Football Allowed Wanya Morris to Find 'Father Figure' in Kenyatta Watson Sr.

Wanya Morris talks about finding a father figure in Kenyatta Watson through football

Wanya Morris was the cornerstone of Tennessee's 2019 recruiting class after committing to Jeremy Pruitt's program on May 1st, 2018. Morris came out of the high school ranks as one of the elite players in the country, and he lived up to that billing during his freshman season on Rocky Top. Morris garnered freshman All-American honors during his first season in Knoxville, and he is now set for a sophomore campaign that will prove pivotal for Jeremy Pruitt's tenure. 

Morris joined Kasey Funderburk on 'The Slice' to talk about a variety of things. 

Football changed Morris's life in multiple ways, meeting friends at an early age, such as Ramel Keyton, Warren Burrell, and Jaylen McCollough, but most importantly, he talked with Funderburg about how the game allowed him to find a father figure in Kenyatta Watson Sr. 

Morris told Funderburk, "we had a great coach behind us. He is like a father to me now. He always supported us. We stayed with him some nights when we had to go to tournaments. It was so fun." 

Funderburg asked Morris to tell her, "more about the coach."

To which Morris responded, "Coach Kenyatta (Watson), his son plays football too. His son is at Texas right now. He is a funny guy. He just loves the game. He loved us so much. I feel like he created so many opportunities for us. He put us in a great position, and without him, I don't know if I would be here right now. He is such a great guy. He has done a lot for me. I stayed with him sometimes, and he was that support system I really needed after my mom. I didn't grow up with a father in my life. He was like that father figure. He taught me things, him and my uncle just taught me things that I could always take with me."

Funderburg asked Morris, "how important was it for you to have him as that father figure since you just said you didn't have that in your life?"

Morris responded, "it was really important. I feel like as a growing boy, you have to have somebody there to teach you the ins and outs, how to react, and how to go about your business and stuff. He just taught me things that my mom couldn't, even though my mom did the best she could. He just taught me things that you need a man to teach you because it is a different world out here. Definitely being a young, black male, big, athlete, you have a target on your back. He taught me how to carry myself and all of that. It was really a blessing." 

Funderburg asked Morris how learning discipline from Watson helped him in college, to which he responded, "it taught me how to be smart and think about my future a lot. He was a guy who is really invested in the future, and it is really paying off now, and I am really thankful for that."

Watson served as a voluntary recruiting coordinator at Grayson high school for four seasons before stepping away in 2019. He still serves on the Under Armour All-American Selection Committee and holds various other titles in the recruiting world. When Watson stepped away, he told Gwinnett Prep Sports, "I worked for some great head coaches and an amazing staff. My goal was to always be the absolute best in the country as a recruiting coordinator. After this 2019 class signs, I would have helped over 111 kids at Grayson alone play college football. I’m thankful to principal Dana Pugh and AD Brian DeBerry for the opportunity.”

Morris will be a focal point on Tennessee's offensive line that is poised to be one of the best in the SEC in 2020. 

You can hear the full episode of "The Slice" here.

Who’s next on #TheSlice? That man, @wanyamorris64. 😎

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— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) June 8, 2020