The North Texas Mean Green wrapped up their best season in program history, shattering a school record in wins during a 12-2 campaign. North Texas qualified for the American Conference championship, stood one win away from the College Football Playoff, prevailed in the New Mexico Bowl, and will likely draw a season-ending ranking in the AP Poll for the first time ever.
This special North Texas season was driven by the nation’s No. 1 offense. The Mean Green currently rank first in points per game (45.1) and yards per game (512), notching at least 50 points in half their games. North Texas dominated offensively through young talent it found and developed — with redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Mestemaker, true freshman running back Caleb Hawkins, and true sophomore wide receiver Wyatt Young posting astronomical statistics on a weekly basis.
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Perhaps a decade ago, those three would run it back and make North Texas a CFP favorite and force to be reckoned with in 2026. But in this modern era, all three will continue their college careers elsewhere. Mestemaker, Hawkins, and Young each announced their entry to the transfer portal following the New Mexico Bowl victory over San Diego State, and they’ll officially enter when the portal opens Jan. 2.
Mestemaker confirmed his entry via Twitter. He is the nation’s leading passer at 4,379 yards, having 696 yards of cushion over second place. Mestemaker set the single-season program record not only for passing yards but passing touchdowns, totaling 34 on the season. He finished 10 of 14 starts without an interception and efficiently connected on 68.9 percent of passes. The redshirt freshman threw for 608 yards against Charlotte this season — marking the 17th-most single-game passing yards in FBS history. It’s been an unlikely journey for the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year, who rose from a sixth-string walk-on in 2024 that hadn’t started a game at quarterback since ninth grade, to the No. 1 passer in the country.
Hawkins confirmed his entry via Twitter. At the time of his entry, Hawkins is fourth in the FBS with with 1,434 rushing yards and first in the country in rushing touchdowns (25) and total touchdowns (29). His 29 total scores shattered an FBS freshman record, previously held by Louisiana Tech’s Kenneth Dixon in 2012. Hawkins dominated the stat sheet in his first year out of high school, eclipsing 180 yards in four of his final six outings. He finished his North Texas tenure with a career-high 198 yards to win New Mexico Bowl MVP honors. The scoring machine also managed 3+ touchdowns in seven of 14 games.
Young confirmed his entry via Instagram. At the time of his entry, Young is third in the FBS with 1,264 receiving yards and tied for 12th with 10 receiving touchdowns. He secured first team all-conference honors as the league’s top receiver, coming on strong during the second half of the season. The true sophomore generated five 100+ yard outings in his final six regular season games, peaking with 295 yards against the Rice — the most receiving yards by any FBS player in 2025. The big-play threat averaged 18.1 yards per catch and finished with the second-most receiving yards in North Texas history.
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Other notable North Texas offensive contributors that plan to enter the portal include running back Ashton Gray, running back Makenzie McGill, wide receiver Miles Coleman, wide receiver Terrence Lewis, and offensive tackle Braydon Nelson.
North Texas’ head coach Eric Morris accepted a position at Oklahoma State in November, so Oklahoma State will certainly be a factor in the recruitment of these portal entries. However, given their production in the nation’s No. 1 offense, there should be a whole slew of suitors for Mestemaker, Hawkins, and Young.
The Mean Green have been in this position before, and fairly recently. After fielding the No. 3 total offense in 2024, they replaced starting quarterback Chandler Morris, starting running back Shane Porter, and each of their top three receivers — DT Sheffield, Damon Ward, and Blair Conwright. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for North Texas, and it aims to reload under newly-hired head coach Neal Brown for 2026.
