North Texas offseason questions: Who will the Mean Green's leaders be this fall?

Players don’t get a nickname like the “boss” without leadership traits.

Former UNT offensive lineman Manase Mose had them and was also one of the best players the Mean Green put on the field every Saturday, a combination that earned him the nickname.

Mose wasn’t alone in that regard. Linebacker KD Davis was a terrific player and also a team captain. Quarterback Austin Aune spent six years playing minor league baseball and was a voice of experience and highly respected among his teammates due to his history as a professional athlete.

They’re all gone now, leaving UNT with a rather large void when it comes to veteran leaders.

How the Mean Green fill that void comes in at No. 5 on our list of offseason questions for the program heading into the 2023 season.

In most years, finding a handful of veterans to provide some locker room leadership and stability wouldn’t be that big of a concern.

The quality of the players on the field and their comfort level in the scheme matter more than anything else in college football, and it’s not particularly close.

What makes this year different is how much else is changing with UNT’s program. The Mean Green have a new coach in Eric Morris.

Morris retained running backs coach Patrick Cobbs but hired an entirely new staff otherwise.

Morris and his players were happy with the way the team came together over the course of the spring.

“Everyone bought in,” Morris said after UNT’s spring game. “I’m happy with our coaches. The culture is getting better day in and day out. It’s exciting to see the guys buy in.”

That’s all well and good in the spring when everything is going well, but what about when adversity hits this fall like it always does?

UNT’s players have a proven batch of coaches to turn to, including Morris.

The best teams in college football always have players who help their coaches set the tone. UNT never would have come back from a 1-6 hole to win five straight games in 2021 had it not been for a handful of veteran players convincing everyone else in the locker room it was possible.

Aune spoke of his confidence in how close UNT was to turning the corner in press conferences throughout the rough early stages of that season. He turned out to be right.

The Mean Green came back to earn a bowl berth that year.

UNT is hoping it won’t be in anything remotely close to a spot like that this season, but there is little doubt the Mean Green will run into trouble at some point.

What one has to wonder heading into the season is whom the Mean Green will lean on when that time arrives.

We got an indication this week when the program announced its leadership council. There are 12 players in the group, including some of UNT’s top players of the last few seasons.

Cornerback Ridge Texada was a first-team All-Conference USA selection last season and was among the players selected, along with linebacker Kevin Wood and offensive lineman Jett Duncan, a pair of upperclassmen.

UNT will need some of those veteran players to step forward and help guide the Mean Green in a season when a whole lot has changed for the program.

How those players fare in leading UNT will help determine how the Mean Green perform in Morris’ debut campaign.

Here are the earlier entries in this year’s series:

1. Does UNT have a quarterback it can win with?

2. Do the Mean Green have enough talent to compete in the American?

3. Can the Mean Green improve defensively despite losing key players?

4. Do the Mean Green have enough talent at receiver to run Eric Morris’ offense?