Sonny Dykes relates to QB Chandler Morris as the son of a coach
Sonny Dykes is a coach’s son just like his next quarterback. That’s why, coming into the season, he understands exactly how Chandler Morris is wired.
Dykes spoke about his relationship and connection during an interview On3’s Andy Staples on Sunday. He said that the two of them get one another considering they come from similar backgrounds, experiences, and upbringings.
“My dad was a coach, a high school coach and ended up a longtime college coach as well,” Dykes said. “When you’re around your dad every day and you see, number one, how hard you have to work and, number two, the ups and downs of football, whether it’s high school football, college football, whatever the case may be? It’s galvanizing. You really learn a lot from it. You do have an opportunity to see how important it is to keep your priorities straight.”
Dykes went on to add how the highs and lows from Chad Morris’ career as a coach have likely been able to impact Chandler on his own football journey. Considering how last season went for him at TCU, it was an example of a rock-bottom moment that could now become a triumph for him depending on how he plays this fall.
“Probably one of the biggest things I learned from my dad was to never get too high and never get too low,” said Dykes. “We say it all the time: The film is never as bad as it looks. And it’s never as good as it looks. The reality is usually somewhere in the middle. I think Chandler has had an opportunity to learn from that Chad.”
“Chad was a fast riser through the ranks, a very successful high school coach, had success at SMU. He has encountered some difficult times since then. That’s part of being a coach, part of being a player. We’ve all been through it. I went through it myself at Cal and it’s no fun to go through something like that,” Dykes continued. “Chad’s a guy that’s going to have a real bright future. And Chandler, I think, is taking it one day at a time and is realizing that when you have success? You’ve got to wake up the next day and find a way to do it all over again.”
Morris has spent three collegiate seasons just waiting on his moment. After starting at Oklahoma and redshirting in his first season in Forth Worth a season later, 2022 was supposed to be his year. That was the case until he sprained his MCL in their opener versus Colorado. The rest is history as Max Duggan took over from there and never gave the spot back up as he led to the Horned Frogs to a national championship appearance.
Even so, this could now be the season where everything happens for Morris. There will be an even better chance of that happening too if he leans on the messages and lessons from his father as well as Dykes this fall.