Dylan Morris Will Join Sun Belt Team to Finish Football Career

Originally posted on FanNation Husky Maven | By Dan Raley | Last updated 1/5/24

HOUSTON — After visiting Louisiana and Texas, quarterback Dylan Morris will continue on to Virginia once the University of Washington football team concludes its national championship run against the Michigan Wolverines on Monday night and heads home to Montlake.

According to multipler reports, Morris will finish up his college career with James Madison, a Sun Belt school in Harrisonburg, Virginia, that's coming off a sterling 11-2 season and in need of a veteran signal-caller.

How presidential.

The school is named for the fourth U.S. president and located just 130 miles from the nation's capital in Washington, D.C. The football program elevated to FBS status and joined the Sun Belt in 2022.

For Morris, the 6-foot, 197-pound junior will try to resurrect a football career that began promising enough with him becoming the UW's two-year starting quarterback but went on the shelf when the Huskies nosedived to a 4-8 season in 2021, fired coach Jimmy Lake and brought in Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Penix Jr.

As the starter in 2020 and 2021, Morris threw 473 passes; as Penix's back-up these past two seasons, he's attempted just 30 throws.

Morris will join a James Madison team that comes off an 11-2 season, losing only to Appalachian State 26-23 in overtime and to Air Force 31-21 in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23 in Forth Worth, Texas. The Dukes counted victories over Virginia and Utah State.

Starting quarterback Jordan McCloud, who previously played for Arizona and USF, leaves after completing 281 of 412 passes for 3,657 yards and 35 passes in his only season at James Madison and completing his eligibility.

Morris will compete for the job with three younger players who have almost no college football experience in 6-foot-2, 207-pound rising junior Billy Atkins, who appeared in four games and had 2 pass attempts last season; and 6-foot, 203-pound rising sophomore Alonza Barnett III, who played in two games and launched 11 passes, completing 3; and 6-foot, 197-pound rising sophomore Brett Griffis, a Wake Forest transfer who appeared in one game and threw two balls.

With 15 UW starts behind him, Morris brings passing stats of 305 for 503 for 3,721 yards and 20 touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. As the first-teamer, he was 7-8 for the Huskies. After entering the transfer portal, he also visited Marshall, a team that James Madison beat this past season.

Morris will stay with the Huskies through Monday night's national championship game and then join his new football team.

This article first appeared on FanNation Husky Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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