Barnegat's Morris Makes it Official, Signs With Purdue

Ryan Morris made it official on Wednesday morning.

The senior tight end, who helped Barnegat advance to the NJSIAA sectional semifinals for the first time in the school’s short history, signed a national letter of intent to play football at Purdue University next fall.

Morris, surrounded by his family and the Bengals’ coaching staff, all donning Purdue garb for the occasion, formalized the announcement he made when he orally committed to the Boilermakers last June.

Morris becomes the seventh Barnegat football player to move on to a Division I football team, following Jon Rogers (Monmouth), Eric Smithman (Wagner),  Jarrett Darmstatter (Boston College), Nick San Giacomo (Tulane), Mike DeTroia (New Hampshire) and Dan Cintron (Lehigh).

“It’s exciting,” Barnegat coach Rob Davis said. “We’ve now sent 19 kids to colleges in just five years.”

Morris, who was recruited by more than two dozen universities starting during his sophomore year and received offers from a dozen schools including Duke, Syracuse, Louisville, Indiana, Illinois and South Carolina,  said Purdue won out on his first trip to the campus.

“When I went out there the first time, I fell in love,” said Morris, who made three trips to the school, including his official visit the weekend that Purdue hosted Notre Dame.

“The coaches are great,” Morris said. “The players fit in with each other really well.”

Morris’s father, John, said the official visit and seeing the game against Notre Dame was the clincher.

"I think it gave Ryan a sense of what to expect when he gets there," John Morris said.

Ryan Morris said it helped that the Purdue coaching staff built a relationship with him during the recruiting process.

“Just the fact of how they’re there for you means a lot,” he said.

Morris, a 6-foot-6, 248-pounder, caught 21 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns for the Bengals last fall as they won a school-record seven games.

“I’m so proud of him,” said his mother, Valerie Morris. “He’s worked hard for this.”

“Colleges look at potential,” Davis said. “They don’t want finished products. Academically he’s a good student and he has a lot of potential, and that’s what they want.”

Valerie Morris said Davis was key part of negotiating the recruiting process, which began when Ryan attended a camp as a sophomore, helping to manage the flow of recruiters as interest in him grew.

“Coach Davis helped facilitate this, and we are grateful,” Valerie Morris said.

At first, Davis said, every contact from a school was exciting for Morris.

“He would call me and say, ‘Coach, so-and-so called!’ “ Davis said as he sat chatting with the Morrises and Barnegat athletic director John Germano after a round of photos and a cake to celebrate the signing. But as time passed, Morris was more nonchalant about the contacts, Davis said.

Morris, who has not decided on a major, said the distance to Lafayette, Ind. – a 14-hour drive from Barnegat – doesn’t intimidate him.

“I’m a little excited see how it will be,” Morris said.

 “The signing part is just the beginning,” said Valerie Morris, noting that while she figures Ryan may get homesick, there is family he can reach out to in Indiana and the staff at Purdue has made it clear that they are there to support the athletes.

“I want him to be happy,” she said. “We must have seen 10 or 12 colleges, and he loved Purdue.”

“I think he’s ready,” said John Morris, who noted that Ryan already knows who his roommate will be. “Obviously, we’re very fortunate that he has this opportunity.”