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The Mean Green were nine spring practices into the Neal Brown era when I stopped by North Texas for the 2026 magazine stop. Brown is the only new head coach at the FBS level in Texas and his roster was completely reworked thanks to the mass exodus following Eric Morris’ departure to Oklahoma State. 

But that doesn’t mean expectations have lowered in Denton, America. Brown & Co. assembled a roster with the expectation to win in Year 1 and to compete for an American Conference championship. The non-conference schedule is tough, including a season opener on the road against national champion Indiana, but the AC slate is manageable, at least on paper, and Brown is a proven winner in the G6 ranks. 

Fueled by LSA Burger on the Denton Square, here are some notes from a stop that includes sit down interviews with Brown and defensive coordinator Matt Powledge. 

OFFENSE 

• North Texas might have the only true QB battle in Texas at the FBS level and Brown believes he has three quarterbacks that can win football game. Tayven Jackson is the experienced one in the room and Brown says his best plays at Indiana and UCF are high-end, NFL quality plays. The problem is the disparity between the good and the bad and that Jackson’s goal is to get more consistent because the talent is there. 
• Chris Jimerson Jr. and Chaston Ditta, an East Carolina transfer, are redshirt freshmen with tons of upside. Jimerson is the fastest player on the team and his running ability was called “game-changing” but he’s dealt with a minor injury and has missed a few days of spring ball. Ditta (Lake Travis) and Jimerson (North Crowley) both played high level Texas high school football. Ditta is a better runner than even Brown expected. 
• North Texas wants to run the football and the RB trio of Jaheim White, Brendon Haygood, and Jayden Becks should give the Mean Green options to do so. White is not going through spring ball but is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a patella injury. Brown called Becks one of the most improved players on the roster from a year ago. Haygood is tough to tackle. Texas transfer Colin Page is injured right now and Nick Osho, an Indiana State transfer, has been a pleasant surprise. His 217-pound frame makes him a short-yardage option, as well. 
• Wide receiver might be the biggest question mark at this point in spring. Brown says he likes the numbers and overall talent in the room, but who steps up and emerges as the frontline starters is still anyone’s guess. Baron Tipton was mentioned alongside Becks as one of the most improved players on the roster. Other names mentioned at wide receiver were Utah transfer Justin Stevenson and UAB transfer Corri Milliner. TJ Chukwurah might have the best hands on the team. Josiah Martin and Dalton Carnes were mentioned in the slot. 
• North Texas will use the tight end in 11 personnel and occasionally use two in 12 personnel. Max Reese was the first name mentioned. Brec Long is a former JUCO All-American who has had a nice spring. The wildcard is Drew Clemens, who is missing the spring with an injury. 
• North Texas invested heavily in the trenches on both sides of the ball and the staff was familiar with every addition through the portal on the offensive line. Johnny Williams IV played for Brown at West Virginia in 2024. Neto Umeozulu was at Texas, where Brown spent 2025. Henry Fenuku played for North Texas assistant Ray Gates at North Crowley and wanted to return to the area for family reasons. Chandler Strong was a four-year starter at Georgia State and is the projected starter at center with Drew Cunningham in the mix. Dylan Shaw and Amarion Berry are two holdovers from the previous regime that will figure into the two-deep and could push for starting snaps. 
• The main goal for this North Texas offense is to be able to run the ball when people know you’re going to run it and Brown feels like this roster was built to do just that. He thinks the Mean Green can attack people in different ways. 

DEFENSE 

• North Texas will base out of a four-man front and Powledge expects the Mean Green to be in that 65-70 percent of the time with an odd-man front utilized the other 30-35 percent of the time.
• Transfer Justin Benton was mentioned by Brown and Powledge as the first name when asked about defensive standouts this spring. The 6-0, 298-pound defensive tackle has spent time at East Carolina and Houston. He’s a twitchy, hard-to-handle interior defensive lineman who is playing tougher this spring than he’s shown at previous stops. He’ll be the anchor of the defensive line. 
• Curlee Thomas IV and Terrell Washington were other defensive linemen mentioned as standouts this spring. Thomas has impressed and moved into reps with the 1s even though Powledge admits they signed him thinking that he’d be more of a depth guy. Washington has turned the corner in the spring after playing 10-20 snaps a game last year at North Texas. 
• Powledge placed his top four edge rushers in two categories – Ford trucks or sports cars. The two sports cars are David Onuoha and Udoka Ezeani. They’re stereotypical pass rushers with freaky athleticism. Brayden Knox and Davion Rhodes are the Ford trucks – tough, dependable, willing to do the dirty work and set the edge against the run. 
• Two standouts at linebacker this spring are Aaron Alexander and Cedric Roberts. Brenden Reese is a redshirt freshman nipping at their heels. SMU transfer Zakye Barker is the wildcard. He was signed to be the green dot Mike linebacker but a lingering hamstring injury was aggravated in offseason workouts and he hasn’t been a full participate yet at North Texas. He’s been cleared to run and the hope is that he can be 100 percent by the fall. 
• Baylor transfer Caden Jenkins has been the most consistent cornerback in the spring. Jenkins, a former Freshman All-American, needed a change of scenery and he’s been reunited with former trainer Corey Jordan, who is now the North Texas cornerback coach. Chase Canada has been the surprise of spring ball at cornerback and Peyton Taylor has three interceptions through nine practices. 
• The Star (nickel) position is a four-way battle and Powledge plans to move one back to safety as the competition shakes out. BJ Allen, Cam Jenkins, Anthony Benford II, and Tyson Wilson are the four players in contention. Benford is a former walk-on. 
• Brandon Jones sounds like a sure-fire starter at one of the deep safety spots. He was called the best defensive player so far in the spring because he’s rangy and has a high IQ. He’s only 5-foot-9, but he plays bigger than that. He’s already the unquestioned leader in the back end. Taye Seymore and CJ Coombes are battling for the other safety spot. Coombes has dealt with a hamstring injury that’s limited him in the spring. 
• Special teams seems sorted out with special teams coordinator Jeff Crosby bringing kicker Dominic De Freitas, punter Ian Ratliff, and long snapper Jacob Poff with him from App State.