Washington’s QB Dylan Morris is in transfer portal yet remains Michael Penix Jr.’s backup in playoff

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The backup quarterbacks for Washington and Texas both entered the transfer portal in the lead-up to the College Football Playoff.

Maalik Murphy has left Texas, with the blessing of his coaches, for a new opportunity at Duke, leaving freshman Arch Manning as the backup to Quinn Ewers in Sugar Bowl on Monday night.

Dylan Morris remains QB2 for the Huskies.

“I was very hesitant with doing this,” Morris said. “The last thing I want to do is be a distraction to the team.”

That hasn’t been the case.

Morris said he spoke to Washington coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb about what he wanted to do and they were supportive.

“It was very mutual between me staying, like, I wanted to stay and they wanted me to stay as well,” Morris said.

Morris said Grubb excused him from some early December practices to visit another school.

“It’s a definitely unique experience,” he said.

Morris is a fifth-year player who still has another year of eligibility, thanks to the NCAA providing a bonus year to those who were in school during the 2020 pandemic season.

He was a highly touted in-state recruit for the Huskies in 2019 and became the starter in 2021, when Washington struggled to a 4-8 record. He passed for 2,458 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

When DeBoer took over in 2022, he brought in former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as a transfer and Morris has been relegated to backup the last two seasons to the Heisman Trophy finalist.

“I talked to the team a little bit when this kind of was going down and every single guy on the team was nodding their head when I was sharing how we were going to approach this deal and it’s because we all love him. We know he loves us,” DeBoer said of Morris. “And, you know, he’s still one of the first guys in the building each and every day, even right now, just like it’s always been, and he’s ready to step on the field, do what he needs to do to help us win a football game.”

DOUBLE-DUTY

Texas linebackers coach Jeff Choate is pulling double-duty these days.

Choate, 53, was named head coach at Nevada on Dec. 4, but he’s staying with the Longhorns until their playoff run is over.

“Well, we’re such control people. I’ve got to trust people there to do the things I’m asking them to do. And it’s hard sometimes to not have that control,” he said.

Choate said the key is putting his phone away when he is doing his current job of trying to prepare the Longhorns to play Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Monday night.

“And then I pick that dadgum phone up and I get to get to work, (for Nevada),” he said.

Choate was a longtime assistant, including stints at Boise State, Florida and Washington, before getting his first head coaching job at FCS Montana State.

He spent four seasons in Bozeman, building the Bobcats into an FCS playoff team before becoming an assistant again at Texas.

Choate said he made a calculated move back to get FBS, even if it meant a step back.

“I felt like athletic directors and administrators were having a hard time making that stretch from an FCS to an FBS guy.” Choate said. “And so you know at some point you got to start playing chess, not checkers.”

Nevada is coming off consecutive 2-10 seasons, which led to Ken Wilson being fired after just two years as head coach.

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