Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison named to PFF All-True Freshman Team
Cornerback Benjamin Morrison became one of Notre Dame’s best defensive players as a true freshman. And by extension, one of the more accomplished true freshmen in the country.
Pro Football Focus named Morrison to its true freshmen All-America team Tuesday, the first of what will likely be several freshman All-America honors for him. Morrison and Michigan’s Will Johnson were the two cornerbacks selected.
Morrison has 30 tackles, 4 passes broken up and a team-high 5 interceptions this year. He began the season in Notre Dame’s cornerback rotation, but took over as a starter in the third game of the year. He has remained in the starting lineup since, save for the win over UNLV Oct. 22 where he didn’t start but still played 95 percent of the snaps.
All told, Morrison has started nine games. He became a staple on defense almost immediately, playing 29 snaps against Ohio State. He played every snap in Notre Dame’s loss to USC Nov. 26 and all but one in the loss to Stanford Oct. 15. He is fourth among Notre Dame defenders in snaps this year (560).
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Morrison has allowed just 19 catches on 47 passes thrown at him, per PFF. That’s a 40.4 percent catch rate, which is ninth among the 222 FBS cornerbacks with at least 300 coverage snaps. Those 19 catches have gone for 277 yards and 1 touchdown. Quarterbacks have a 27.8 passer rating when throwing at him. That’s a worse rating than if a quarterback threw an incompletion every time, which would be 39.6. Morrison’s 79.7 PFF coverage grade is second on the team.
Morrison became the 15th Notre Dame player to grab 3 interceptions in a game Nov. 19 versus Boston College. He was the first to do it since safety Harrison Smith in the 2010 Sun Bowl. His 5 interceptions are tied for seventh in the FBS and the most by a Notre Dame player since linebacker Manti Te’o had 7 in 2012.
The 6-foot, 179-pound Morrison was a four-star prospect in Notre Dame’s 2022 class and chose the Irish over Washington and Alabama. The Phoenix Brophy Prep product was the No. 342 overall player and No. 36 cornerback in the On3 Consensus. He was the 17th-highest rated player in the Irish’s 22-man signing class.
