Eric Morris 2022 Headshot

 

ERICMORRIS
 
 

Eric Morris begins his second stint in Pullman after being named the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach on Head Coach Jake Dickert’s staff, Dec. 8, 2021.

 

Morris, who spent the 2012 season coaching inside receivers for the Cougars, returns to Pullman after spending the past four seasons as head coach at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. In 2021, Morris guided the Cardinals to the Southland Conference title, reached the NCAA FCS Second Round, and finished with a 10-3 record, the winningest record in program history.
 
After becoming head coach prior to the 2018 season, following UIW's 1-10 record in 2017, Morris twice was named the Southland Conference Coach of the year (2018, 2021), led the Cardinals to two Southland Conference titles (2018, 2021), twice reached the FCS playoffs, and left UIW as the program record holder for most wins with 24.
 
During his time in San Antonio, Morris orchestrated an offense that finished in the top 10 nationally for total offense in three of his four seasons, including leading the nation in 2020-21 at 552.3 yards per game. His teams finished in the top five in scoring each of the last two seasons, third in 2020-21 (42.0 ppg) and fifth in 2021 at 39.5 ppg.

 

In 2021, Morris mentored sophomore Cameron Ward, who finished the season garnering Stats Perform FCS All-America Second Team honors as well as being named to the Hero Sports 2021 Sophomore All-American Team. Ward also received Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors after breaking UIW program records for most career passing touchdowns and career passing yards, Ward was also a finalist for the Walter Payton Award.

 

Morris also oversaw the development of wide receiver Taylor Grimes, who earned multiple All-American honors in 2021 and was named Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year after setting single-season records for receiving yards (1,145) and touchdown receptions (15).

 

In 2019, Morris mentored sophomore quarterback Jon Copeland, who threw for 3,341 yards and 22 touchdowns en route to HERO Sports Sophomore All-America honorable mention honors. This followed an historic 2018 season for UIW football, as Morris guided the Cardinals to one of the best turnarounds in the FCS, being named the 2018 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Regional Coach of the Year, the 2018 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, and an Eddie Robinson Award finalist.

 

In 2018, Morris took over a team with a 1-10 overall record in 2017 and guided it to a 6-4 regular season record, a conference championship and the program’s first FCS Playoff appearance in his first season. His high-powered offense led to Copeland being named Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, a first in school history. And it wasn’t just on the offensive side, as keeping with Coach Dickert’s philosophy, the Cardinals led the FCS with 29 turnovers gained.
 
Prior to Incarnate Word, Morris spent five seasons (2013-17) as the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Texas Tech.  During that time, Morris helped the Red Raiders to three bowl games and guided one of the top offenses in the nation. From 2013-17, Texas Tech's offense scored over 30 points per game all five seasons, and all five years was ranked among the top 16 teams in total offense, including leading the nation in 2016 at 564.4 yards per game. The Tech offense was highlighted by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who Morris recruited and coached in Lubbock.


Tech averaged at least 40 points per game in two of his final three seasons and over 30 points during Morris’ entire tenure on staff. The Red Raiders snapped the single-season school record with 45.1 points per game in 2015 and then averaged 43.7 points per game in 2016.

The Red Raiders’ success offensively in 2015 pushed Tech to an appearance in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, its second postseason trip during Morris’ tenure. Tech closed the 2015 campaign ranked second nationally in total offense, scoring offense as well as passing offense. Tech was one of just two schools nationally and the only team in a power-five conference to score 25 or more points in every game of the 2015 season.

Morris helped Tech boast a balanced attack that featured a 4,000-yard passer in Patrick Mahomes II, a 1,000-yard rusher in DeAndre Washington and a 1,000-yard receiver in Jakeem Grant. It marked the first time in program history where three different Red Raiders reached each of those three marks during the same season.

Under Morris’ guidance, Grant ended his career as the all-time leading receiver in Tech history. Grant, an All-America honoree by several publications, totaled 3,164 receiving yards over his four seasons, breaking the previous school record that was set by two-time Biletnikoff Award winner Michael Crabtree.

In addition, Grant also snapped the Tech single-season record for all-purpose yards after totaling 2,353 on the year, including 1,268 yards through the air. He also returned a pair of kickoffs for a touchdown, breaking the Tech career record in the process.

Following Grant’s departure, Morris tutored Jonathan Giles and Keke Coutee – both true sophomores at the time – to breakout seasons in 2016. Giles earned All-Big 12 second team honors after recording 1,158 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, both of which that ranked in the top 10 in Tech single-season history. Coutee, meanwhile, finished second on the team with 890 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while fellow inside receiver Cameron Batson hauled in 60 passes – second-most on the team – for 644 yards and eight touchdowns.

In Morris’ first season as the lone offensive coordinator, Tech finished with a No. 10 national ranking in total offense as the Red Raiders averaged 504.1 yards-per-game in 2014. Additionally, the passing offense ended the season with a No. 5 national ranking as Tech averaged 351.1 yards per game through the air.

Morris shared offensive coordinator responsibilities during his debut season in 2013 where the Red Raiders displayed the nation’s second-ranked passing attack (392.8 yards per game) and the eighth-best unit for total offense (511.0 yards-per-game). The solid season offensively pushed Tech to an appearance in the National University Holiday Bowl where the Red Raiders pulled off a stunning 37-23 victory over No. 16 Arizona State.

Jace Amaro closed 2013 campaign with one of the best seasons by a receiver in program history. Amaro, a second-round selection in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, set an NCAA FBS record for most receiving yards (1,352) in a single season by a tight end and was named an NCAA Consensus All-American.

Morris, a native of Shallowater, Texas, returned to his roots in West Texas after spending the 2012 season as the inside receivers coach for former Tech head coach Mike Leach at Washington State. In his only season, the Washington State receiving corps hauled in 3,965 yards as well as 23 touchdowns.

Prior to Pullman, Morris spent two years on Kevin Sumlin’s staff at the University of Houston, first as an offensive graduate assistant in 2010 and then as the offensive quality control assistant in 2011. Kingsbury was on the same staff as Morris at the time as he served as quarterbacks coach in 2010 before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator a year later.

Morris and Kingsbury helped produce one of the nation’s top offenses in 2011 as Houston led the country in passing (443.8 yards per game), total offense (599.0 yards per game) and scoring average (50.8 points per game). Houston concluded the season with a 12-1 record which included a win over Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl.

Before joining the coaching profession, Morris played in the Canadian Football League. He joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders out of training camp in 2009 while battling a knee injury.

Morris was a versatile, all-round player during his four seasons as a Red Raider wide receiver (2005-08). Morris caught 184 passes for 1,965 yards and 19 touchdowns over his four seasons, the majority of which came during his final two years. He concluded his career as one of four players in NCAA FBS history to be part of multiple receiving trios where each player recorded at least 60 receptions in a season.

Morris was also instrumental as Tech’s primary punt returner the final two seasons where he averaged just over 10 yards a return. He was named to the All-Big 12 second team as a punt returner by the Fort Worth Star Telegram as a senior and was also a member of the 2007 Academic All-Big 12 first team.

Morris arrived at Tech following a stellar prep career at Shallowater High School where he was named the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal All-South Plains Super Team Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2003. He finished with 926 rushing yards that season and 24 touchdowns while throwing for another 1,926 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Morris received his bachelor’s degree in communications studies from Texas Tech in 2008. He and his wife, Maggie, are parents to two sons, Nicholas and George.