someone the coaching staff feels has improved throughout the spring and summer and will contribute in the fall.
Christian Bodnar comes in after his sophomore season at Liberty, where he was named the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year Award. He played in all 12 games, started in nine, and recorded 44 total tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups and a QB hurry.
Quinton Hammonds followed Morris and DC Skyler Cassity from UNT, where he recorded 53 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups and one forced fumble as a sophomore.
LaDainian Fields is another one of the few returners from last year, where he came on strong late in the season as a true freshman. He played in all 12 games in 2025, started the last six, and recorded 16 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and tied for the team lead with two interceptions, including a 55-yard pick six at Arizona.
