Picture courtesy of Washington Athletics
By Bennett Conlin
Dylan Morris will play for a nationwide championship Monday night time, then head to Harrisonburg. Washington’s backup quarterback plans to switch to JMU for the 2024 season, according to recent reports. The 2024 season can be Morris’ closing faculty season.
If Morris’ Huskies beat Michigan on Monday, he’ll come to Harrisonburg as a nationwide champion. Though he served because the workforce’s QB2 the previous two seasons, Morris began for the Huskies in 2020 and 2021.
He threw for three,721 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 26 profession video games with Washington. Most of his stats got here in 15 video games within the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He has 56 profession speeding yards and 5 touchdowns.
Given Morris’ Energy 5 beginning expertise, he’ll probably be JMU’s beginning quarterback in 2024.
Editor’s Be aware: Because of Christopher William Jewelers for his or her promoting help this season.
Morris’s recreation
Dylan Morris is just not the Matthew Sluka of Holy Cross. Whereas Holy Cross has used the facility working again place as the focus of its offense, do not anticipate the Dukes to run Morris a ton in 2024. He is extra comfy dissecting a protection and beating groups together with his arm .
Even with Holy Cross’ latest offensive technique, Morris’ match is smart. Offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy labored with Florida’s quarterbacks in 2020 and 2021. Quarterback Kyle Trask completed fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2020, and Trask was primarily a pocket passer.
Head coach Bob Chesney mentioned through the opening press convention that he’ll construct an offensive scheme round his gamers.
“Offensively, it should be primarily based on, in the end, the quarterback,” Chesney mentioned. “That is the place so much begins, so that you want a defender who can compete in stress conditions and ship repeatedly … we’ll play to the power of our gamers, we’ll get the ball to the playmakers.”
Chesney cited his Assumption groups that regarded very totally different offensively than his Holy Cross groups with Sluka.
Morris is not a statue within the pocket, although, as he is in a position to transfer to seek out open receivers and search for the occasional first down. Followers will not confuse him with Vad Lee or Jordan McCloud, however Morris has sufficient mobility to maintain performs alive.
The addition of North Texas working again Ayo Adeyi, who rushed for greater than 1,000 yards in 2023, means Duke’s offense can generate a robust working recreation with out the necessity for a prolific speeding menace at quarterback. Count on JMU to have a extra conventional working recreation in 2024.
As a passer, Morris’ expertise is apparent. He’s an correct passer with good arm power. He throws a catchable deep ball and will stress the Solar Belt protection down the sphere.
He’ll have to chop down on turnovers, however Morris additionally performed in 2021 in a tumultuous season for this system. Head coach Jimmy Lake was fired in the midst of the season, and Morris discovered himself in a tough scenario for a quarterback to succeed. Morris ought to discover higher success underneath Bob Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy, who’ve a robust monitor report of offensive success.
Morris has additionally practiced in one of many nation’s high offensive schemes the previous two seasons. Though the advantages of that did not present on the sphere — he performed sparingly as a backup — the final two seasons had been probably pivotal in his improvement as a quarterback.
Regardless of shedding the beginning job to Michael Penix Jr. in 2022 and 2023, Washington followers, coaches and gamers raved about Morris’ professionalism through the QB change. He’s considered as an elite teammate and will give JMU an apparent chief on offense.
“Dylan is probably the most loyal, hardest and hardest working [player]he is a incredible child and a incredible quarterback,” Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubbs mentioned. each day. “I am very happy with the form of management he is supplied, even in these tough occasions and these occasions of transition. He is the primary man within the constructing each day, his coaching is second to none, and I feel that actually takes a particular form of man.”
It is probably that Chesney and firm added Morris not only for his bodily instruments, but additionally for his means to run the offense and carry out underneath stress. His faculty profession introduced with it adversity as he performed by means of a rocky regime after which fell right into a backup position underneath a brand new teaching workers. Regardless of the challenges, Morris was nonetheless seen as an distinctive teammate.
Along with his management means, Morris bought performs properly in Washington, which helped them draw linebackers to the road of scrimmage to create intermediate passing home windows. He’s able to making catches underneath middle and within the shotgun, which provides Kennedy flexibility in his scheme. Morris is an apparent starter-caliber participant on the Group of 5 stage, and his management credentials make him a helpful addition to the JMU program.
What does it imply for the quarterback room?
Morris’ switch makes him the presumptive beginning quarterback for JMU in 2024. Morris involves JMU with Pac-12 beginning expertise and is extremely unlikely to hitch a Group of 5 program with the expectation of being this system’s backup quarterback .
Meaning Jordan McCloud, who has but to formally share a switch vacation spot, is nearly definitely on his manner out. That additionally means Sluka can be transferring elsewhere.
Barring any extra transfers, Morris will be a part of Billy Atkins, Alonza Barnett, Brett Griffis and freshman JC Evans in JMU’s quarterback room. Morris has by far probably the most collegiate expertise of the group, although Barnett and Atkins have been praised by earlier teaching staffs for his or her potential.
Evans is a probable candidate to redshirt in 2024 as a result of Atkins, Barnett and Griffis all have extra faculty expertise and take advantage of sense as backups. Atkins and Barnett began video games in faculty, whereas all the trio spent a number of seasons working towards on the collegiate stage. There can be a studying curve for Evans and he’s unlikely to play a serious position within the quick future.
Morris appears to be like the a part of an All-Solar Belt caliber participant and is projected to begin as JMU’s starter in 2024.