Cricket star turned gridiron great Aaron Morris now a key contributor for Stanford

When Aaron Morris came to the United States from Jamaica, football was not something on his mind. But since transitioning from being a cricket player to a football player, he has catapulted into the limelight of stardom.

Sep 23, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Jaxson Moi (51) congratulates cornerback Aaron Morris (31) after he made a tackle against the Arizona Wildcats during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Aaron Morris did not grow up around football. Heck, at one point he didn’t even know what it was. But now the former high school star is making his case to become a permanent fixture to Stanford’s defensive lineup.

Emigrating from Jamaica in 2018, Morris did not know what football was and had never once played it, only being introduced to the sport four years ago. Now, not only is Morris a part of one of college football’s most historic programs, but he is getting the chance to be a big part of a rivalry game against Notre Dame, a program that also has a lot of rich history itself.

“I had no idea what football was,” Morris said. “I’ve never been to Notre Dame, so I’m excited to go there for the first time. I hear a lot of great things about Notre Dame. I have one of my friends, Ty Chan, he’s a lineman at Notre Dame so I’m probably gonna get to see him so I’m excited for that.”

As a kid, Morris grew up playing cricket, getting the passion for the sport from his father, and as he started getting more competitive with it, he found himself with the opportunity to play for Jamaica’s national team, playing for them in 2018 when he was a middle schooler.

“Playing for Jamaica was definitely a dream come true,” Morris said. “Because when I was younger, my dad used to play cricket but he didn’t get the chances so growing up, that’s all I wanted to do. When I was in grade seven, I got the opportunity to play for the under-15 Jamaican National Team and it was amazing.”

Now in his second season with Stanford, Morris has found himself getting more of an expanded role, and due to injuries in the defensive backfield, he has seen more snaps at cornerback despite being traditionally a nickel corner and has had to step up and play lockdown defense against some of the nation's best receivers while also continuing to develop his game and work on things to make him an elite defender for the Cardinal. 

“I was playing nickel so I was thinking [that] I’m probably just gonna be back up nickel for now,” Morris said. “When Jay Green went down, I thought I was going at nickel but he put me at corner which was unexpected. But at the time, I was ready to go for sure but it was definitely a little heavy because my first game playing was against Clemson, which had some good receivers. My biggest thing was not to let anything go deep because you don’t want to do that. So for me, I guess the biggest thing I’d probably say is just like, make sure I have my attention to detail and make sure I know what I’m doing when I get my play call.”

Morris joined the team in 2023, the same year that head coach Troy Taylor and defensive coordinator Bobby April III joined the staff, giving Morris the chance to really learn April’s scheme and figure out exactly what he is supposed to do each and every play.

“Coach April is probably one of the smartest guys I’ve seen,” Morris said. “I was watching film with him once and as the play came in and I’m watching the play and seeing the call that I’m supposed to make and then in just [a few] seconds, he knew what calls to make. He makes his schemes and he knows what he’s doing and it’s just for us to execute it. Like sometimes it can be difficult, because of the way he sets up the scheme, but for us, all we’ve gotta do once we study it and understand what he’s saying, it will be good.”

Morris has not yet gotten the chance to fully showcase his talent, but now with the team needing the next man up mentality, these next couple weeks will be crucial for him to cement his status as a cornerstone piece for the defense.