Oklahoma State lets new coach finish season and Arkansas should take notes

In a rare and refreshing move in modern college football, Oklahoma State has allowed its newly hired head coach to finish out the season with his current team. Eric Morris, who has North Texas positioned for an American Athletic Conference title and a legitimate College Football Playoff bid, is staying on the Mean Green sideline through their postseason run.

And make no mistake: this is unprecedented in today’s college football landscape.

A Broken Calendar Forces Bad Decisions Until Now

The NCAA’s chaotic hiring calendar, early signing period, and transfer portal windows have forced programs into frantic, rushed decisions for years. Schools feel pressure to:

• Get their new coach in the building immediately

• Build a staff overnight

• Hit the road recruiting

• Secure transfer portal targets before rival programs do

Because of that urgency, athletic directors have long refused to wait for coaches tied up in conference championships or the CFP. Many top candidates have been hurt in the hiring process simply because their teams were too successful, leaving schools wary of falling behind in the recruiting cycle and offseason activities.

Oklahoma State just broke that unwritten rule and in doing so, may have reset the expectations for how this process should be handled.

A Respectful Move That Should Be the Norm

Allowing Morris to finish his season is the right call on every level. It honors the North Texas players who helped elevate him into a national name and deserve to complete their historic run with the coach who led them there. It shows respect for Morris as a leader who wants to finish what he started rather than abandon his locker room in the biggest moment of their season. It also keeps unnecessary distractions away from a program still chasing a conference title and a potential Playoff berth.

Most importantly, it signals to Morris that Oklahoma State values integrity and loyalty, qualities any program should want in its new head coach. This is the type of decision that strengthens trust from day one and reflects well on everyone involved.

Is Oklahoma State Setting a New Status Quo?

This move raises a bigger question: Why aren’t more schools doing this?

Why punish a coach for winning? Why remove a leader from a locker room that still has meaningful football to play? Why let a broken NCAA calendar dictate something as important as a coaching hire?

The NFL would never run free agency, the draft, and head-coaching hiring during playoff games. But that’s effectively how college football operates. Everything happens at once, and everything happens during the most important weeks of the season.

Oklahoma State didn’t let the system bully them. They took the long view and it’s admirable.

Arkansas Should Take Note

Programs like Arkansas, deep into their own coaching search, should follow this blueprint. If their top candidate is coaching in a conference championship game or making a CFP run, go get him anyway. Let him finish the journey.

Don't punish excellence. Don’t let timing be the dealbreaker. The right coach is worth waiting for. Arkansas cannot afford to rule out top candidates just because they’re still playing meaningful football. If anything, that’s the best sign they’re the right hire.

Finishing What You Started Matters

Oklahoma State’s decision doesn’t just benefit Morris, it reflects well on the university. A school should want a coach who insists on finishing with his team. If a coach was eager to walk away early, that would raise legitimate concerns about loyalty and leadership.

College football is at its best when integrity is part of the equation. Oklahoma State embraced that. And hopefully, other programs, including Arkansas, will realize that urgency shouldn't override doing things the right way.

Oklahoma State’s move isn’t just classy. It’s a blueprint for how the sport should operate.