National Football Foundation

One of the Big Ten’s leading tacklers during the course of his career, Iowa’s James Morris has firmly planted himself among the all-time Hawkeye greats as he becomes the sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete in school history.

A 2012 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, Morris will graduate in May with an impressive 3.84 GPA in political science. He claimed the Third House Scholar Award, presented by the Iowa political science department, for excellence in scholarship, active participation, and leadership in political and civic organizations. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Morris hails from Solon, Iowa, and he hopes to attend law school.

A four-year starter, Morris made an immediate impact on the Hawkeye defense, earning Freshman All-America accolades in 2010. He has garnered Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors the last two seasons after ranking third (9.4) and fifth (9.2) in tackles per game in 2012 and 2011, respectively. This season he has earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Lott Impact Player of the Week honors after an eight-tackle, two-sack and one fumble recovery performance in Iowa’s 17-10 overtime win over Northwestern. He currently ranks ninth in the conference with 7.9 tackles per game, and he has posted 357 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, and five interceptions in his career.

A four-year member of the football team’s leadership group, Morris has participated in Iowa Football leadership retreats. He has volunteered for the Read to Grow program, Dance Marathon, Ronald McDonald House, and he has helped coordinate a team blood drive. He has made numerous visits to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, and he is the son of Hawkeye’s equipment manager, Greg Morris. Morris was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL Draft and was a member of the Super Bowl champions that season.