NC State QB Morris, Clemson WR Collins announce plans to enter transfer portal
By The Associated Press
North Carolina State quarterback MJ Morris said he plans to enter the transfer portal, an announcement coming less than a month after he opted out for the rest of the season to preserve his redshirt option despite being the starter.
Morris issued a statement to On3Sports a nd posted the statement on social media Thursday. He will have three years of eligibility remaining after an unusual exit from N.C. State.
He was pressed into duty as a true freshman in 2022 due to injuries before being sidelined by his own, then was elevated to the starting role in early October after the Wolfpack struggled offensively with Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong as the starter.
Morris guided the Wolfpack to three wins in four starts, including against Clemson and Miami, while throwing seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Coach Dave Doeren said he was surprised that Morris opted to sit out the rest of the season after becoming the starter, even as his father Eddie told WRAL-TV in Raleigh that his son wouldn’t transfer.
Yet Armstrong played much better in his return to the starting lineup, helping N.C. State close with five straight wins and reach nine wins.
Also on Thursday, Clemson receiver Beaux Collins announced his plan to enter the portal.
Collins was third on the team with 38 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns this season. Collins thanked his family, friends, teammates and coaches for his three years at Clemson on social media.
“After deep thought and consideration, I have plans to enter the transfer portal,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Collins is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior from Los Angeles who has started the past 21 games he has played in with the Tigers. He ends his Clemson career with 91 catches for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns the past three seasons.
He was injured early in a 31-20 win over then-No. 20 North Carolina with a plantar fascia tear on Nov. 18 and did not play in the team’s final regular-season game at South Carolina this past Saturday.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
