The North Texas Mean Green completed their best season in program history, breaking a school record in wins during a 12-2 campaign. North Texas advanced to the Conference USA championship, earned a College Football Playoff victory, won the New Mexico Bowl and will likely earn 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), scoring at least 50 points in half of their games. North Texas dominated offensively thanks to the 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 stats on a weekly basis.
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Maybe a decade ago, these three would have managed to turn the clock back and make North Texas a CFP favorite and a 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 into the transfer portal following the New Mexico Bowl win over San Diego State, and they will officially enter when the portal opens on January 2.
Mestemaker confirmed his entry via Twitter. He is the nation’s leading passer with 4,379 yards, 696 yards ahead of second place. Mestemaker set the program’s single-season record not only for passing yards but also passing touchdowns, totaling 34 on the season. He finished 10 of 14 starts without an interception and completed 68.9 percent of passes. The redshirt freshman threw for 608 yards against Charlotte this season, the 17th most passing yards in a single game in FBS history. It’s been an improbable journey for the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, who went from a 2024 sixth-string backup who hadn’t started a game at quarterback since ninth grade, to the nation’s No. 1 passer.
Hawkins confirmed his entry via Twitter. At the time of his entry, Hawkins was fourth in the FBS with 1,434 rushing yards and first in the nation 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 last six outings. He finished his tenure at North Texas with a career-high 198 yards to earn New Mexico Bowl MVP honors. The scoring machine has also thrown for 3+ touchdowns in seven of 14 games.
Young confirmed his entry via Instagram. As he enters, Young is third in the FBS with 1,264 receiving yards and tied for 12th with 10 receiving touchdowns. He earned first-team all-conference honors as the league’s top receiver, showing strong during the second half of the season. The true sophomore generated five 100-plus yard outings in his final six regular season games, culminating with 295 yards against 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 considering entering 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 job at Oklahoma State in November, so Oklahoma State will certainly be a factor in recruiting these portal starters. However, given their production in the nation’s No. 1 offense, there should be a whole host of suitors for Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young.
The Mean Green have been in this position before, and quite recently. After fielding the No. 3 total offense in 2024, they replaced starting quarterback Chandler Morris, running back Shane Porter and each of their top three receivers – DT Sheffield, Damon Ward and Blair Conwright. This is not unfamiliar territory for North Texas, and it looks to rejuvenate under new head coach Neal Brown for 2026.
