Cheapell Morris doesn’t have your typical story of a Division I football player. He wasn’t highly recruited. In fact, he didn’t receive one offer out of high school. Instead, when he graduated from Highlands High School in North Highlands, California just outside of Sacramento, he got a job at Wal-Mart to help provide for his mom and little brother.
While he worked for a couple years, he would occasionally bump into friends and coaches from his high school playing days, and they would always encourage him to pick football back up. Morris kept reminding himself that he wasn’t good enough though. If he was, he would have received at least one scholarship offer. No, his football playing days were behind him.
Morris continued to workout despite not playing football. It was a 24 Hour Fitness and time spent at his uncle’s Game-Fit training center where he stayed in shape. Most of the time he was at Game-Fit, he was there with one of his cousins, Shaq Thompson, who was excelling on the gridiron for the University of Washington at the time. Thompson went on to be picked in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.
Another one of Morris’ cousins, Kenny Lee, believed in Cheapell. Lee believed that Morris could one day make it to the NFL and be playing on Sunday or Monday night.
“One of (Lee’s) friends played in the NFL,” Morris explained. “(Lee) told me, ‘I know you’re on the same level as him, and I’d love to see you play (at that level).”
That was the last time Morris ever talked to him. Lee died just a few weeks later.
That tragic event was the catalyst to Morris deciding it was time for him to go back to school to further his education and play football.
“My cousin, (when) I lost him, that gave me the motivation factor to go back to school, get my A.A., further my education, play football, and see where it could take me so I can try to provide for my family in the best way.”
The now 23 year old went on to enroll at Sierra College in California where he would further his education while also playing football. In his one season with the Wolverines in 2017, Morris led the team with 72 tackles. He joked about his time at Sierra, saying, “I come from a JUCO where we don’t eat a lot.” His play would help him receive offers from Eastern Washington, New Mexico, and Liberty.
Morris had never heard of Liberty until coach Aaron Wilkins called and began recruiting him. He did some research and decided he wanted to take an official visit to campus. He fell in love with the school immediately.
“I love it all, the facilities, I fell in love with the coaching staff, the players. I met Rion Davis. They were all very up front with me. It made me feel at home. After my visit, I signed the next morning.”
After meeting on Morris’ visit, Rion Davis has been like his brother despite the fact the two are vying for playing time in a crowded safety spot. “Anytime I need him for anything, life talk, or to just say hey, I can always depend on him, just having that role model (has helped me during this transition).”
He has two years of eligibility remaining, and Morris is petitioning to get an additional year since he only played 1 season of JUCO ball. Morris hopes to continue to pursue his dream of one day playing in the NFL like his cousin said he could. After his cousin’s death, he got a tattoo of him on his ribs. Morris says it’s his favorite tattoo.
“He’s always by my side.”
