Quick Facts
Biography
Benjamin Morrison (born March 11, 2004) is an American football cornerback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
High school career
Morrison attended Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Arizona. As a senior, he had 53 tackles and two interceptions. He played in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl. Morrison committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Morrison DB | Phoenix | Brophy Prep | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | Jul 15, 2021 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 | ||||||
College career
2022 season
Morrison earned immediate playing time in his true freshman year at Notre Dame in 2022. Morrison made his collegiate debut on September 3, 2022, against the Ohio State Buckeyes, collecting three total tackles and a pass deflection. Against California on September 17, Morrison made his first career start by tallying three tackles. He had his first two career interceptions in an upset victory over Clemson on November 5. Two weeks later, on November 19, he had three interceptions against Boston College, tying the NCAA single-game record. In the 2022 Gator Bowl, Morrison added his team-high sixth interception of the season against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Morrison finished the season with 33 tackles (22 of them solo), four pass breakups, six interceptions, and a pick-six. He was named Freshman All-American by On3, College Football News, Pro Football Focus. He was also named True Freshman All-American by The Athletic, 247Sports, ESPN, and by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).
2023 season
Morrison was named a preseason All-American by NBCSports, FWAA, and ESPN. On June 9, 2023, Morrison was named the fourth best cornerback in college football. On August 1, Morrison was placed on the Watch List for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. On August 10, he was placed on the Jim Thorpe Award Watch List. On August 14, he was selected to be on the Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List. On September 19 against NC State, Morrison caught his first interception of the season. He also added three solo tackles in a 45–24 victory. In a game against No. 10 USC, Morrison intercepted Caleb Williams, setting up Audric Estime for a one-yard touchdown run. The Fighting Irish would end up upsetting Williams and the Trojans, 48–20. Morrison would then be ruled out of Notre Dame's game against Pittsburgh due to a quad injury. On November 1, Morrison was named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
College statistics
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
| GP | GS | Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD | |
| 2022 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 11 | 33 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 97 | 16.2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 11 | 25 | 6 | 31 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 25 | 20 | 47 | 17 | 64 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 9 | 111 | 12.3 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Awards
- 2022
- Freshman All-American – On3, CFN, PFF, FWAA
- True Freshman All-American – The Athletic, 247Sports, ESPN
- Independent Cornerback of the Year – CFN
- All-Independent First-Team – CFN, Phil Steele
- 2023
- Preseason All-American – TSN, AP, CBSSN
- Preseason Independent Cornerback of the Year – CFN
- Preseason All-Independent First-Team – CFN, Phil Steele
- Jim Thorpe Award Watch List – Paycom, NCFAA
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List – FWAA
- Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List – MFC
- Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist – Paycom, NCFAA
Personal life
His father, Darryl Morrison, played in the NFL. He has four siblings that also competed in college sports.