North Carolina State starting quarterback MJ Morris has decided to take off the rest of the season to preserve his eligibility to redshirt, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.
His father, Eddie Morris, seemed to confirm the reports, telling television station WRAL in Raleigh, N.C., that he won’t be looking to transfer.
“No one said he is leaving the program,” Eddie Morris told WRAL. “Nobody said he is leaving the program. If he would have left the program, he would have left in January and he would have left in May. He had plenty of options.”
MJ Morris, a sophomore, has played in four games — all starts — since he replaced Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong at quarterback in the sixth game of the season. Four is the maximum number of games a player can appear in before losing the redshirt.
Armstrong reportedly is taking reps with the first team in practice and is poised to return to the starting role.
Head coach Dave Doeren discussed his positive impressions of Morris with the media on Monday after he led the Wolfpack to a 20-6 win over Miami on Saturday.
“He’s very confident. He’s comfortable. He throws a catchable ball. He’s tough,” Doeren said. “The game continues to slow down for him. There’s little things within routes where you see something in a coverage and maybe you can help yourself with your eyes on things like that.
“It is a game that requires so much. The more you play it, the better you get. He’s 3-1 as a starter. He’s really worked hard. I know he’ll continue to grow and get better.”
North Carolina State (6-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) faces conference rival Wake Forest on the road on Saturday.
Under Morris, the Wolfpack are averaging 179.75 passing yards per game. He is 63-of-113 passing (55.75 percent) for 719 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
In eight games (five starts), Armstrong is 94-of-160 passing for 971 yards with five touchdowns and six interceptions. He is averaging 121.38 yards per game.
Armstrong, however, is the leading rusher for NC State. He has gained 337 yards and scored three TDs.
NC State now has just two scholarship quarterbacks available for the rest of the season — Armstrong and Lex Thomas, a freshman who has yet to play for the Wolfpack.
–Field Level Media
