Knights’ Tre’Mon Morris-Brash a rarity among college football
UCF defensive end Tre’Mon Morris-Brash is something of an oddity in today’s ever-changing college football landscape.
In a day and age when over 1,500 football players have entered the NCAA transfer portal in the past two weeks, Morris-Brash is preparing to wrap up a stellar career with the Knights.
“From my first time stepping on campus, just seeing it all, it felt like home,” Morris-Brash said. “I didn’t want to leave and have to go somewhere and start over.”
Morris-Brash arrived at UCF as part of Josh Heupel’s first full recruiting class in 2019, along with standouts like quarterback Dillon Gabriel, linebackers Tatum Bethune and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, tight end Alec Holler, and offensive linemen Lokahi Pauole, Adrian Medley, Ed Collins and Matt Lee.
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Five years later, most of those 19 signees from that class are gone, with the majority leaving through the transfer portal. Morris-Brash, Pauole, Collins, Medley and Holler are about all who are left on the roster.
“I just felt comfortable and loved here and that’s what I wanted,” said Morris-Brash. “I’ve been here five years, so why not just finish?”
But Morris-Brash admits seeing friends and teammates leave through the portal hurt.
“My teammate Cam Goode, we went to the same high school and came here together,” he explained. “Kind of like a package deal and then he left and went to Michigan. That definitely hurt me, but it also deterred me from leaving.
“I’m blessed that I did stay and I’m really happy that I did it.”
It’s been an emotional time for Morris-Brash, who participated in graduation ceremonies with family and friends last Friday.
“It was a very special moment for me and my family because my mom and dad didn’t even graduate high school, so for me to graduate college, I can only imagine how they feel,” said Morris-Brash. “My grandparents didn’t get to see my mom or dad walk across the stage, so to be able to do that feels unreal.”
He’s also taking the field for his final game as a Knight, wrapping up a sensational career in which he amassed 176 tackles with 56.5 tackles for loss, 26 sacks, 7 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles and an interception in 60 games.
His 56.5 tackles for loss tie him with Darrell Rudd for third all-time in program history, 1 shy of Bruce Miller (57.5) and 3 shy of leader Elton Patterson (59.5).
“It’s just hitting me at one time,” said Morris-Brash. “I didn’t realize we were leaving so soon [for Tampa]; we leave right after practice tomorrow. It will be a quick turnaround, but I’m ready.”
UCF (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) wraps up its season against Georgia Tech (6-6, 5-3 ACC) in Friday’s Union Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl (6:30 p.m., ESPN). The Knights hope to finish their first season in the Big 12 on a high note.
Despite losing its first five conference games, UCF bounced back by winning three of its last four games. As a result, the Knights secured a spot in a bowl for the eighth consecutive season.
“[The season] didn’t go how we wanted it to,” said Morris-Brash. “But to come into the Big 12 and a lot of people didn’t believe that we could do as well as we did. That means a lot.”
Morris-Brash came into the season with the personal goal of earning all-conference stature, something he accomplished last season in the American Athletic Conference. He met that goal and more, being named to the All-Big 12 first-team by the league, the Associated Press and Phil Steele.
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The 6-2, 245-pound Virginia native led the league in tackles for loss (18) and was second in sacks (8).
While he appreciates the honors, Morris-Brash knows they won’t help him achieve his goal of playing in the NFL.
“It’s a great accolade to have, but nobody cares,” he said. “The NFL doesn’t care about that. So what if you get all-conference? What are you going to do on the field?”
Defensive coordinator Addison Williams believes any NFL team that takes a chance on Morris-Brash will find a special type of player.
“He’s a guy that loves to practice. I’ve never seen that,” said Williams. “He’s always on a high and he loves to practice and he’s a guy that can come off the edge and rush the passer. Everybody’s looking for a pass rusher. So he’s gonna be the juice guy off the edge that every NFL team is looking for.”
Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
