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You’re going to hear me talk (or see me type I suppose) about North Texas when it comes to Coach Harrell. I know that was two stops ago, but I think it’s the best example of his offense. At USC, he coached under Clay Helton, a guy with a heavy background on the offensive side of the ball. The offense you saw from Graham with the Trojans was clearly a collaboration between Harrell and Helton. At West Virginia, Neal Brown was another head coach with a background in offensive play calling, and it’s rumored he would unplug Coach Harrell’s controller on occasion and call plays, or at the very least, give strong recommendations. It’s no coincidence Neal Brown is expected to call plays for the Mountaineers in 2023 in an effort to save his job (based on a limited sample size that has worked exactly 0 times). At North Texas, while Seth Littrell also had a back ground on offense, the precipitous decline of the Mean Green after Harrell dipped for SoCa, leads me to believe what happened at North Texas was the pure, unadulterated Harrell offense. I’m sure he’s picked things up since then, but I have a hunch that Purdue offense is going to look more like the Harrell’s North Texas offense, and less like “his” USC or West Virginia offenses. To give you a taste of what I expect, his 2017 North Texas offense averaged 37.1 passing attempts and 36.8 rushing attempts. His 2018 Mean Green offense averaged 38.8 passing attempts and 35.5 rushing attempts. To put that in perspective, Purdue’s offense averaged 41.6 passing attempts and 33.3 rushing attempts (that’s with 2 Austin Burton games skewing the numbers). Brohm’s 2021 offense averaged 44.3 passing attempts and 29.7 rushing attempts. Harrell throws the ball a little less and runs the ball a little more than Brohm, and I’m good with that. This is a unique opportunity for Coach Harrell. He’s the man in charge of the offense. I’m sure Coach Walter’s will have basic game plan input, but this is Harrell’s show. In his first 3 stops as a coordinator, he had a former play caller looking over his shoulder, now he’s on his own. Purdue’s offensive success (or failure) will be on him. I can 100% promise their won’t be rumors of Coach Walters taking over the play calling mid-game. I’m excited to see how things work out. read more: https://www.hammerandrails.com/2023/1/27/23571723/purdue-football-coaching-staff-graham-harrell

Following one season as offensive coordinator at North Texas, Harrell produced back-to-back top-25 offenses after inheriting an offense that ranked in the nation's bottom 25 in scoring, passing, and total offense. Harrell comes from the Air Raid tree, stemming from his time with legendary college football head coach Mike Leach while Harrell was the quarterback at Texas Tech (2005-08). The two linked up again at Washington State in Harrell's transition to coaching for two seasons (2014-15) as an offensive analyst then receivers coach installed his version of the offense during the spring practice period. "From a schematic standpoint, everything that we were going to do, we installed in spring ball. We've been repping them all summer, and we'll use the fall camp practice schedule to refine those even more," said Brown. read more: https://www.si.com/college/westvirginia/football/wvu-oc-graham-harrell-has-a-different-energy-about-him

Thoughts of new OC Graham Harrell "What Graham's brought is, he's brought a different energy about him. He's confident without being arrogant. He's extremely humble. It helps that he was a great player in this league and I think that gets the players attention on your current roster, but also in recruiting. He's had great success, not only at USC, but at North Texas as well. He's been able to have success with different types of players in different types of offenses. And so, I'm excited with what he can bring. He's been a great staff member. He's got a great feel on game day and so that's something that I think it's gonna be a huge positive not only for our players but for me, having a great feel on game day." read more: https://www.si.com/college/westvirginia/football/quick-hits-everything-neal-brown-said-at-big-12-media-days

Graham Harrell – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach (First season at WVU) One of Brown’s biggest offseason moves was the hiring of Harrell, a former record-setting QB at Texas Tech who has quickly become one of the most respected offensive minds in the sport. Harrell has served stints as OC and quarterbacks coach at North Texas (2016-18) and USC (2019-21), forming a relationship with new WVU quarterback JT Daniels at the latter stop. Last season, USC led the Pac-12 in passing offense, red zone offense and third down conversion percentage, ranking in the top 20 nationally in each category. Harrell also produced back-to-back top 25 offenses at North Texas. read more: https://www.wboy.com/goldandbluenation/wvu-football/2022-wvu-football-roster-review-head-coach-and-offensive-assistants/amp/

Graham Harrell (North Texas) – An All-American quarterback at Texas Tech from 2005-08, Harrell spent part of his career in Lubbock playing for Holgorsen, who was an assistant at TTU from 2000-07 and the Red Raiders’ co-offensive coordinator from 2005-07. After a stretch as a player in pro football, including three seasons with the Green Bay Packers (2010-12), Harrell got into coaching. He was the outside receivers coach at Washington State in 2014-15, where he worked under his old Texas Tech mentor Mike Leach. In 2016, he became the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at North Texas. This past season he led a Mean Green offense that was 22nd in the FBS in scoring (36.4 points per game) and 15th in total yards (472.8 per game), as UNT finished 9-3. North Texas head coach Seth Littrell is rumored to be in line to replace Bill Snyder at Kansas State, so that could potentially influence Harrell’s decision. read more: https://bluegoldnews.com/west-virginia-mountaineers/a-dozen-of-so-candidates-for-wvus-offensive-coordinator-job/

February 2018 North Texas Signees Tim Faison LB 6'2" 225 Tallahassee, Florida (Independence CC) Alex Morris S 6'1" 188 Humble, Texas (Atascocita HS) Thomas Preston III OL 6'4" 290 Mesa, Arizona (Scottsdale CC) Derrick Shaw DT 6'0" 260 Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (Broken Arrow HS) Jyaire Shorter WR 6'2" 215 Killeen, Texas (Ellison HS) December 2017 North Texas Signees Jason Bean QB 6'3" 180 Mansfield, Texas (Lake Ridge HS) Cole Brown OL 6'4" 250 Conroe, Texas (Conroe HS) Keelan Crosby S 6'1" 175 Anna, Texas (Anna HS) Kevyon "KD" Davis LB 5'11" 200 Ennis, Texas (Ennis HS) Jaxon Gibbs S 5'11" 196 The Colony, Texas (The Colony HS) Jordan Hunt LB 6'2" 215 Wylie, Texas (Wylie HS) Dayton LeBlanc DL 6'1" 265 Lexington, Kentucky (Frederick Douglass HS) Kason Martin QB 6'3" 200 Manvel, Texas (Manvel HS) Darrian McMillan DL 6'2" 251 Mobile, Alabama (Butler CC) Larry Nixon III LB 6'0" 210 North Richland Hills, Texas (Richland HS) Austin Ogunmakin WR 6'3" 179 Alief, Texas (Hastings HS) Tuulau Saafi LB 6'3" 272 Euless, Texas (Mt. San Antonio College) DeAndre Torrey RB 5'7" 189 Gautier, Mississippi (Gulf Coast JC) Reggie Williams S 5'10" 180 Grand Prairie, Texas (Grand Prairie HS)

6. Seth Littrell, North Texas - After an encouraging 5-8 debut season in 2016, North Texas burst on to the scene last year with a surprising 9-5 record and captured their first C-USA West division title. Littrell’s Air Raid offense has been a perfect fit for UNT and the Mean Green should be in store for another dynamite season as star players Mason Fine, Jalen Guyton and Michael Lawrence all return. Littrell has turned around North Texas without the recruiting success you’d expect from a coach who’s located in the talent-rich DFW metroplex, nor the coaching stability as his staff was raided by P5 schools before last year’s breakthrough season. The former tells me that Littrell is a great developer of talent who knows how to get the most out of his players, while the latter shows that Littrell has a good eye for coaching talent. read more: https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2018/5/7/17174894/g5-head-coaching-candidates-on-the-rise-neal-brown-bryan-harsin-mike-norvell-group-of-five-p5-fcs

HEAD COACH CANDIDATE?: Though he's only 32, expect the name of Graham Harrell, UNT's offensive coordinator, to come up soon in head-coaching searches, such as the one UTEP will go on soon. "Graham's an unbelievable coach, there's no doubt in my mind he's going to be an unbelievable head coach," Littrell said. "He was born and bred, his entire family, to be a great head coach." read more: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/sports/college/utep/2017/11/09/north-texas-uteps-shoes-two-years-ago-now-first-place/848399001/

DENTON -- Seth Littrell came to North Texas a year ago with a national reputation as an offensive guru and vowed to "tee it high and let it fly." The path UNT's head coach took to reach that goal seemed a little unconventional, to say the least. Littrell had been on the job just a few days when he handed his offense over to Graham Harrell, a Texas high school and college football legend with a short coaching résumé. Littrell's decision to hire an old friend as his offensive coordinator and play-caller resulted in a few bumpy moments, but it paid dividends overall. UNT will head into the second year of the Littrell era off a turnaround season that came largely out of the chemistry the pair have developed together -- and with their players. "Those two guys have a great relationship," UNT quarterback Mason Fine said. "Coach Littrell respects what Coach Harrell is trying to do. And Coach Harrell will bounce ideas off Littrell. Their attitudes complement each other. Coach Littrell is more laid-back, while Coach Harrell is always yelling. I am very comfortable with both those guys." read more: https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2017/08/22/tandem-seth-littrell-graham-harrell-getting-unt-football-back-track

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Kason Martin, a 2018 quarterback from Texas powerhouse Manvel, breaks down his commitment to North Texas. Manvel High School produces as much FBS talent as almost any program in the state of Texas, and the 2018 class is no different. Kason Martin will be the trigger man for Manvel's offense this fall and has already made his college commitment. North Texas landed the 6-foot-3, 182-pounder in mid-June. "North Texas was my first offer. The whole coaching staff really felt like a family," said Martin, whose father Kirk is the head coach at Manvel. "(Special teams coordinator) coach (Marty) Biagi was the guy who was really selling me to the coaches. When (offensive coordinator) coach (Graham) Harrell sat down and watched my film, he was like, 'Why haven't we offered this guy yet?' "He told me that I reminded him of him when he was young and that just really meant a lot. I grew up watching Graham Harrell at Texas Tech and he's been my childhood idol for a really long time. I really felt like it was a really great fit." Read more: http://www.scout.com/college/football/recruiting/story/1789197-2018-qb-talks-pledge-to-unt

If Riley were to move either Gundy or Bedenbaugh to offensive coordinator, he may also add a quarterbacks coach. A name to keep an eye on would be Graham Harrell, who Riley coached at Texas Tech, and is currently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks' coach at North Texas. read more: http://www.oudaily.com/sports/oklahoma-football-lincoln-riley-looking-to-potentially-add-help/article_05b7af9e-4d14-11e7-b6bd-ff2659c2bea4.html

DENTON – Ennis High School is a mere 81 miles south from Apogee Stadium, the new home of offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Ennis is where Harrell set countless Texas high school records and earned a Class 4A state title in 2001 as a sophomore with the Lions, under the tutelage of his father, then-Ennis head coach Sam Harrell. Following playing career stops in Lubbock (Texas Tech), New Jersey (New York Jets), Green Bay, Wisconsin, (Packers) and Pullman, Washington (Washington State), Harrell has returned to the Lone Star State to take over the Mean Green offense under new head coach Seth Littrell.Returning to a place close to home was one of many reasons that the 31 year-old jumped at the opportunity to join Littrell’s staff.“As far as Denton is concerned, it’s where I’m from,” Harrell said of his arrival with the Mean Green. “Well, not exactly where I grew up, but it’s coming home for me and it’s kind of close for my wife as well. More importantly, it’s sitting in an unbelievable recruiting base. There are great players right here and it’s an area that I grew up in that I’m proud of and I believe we can win here. All of that attracted me; coach Littrell, the area and that whole group of people we have who believe we can win here. We know it’s a challenge, but we are excited about that challenge.”The son of a coach always seemed destined to become one himself. His former head coach at Texas Tech, and now the current coach of the Washington State Cougars, Mike Leach, saw it right away. Harrell’s father, now an offensive coordinator himself at Fort Worth Christian, was the head coach at Ennis from 1994-2009. He led the way with a spread attack for the Lions, leading them to 13-straight playoff appearances and three class 4A championships. His son attributes a lot of credit to his father, and he shared the dream of being a coach from a young age.“I think my dad influenced me more than anyone,” Harrell opined. “He’s obviously had a ton of success with high school ball. That’s what I grew up wanting to be; I wanted to be a high school football coach because that’s what my dad was. What my dad did that was better than anyone around is the way he treated his kids, handled them and handled the staff. The way he did that is something that I hope I can do.”Leach speaks of how advanced Harrell was at evaluating film when he arrived in Lubbock as a freshman; which he credited to his father’s discipline as a coach. Analyzing film, knowing where a certain player should be to exploit a defense is something that Leach says his former quarterback and assistant excelled at right away.That understanding of the nuances of the offense he was tasked to run with the Red Raiders paved the way for some major successes at Tech. Harrell finished his collegiate career with an NCAA-record 134 touchdown passes, the second-most career passing yards (15,793) and posted the third-highest career passing yardage average with 350.96 yards-per-game. He was also named AT&T’s All-America Player of the Year and a First-Team All-American as a senior in 2008, leading the nation with 5,111 passing yards to go along with 45 touchdown passes to only nine interceptions. That Red Raiders team finished ranked 12th in the country with an 11-2 record and a Cotton Bowl appearance.“Quite frankly, I think, Graham’s NFL career, he probably cut it short a little bit because he was excited about getting in to coaching,” Leach said of Harrell’s post-Texas Tech career. “That’s because it was one of those deals where he could have kept training, gotten into camps and stuck somewhere, but he was real excited about getting into coaching; I know that. He’s just a good, sharp, reliable guy. The other thing in his case, as young as he is, one, it’s good that he has always been a guy that has constantly studied film, but the other important thing for him is that he learns and sorts things out quickly.” Read more: http://m.meangreensports.com/m/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/070116aab.html

“There’s a lot of good tape that will help us become a better football team next fall and heading into the summer,” Littrell said. “Overall, we have a lot to work on, and we still have a lot of room for improvement. There is no doubt about it.” As the team heads into the summer and continues to prepare for the upcoming season, the offense, defense and special teams each showed flashes of what is to come. Offense The offense had two big questions entering the spring – who would win the quarterback battle between Alec Morris and Quinn Shanbour, and how would the team be able to run a pass-heavy offense with such little experience at receiver. Despite returning a combined career total of just 649 yards and three touchdowns, the Mean Green receiving corps emphatically shut the door on any concerns at the position. Sophomore Tee Goree proved he’s ready for a standout sophomore season, while Sophomore O’Keeron Rutherford had a great spring game and has the size at 6’5 to be an impact player in the red zone. Goree, Rutherford, and Freshman Kelvin Smith combined for 274 yards and three touchdowns in the spring game and looked much more athletic and versatile than the offensive weapons of the past. “We’ve had talent on the outside. We just haven’t been able to showcase it,” Goree said. “Now, with this offense, we’re able to showcase our talent.” As far as the quarterback position goes, Morris seemed to enter the spring game with the confidence of the team.. However, Shanbour played well enough in the spring for Littrell to refrain from naming a starting quarterback heading into the summer. Morris remains the favorite, but Shanbour is putting up a fight. “There are always things that you can improve on, but I think that as a whole we came a long way this spring,” Morris said. “I didn’t really have a set expectation in mind, but I’m pretty happy with how this spring went. There’s a lot of potential for this offense to get better.” While the quarterbacks battled it out, the spring was rough on the offensive line. The Mean Green have just one returning starter from last year in senior Sam Rice, but he is moving over to center to account for the loss of Kaydon Kirby. The line struggled in the spring game, but still has time to improve before September. The growth of senior transfer Trey Keenan and junior transfer T.J. Henson will be important, as the two are listed on the depth chart as starters going into the summer. “We’re nowhere near where we need to be,” Littrell said. “There’s been a lot of stress put on them. The kids are responding well, and it’s not that they aren’t working hard, it’s just a transition. We just have to get better, and we will.” Read more: http://ntdaily.com/new-look-football-closes-out-spring-looks-forward-to-fall/

Coach Harrell is certainly a divergence from Chico. I hope his style resonates with the players better.

Since I'm tired of reading everyone here bickering like an old married couple about the current state of UNT athletics, I had an interesting thought about the Harrell Passing School. With Harrell's current status as an OC and the NCAA ruling of no satellite camps, does this mean he will no longer be able to participate/evaluate those players? I see this as a potential leg up for recruiting but I am curious as to whether or not it violates any sanctions as far as recruiting those players and the satellite camp rules now in place.

read more: http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Graphic-Seth-Littrell-completes-North-Texas-staff-for-2016

On a side note -- anyone know where this room is? Sort of looks like the Victory dorm cafeteria space but not sure. Looks nice!

read more: http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=A-look-at-Seth-Littrell-North-Texas-staff-so-far

MGB: Former Alabama QB headed to Denton, according to source http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/12/breaking-news-source-alabama-qb-alec-morris-is-transferring-to-unt.html/

Who will be the recruiting coordinator? To me that is an EXTREMELY critical position on this staff. Needs Texas ties, needs to be organized and also a good salesman. My hope is that this position will be elevated in the new regime and not treated as window dressing. We need an aggressive guy who has some strong connections in this area and state.