Former NC State quarterback MJ Morris commits to Maryland
Posted December 13, 2023 7:01 p.m. EST
Updated December 14, 2023 8:59 a.m. EST
Former NC State quarterback MJ Morris is committed to play for Maryland, the quarterback announced on his social media pages on Wednesday. Morris, who started four games this season for the Wolfpack, entered the transfer portal at the end of November.
"Thank you Lord," Morris posted on Wednesday, with an edit of himself in a Maryland uniform.
Morris played in five games his freshman year, throwing for seven touchdowns and 648 yards. He started 2023 as the backup quarterback after Virginia graduate transfer Brennan Armstrong joined the team in the offseason. After a 3-2 start, the Wolfpack turned to Morris as the new signal caller. In his four games as a starter, Morris threw for seven touchdowns and 719 passing yards, but threw five interceptions completing 56 percent of his passes. NC State won three of the four games Morris started.
After beating Miami, Morris approached the NC State coaches, requesting to sit out the remainder of the season and maintain his redshirt.
"As games progressed and time went on, MJ came to me and let me know that he was still thinking about preserving his redshirt," NC State head coach Dave Doeren said in early November. "I was surprised by that because he was our starter and really didn't expect that for a starting player to want to sit back down."
"After the fourth game, he was very decisive in telling me it was important to him and his family to preserve his redshirt," Doeren said.
Armstrong returned to the starting quarterback position. The Wolfpack finished out the season with three straight wins and will play Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on December 28.
After entering the transfer portal, Morris, in comments made to 247 Sports, said he wanted to stay with NC State.
"I told them, like I said, I still want to be here," Morris said he told the staff in a meeting after NC State's victory against UNC. "This is the place I want to be. This is the place I committed to and said I want to be here for the next four, five years of my life."
"They just told me that they wanted to take different ways, go get a different quarterback, go get a starting quarterback," Morris said.
"... I knew right there after that conversation it was just time to explore my options and take my talents elsewhere."
Morris said there was no "bad blood" between him and the program and that he is leaving "on good terms."
Morris will have an opportunity to compete for a starting position with the Terrapins losing Big Ten career passing yards record holder Taulia Tagovailoa.
