ANN ARBOR, Michigan – Michigan Edge Rush mike morristhe 2022 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year has declared himself for the NFL Draft, he announced Monday afternoon.
Morris revealed the news on social media, writing the following a farewell message:
My Michigan career can only be described as a true Michigan man experience. I’ve been through a lot of lows, but those lows have made me the man I am today. A champion in life and in football. I wouldn’t change my Michigan experience for anything.
I would also like to thank my family who instilled great values in me. Thank my coaches for putting me and my teammates in positions to succeed. Thank Coach Harbaugh for his support and love. I would also like to thank the greatest university in the world for their unwavering support for me and this football team.
GOD has blessed me with amazing people in my life to help me in this next chapter of my life. After discussions with my coaches and my family, I enter my name in the NFL DRAFT.
Morris led the Wolverines with 11.0 tackles for loss, including a team-high 7.5 sacks, in 2022. He also forced a fumble and defended three passes. This all came despite Morris missing the Big Ten championship game and playing just 11 snaps the previous week against Ohio State while struggling with an ankle injury.
“Mike is a great player,” defensive coordinator Jesse Minter told reporters ahead of the college football playoffs. “You know, one of the first guys I met when I got here, and he’s had a terrific year. So obviously very excited to see him back and to see him back in full force.
Morris wore a red shirt in 2019 and played just one game in 2020. He won his first four starts in 2021 – appearing in every game – and finished the season with 17 tackles, including one tackle for loss and a shared bag.
After the Wolverines lost Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo to the NFL Draft, Morris knew he had big shoes to fill in 2022.
“I feel like I have no choice,” he said ahead of the 2022 season. “Who else is it going to be? I feel like I have to do it; I feel like I’m holding myself to that standard. It will be me.
“It’s just self-realization. I want it to be me. I want to put myself in this position to make this game. I want to be that guy.
And he delivered with an All-Big Ten caliber season.
Morris became the sixth Michigan player to be named the conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, an award given since 1991. Hutchinson won the honor in 2021, giving UM back-to-back recipients for the first time.
In 2023, the Wolverines could return Braiden McGregor, Jaylen Harrell, Eyabi Okie and Derrick Moore to the EDGE position. Taylor Upshaw entered the transfer portal in January 2023 and Okie told The Michigan Insider before the CFP that he was still undecided about his future.
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