Rather than losing one, Rutgers football is on the receiving end of a transfer. Albeit, unlike earlier this offseason, from a lower level of the sport.
Late last week, Marquis Morris confirmed to 247Sports.com that he would be transferring into the Rutgers football program. The offensive lineman began his collegiate playing career at William & Mary.
As he will be coming to the Scarlet Knights from the FCS level, Morris will have immediate eligibility and can suit up for the Big Ten school in 2020. At least initially, Morris will be a walk-on at Rutgers, but will have the opportunity to earn a football scholarship at some point.
The 6-4, 335-pound Morris, whose mother and grandmother both attended RU, played his high school football at Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. His head coach for part of that time, Nunzio Campanile, is now the tight ends coach for the Scarlet Knights.
“I trusted him in high school and won a state championship under coach Nunzio in high school,” the lineman told the website. “Trusting him was big in the process and I feel like we could win it all with him and [new/old head coach Greg] Schiano.”
As a true freshman at William & Mary, Morris took a redshirt. That will leave him four years of eligibility he could use as part of the Rutgers football team.
In early February, Rutgers confirmed the addition of four Power Five transfers to its football roster, including three from the Big Ten. Those were defensive lineman Ireland Burke (Boston College), wide receiver Aron Cruickshank (Wisconsin), defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour (Michigan) and defensive back Brendon White (Ohio State).
Dwumfour and White will be eligible to play immediately for Rutgers football as graduate transfers. Burke and Cruickshank will have to sit out the 2020 season. That’ll leave the former three years of eligibility beginning in 2021, the latter two.