North Boone 'legend' Britton Morris returns to coach up Vikings' future QBs

Britton Morris took the long road home, and now the quarterback of North Boone's past is coaching the quarterbacks of the Vikings' future.

"It's kind of crazy to think about, but here I am," said Morris, now 22 years old, and back living in Caledonia near North Boone High School. "I wish it would have worked out that I was still playing college football, and getting everything out of it that I thought I would. But it helped me mature, and grow up, and now I've found coaching.

"And found my way back to North Boone."

After three falls at Illinois State University trying to work his way up to starter, and another at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville trying to work his way on to a new team, he decided to step away from football.

Playing, that is.

He is back coaching as one of the co-head coaches of the frosh-soph and JV teams at North Boone, working with all the quarterbacks, of course.

The players sure know who he is. And they are ready to listen.

"It's just great having him with this team again. We all know him, sure," North Boone's varsity starter, Jack Christensen, said. "I don't get to work with him enough, really... He knows so much, he's just a great quarterback mind to have behind you.

"And he's a legend around here."

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Legendary high school career

Christensen and most of his teammates were in middle school when Morris threw for 7,755 yards and 113 touchdowns in his high school career at North Boone from 2016-2018. Christensen, and many of them, were watching closely.

"Those kids were over there on the fence, or playing catch, and hearing Britton Morris' name called all the time — they probably wanted to be like him," North Boone head coach Ryan Kelley said. "Now, they get to learn straight from him."

Morris accumulated 9,577 total yards off offense in his time at North Boone, which ranked eighth in IHSA history. As a senior in 2018, Morris passed for 3,313 yards and 36 touchdowns. He had 531 total yards and seven TDs in a late-game comeback win over Dixon as a junior and threw for 484 yards and seven touchdowns in a big win over Mendota his senior year.

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"I remember them all, pretty much," Morris said. "You never realize how quickly it all goes until it's over... I really devoted my life to football. And I kind of still am."

He is No. 5 on the IHSA's career touchdowns list with 113. That list is led by former Lutheran running back James Robinson who had 158. Morris is also seventh on the IHSA's all-time career points list with 678 scored, tied for sixth when he accounted for 49 touchdowns his senior season and 10th in most yards of total offense in his career with 9,577.

College career never panned out

Despite his powerful resume, Morris was never able to earn a start at the three colleges he attended in the past five years.

He started out at Illinois State under former Rockford linebacker Brock Spack, but the Redbirds were strong at quarterback, and Morris had to fight from the bottom of the ladder and work his way up. He did, for two years, and three falls, dealing with a lost season due to COVID-19, and eventually even working up to second string.

But with transfers coming in under the new college portal rules, he felt his chances slip away at ISU. He then transferred to Platteville in November of 2021. There, he realized he was starting over at the age of 22, and, he said, "I just didn't have enough in the tank to do it all over again. I was at peace with that being the end of my football playing career."

He didn't find it, coaching found him

He's planning on graduating, through online courses with ISU, in December in business administration, and, he insists, he has no regrets. He's about to get his college degree, he met a lot of good friends, and even his girlfriend, along the way.

And then something he didn't expect happened, also: he wound up as a coach at his old school.

"I kind of thought about coaching, even when I was at ISU, but then when I was done playing, Coach Kelley found out I was interested in coaching, and he came to me," Morris said. "I really keep telling myself this could be a one-year deal, you just never know. But let's see what happens. I keep finding ways to make it work.

Morris wants to work in sales or account management, which is a time-consuming job. But he sees a future in coaching, as well.

It was Morris who first ran the North Boone spread offense to perfection, and he was followed by Logan Emanuel and then Chandler Harnish. And Christensen is well on his way, currently third in the Big Northern Conference with 597 yards through the air, and tied for first with six passing TDs.

Morris wants to help keep that going.

"In a perfect world, I'd like to coach forever," he said. "I love it, and I grew up here and going to North Boone football games, and then playing in them as far back as I can remember.

"It's definitely like, right now, I'm coaching my favorite team in the world."

North Boone is 2-2 on the season and hosts 3-1 Stillman Valley this Friday night before heading to winless Rock Falls next week. North Boone is looking to return to the playoffs after missing out last year for the first time in five postseasons.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: North Boone's all-time leading passer Britton Morris returns to coach