Tag: Benjamin Morrison

Notre Dame football preview 2023: Star cornerback Benjamin Morrison

How will his year go now that he’s not sneaking up on anyone?

His first spring at Notre Dame began in 2022 without much fanfare but it was clear by last season’s season-opener at Ohio State that the Irish thought they had something in true freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison.  Morrison saw the field with significant playing time that night and before long was able to work his way into the starting lineup.

By November he’d turn into one of the best cornerbacks in the country, intercepting six passes, all coming from November on and none being bigger than his 94-yard pick-six to put the upset of Clemson on ice.

So what else is there to know about Morrison as we head into 2023, his sophomore season?

Notre Dame players named to preseason award watch lists

Will anyone win this year?

It’s the time of year when we start seeing award watch lists come out in anticipation of the college football season. With Notre Dame expected to be highly ranked once again, there are plenty of players who are ripe for watching. Whether or not any of them actually take home any of this hardware is anyone’s guess right now, but they’re at least on the radar of those who know college football best.

In some cases, more than one Notre Dame player is on the watch list for the same award. Also, as different award watch lists come on different days, it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Rest assured, we will be doing just that as these lists continue to come out.

At season’s end, we’ll find out if any of them or maybe somebody different becomes the first national award winner for the Irish since [autotag]Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah[/autotag] won the Butkus Award in 2020:

Notre Dame football stars take in Mets game with Kate Upton

There are worse ways to spend a Friday night.

If you’ve been paying attention to any national sports media this week you’re aware that Notre Dame football has taken over the city of New York.  Appearances by Notre Dame head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and a handful of players on ESPN, NFL Network, and other outlets has been pretty regular the last few days.

To cap off the week Marcus Freeman threw out the first pitch at Friday night’s New York Mets game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Pitching for the Mets was future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander who is married to supermodel and former Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition cover-girl Kate Upton.

As it turns out, the likes of [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag], [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag], [autotag]Blake Fisher[/autotag], [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag], and [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] were able to meet Upton during the game.  Check it out below.

Well look at that, Notre Dame steals another fan originally from the state of Michigan.

The luck of the Irish wasn’t in the building for Verlander or the Mets on Friday night though as the Dodgers beat them 6-0.

Also worth noting is that Blake Fisher is listed at 6-6, 310-pounds yet looks like a fullback compared to Alt.

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Watch: Benjamin Morrison’s pick-six versus Clemson from every camera angle imaginable

Was this the play of the 2023 season for Notre Dame?

If you’re a Notre Dame fan then you know the play.  The Irish were leading Clemson 21-0 as the Tigers threatened to make it a two-score game early in the fourth quarter last November.

Then in stepped freshman corner back [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] to not just put a stop to Clemson’s scoring threat, but to return his second interception of the night back 96-yards and give Notre Dame a 28-0 lead.

Ballgame.

You’ve seen the play from the broadcast view, but how about from every camera angle NBC had in Notre Dame Stadium last night?

The Notre Dame advanced media team recently released a video of that play from every camera angle.  Check it out below as it takes about six minutes to watch it from everywhere there was a television camera that night.

Seeing that play will certainly never get old although I’m a firm believer that the biggest play that night was the punt block for a touchdown that got things going for Notre Dame.

Whatever the case, the decision to go from the Clemson receiver to find “Aw-shucks Dabo” with his arms crossed and head down was a great one (3:15 mark).

Notre Dame and Clemson are set to square off again in 2023, this time at Clemson on November 4.

You can check out the best photos from Notre Dame’s memorable 35-14 win over Clemson here.

Check out six of the best photos of Morrison’s freshman campaign below.

Notre Dame football: 3 Irish players selected by Phil Steele as pre-season All-Americans

Some pre-season love for the Irish

We’re still more than 10 weeks away from college football’s regular season getting going but on Tuesday it was announced that Notre Dame has three players that veteran college football scribe Phil Steele sees as preseason All-Americans.

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The following is from the Notre Dame athletic department:

Phil Steele has released its 2023 Preseason All-America team and three University of Notre Dame football student-athletes were named to one of the four teams, led by first-team selection junior offensive tackle Joe Alt. Sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison, a freshman All-America in 2022, was selected to the second team along with graduate student long snapper Michael Vinson.

Alt earned first-or-second team All-America honors from 12 different outlets at the end of the 2022 season and finished the year as the top rated offensive tackle in the country according to Pro Football Focus.

Alt contributed to an offensive line that paved the way for 2,457 rushing yards in 2022, a 4.6 yards-per-carry average, 25 rushing touchdowns and seven 200-yard rushing performances.

Morrison was one of the late-season breakout stars of college football in 2022, picking off two interceptions and returning one 96 yards for a touchdown in Notre Dame’s 35-14 romp over No. 5 Clemson.

The rookie then claimed a share of the Notre Dame single-game record with three interceptions in a shutout win over Boston College, including two interceptions in the first quarter. He then capped his outstanding freshman year with an interception in the Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina.

Morrison appeared in all 13 games in 2022, starting nine and finishing the year with 33 tackles, 22 solo stops and four pass break ups.

Vinson, who earned first-team AFCA All-America honors last season and was a semifinalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, went without an errant snap in 2022, helping the Irish go 43-for-43 for PAT kicks and 13-18 on field goal attempts.

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Three Notre Dame players named to Athlon Sports All-American teams

The Irish are well represented

We are less than 100 days away from the start of [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] and college football’s season starting.

There will soon be more and more outlets putting out their All-American teams and recently Athlon Sports released theirs.

It’s much more comprehensive than most, going four teams deep, which makes plenty of sense given the vast amount of high-end talent across the country.

For the Irish, they had three players make the list, and it should be pretty obvious which ones made it. Find out below which Notre Dame stars make Athlon’s list along with my take on where each of them landed.

Notre Dame lands Rhode Island transfer defensive back Antonio Carter

Quite the get for the Irish’s secondary.

[autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] might be developing into a star, but Notre Dame always can use some depth in its secondary. Once Rhode Island defensive back [autotag]Antonio Carter[/autotag] entered the transfer portal in April, the Irish were among many Football Bowl Subdivision teams interested. They officially made their offer May 5, and Florida and LSU followed over the next few days. Finally, Carter was ready to make his decision, and it was good news for the Irish:

Carter started 21 of the Rams’ 22 games over the past two seasons and played in all of them. During that period, he recorded 105 tackles, broke up 17 passes, had 5.5 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles, recovered another three fumbles and had one interception. Basically, he did everything expected of a defensive back, and he was ready to see what he can do at the top tier of college football. Here’s hoping he can at least approach what he did in the Football Championship Subdivision.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

The Irish are lucky to have this kid.

[autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] made quite the impression as a Notre Dame cornerback in 2022. Now, he’s starting to bring in the accolades. Morrison has been named to the watch list for the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy. This award, which [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] won in 2012, is awarded to the defensive player who best demonstrates athletic excellence and exemplifies IMPACT, which is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

The Irish are scheduled to face several of Morrison’s fellow watch list candidates during the 2023 season. Two of them, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, represent Ohio State. The Irish also will draw defensive back Calen Bullock and linebacker Mason Cobb of USC. Also upcoming are Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter and Duke defensive lineman Dewayne Carter.

In short, the Irish will be seeing a lot of defensive stars who also are high-character guys in 2023. Those who think offense is getting too much leeway in college football will not be disappointed. At least it seems that way on paper.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame offers transfer defensive back a scholarship

The Irish are looking for some depth

It might not seem like [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] is concerned with his secondary this fall, but an offer to a transfer suggests that might not be the case.

With [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Hart[/autotag] holding down the starting spots and transfer [autotag]Thomas Harper[/autotag] most likely taking care of the nickel, it seems like the Irish would be set.

An offer to Rhode Island transfer cornerback Antonio Carter might tell a bit more of what Freeman thinks about the group. The three starters will be fine, but the depth might not be up to the head coach’s standard at the moment.

Carter has made a few visits already since entering the portal and the Irish are a bit late to the party. We will see if the timing of the offer matters for Notre Dame and the transfer corner.

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This stat shows how dominant Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison was in 2022

Benjamin Morrison was elite in 2022

It was quite a true freshman season for [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag] cornerback [autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag]. Not only did he put up impressive stats, but he also was all over award lists.

He tied for second nationally with six interceptions, including one he took back for six points. Morrison added 33 tackles and was named to multiple freshman All-American teams, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Teams often looked to the other side of the field when they tried to put the ball in the air.

[autotag]Pro Football Focus[/autotag] put out a tweet that highlighted some of the best defensive backs in the country and Morrison is on its list. When opponents looked his way, he allowed a 29.2 passer rating when targeted.

Morrison will be one of the best defenders in the country next year regardless of class. Teams know a lot more about him, so expect more offenses to throw to the other side of the field.

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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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