Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison earns two more Freshman All-America selections
Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison continues to collect postseason honors. The latest additions to his list are two more Freshman All-America selections.
On3 and CollegeFootballNews named Morrison to their Freshman All-America teams Tuesday, joining Pro Football Focus in doing so. On3 recognized only true freshmen, while CFN included true and redshirt freshmen. Morrison is the only Irish player on either outlet’s team. He and Michigan’s Will Johnson were On3’s cornerback selections. CFN tabbed Morrison and Alabama redshirt freshman Terrion Arnold as its cornerback picks.
Morrison has played 12 games and made 9 starts this year. He has 30 tackles, 4 passes broken up and a team-high 5 interceptions this year. He made his first start in a Week 3 win over Cal. He has started all but one game since. The exception is a 44-21 win over UNLV Oct. 22, and he still played all but three of Notre Dame’s defensive snaps in that contest.
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The 5 interceptions place Morrison in a nine-way tie for eighth among FBS cornerbacks. No freshman defensive player has more. All of them came in November — he snagged 2 in the win over Clemson Nov. 5 and 3 in a shutout of Boston College Nov. 19. He has the most interceptions by an Irish defensive player since linebacker Manti Te’o grabbed 7 in 2021.
Coverage has been Morrison’s strongest suit. His 40.4 percent catch rate (19 receptions on 47 passes thrown his way) is ninth among the 229 FBS cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps. The 19 catches against him have totaled 277 yards and 1 touchdown. Quarterbacks have a 27.8 passer rating when throwing at him. His 79.7 PFF coverage grade is second on the team, behind only junior cornerback Clarence Lewis.
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The 6-foot, 179-pound Morrison has played 560 snaps this season, which is fourth among Notre Dame defensive players. He was a contributor from the outset of the season, playing 29 snaps in the opener at Ohio State. He arrived on campus in June, the only one of the Irish’s three freshman cornerbacks who did not enroll early. By the end of preseason camp, though, he was a no-doubt contributor.
Morrison is one of 15 Notre Dame players with a 3-interception game and became the first to accomplish that feat since safety Harrison Smith in the 2010 Sun Bowl win over Miami.
Notre Dame beat out Washington and Alabama for Morrison, who was a four-star prospect from of Phoenix Brophy Prep. Per the 2022 On3 Consensus, he was the No. 342 overall player and No. 36 cornerback. Only five members of Notre Dame’s 22-man 2022 signing class had a lower overall ranking than him.
