University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Memphis' Mr. Anonymous
Sep 07, 2016 | Football
Morgan enjoys that his play goes under the radar.
*NOTE: This feature story on Trevor Morgan first appeared in the Sept. 3 Memphis Tigers Football GameDay program.
During the preseason in an online article, ESPN.com rated the University of Memphis special teams unit as the No. 2 grouping in all of college football. The article mentioned preseason All-American kicker Jake Elliott, and standout punter Spencer Smith; however, whom the media source left out may be the most important cog in that special teams unit – senior long snapper Trevor Morgan.
There are few positions on a football field where doing great at your job will keep your anonymity intact. In fact, the short list may consist of just long snappers and referees – which also happen to be the places on the field where you are only recognized when a mistake happens.
"He's not a guy who needs the spotlight to perform," said Smith. "He knows his role on this team, he accepts it, and that is why he is exceptional at it. He goes to work every day and works to be the best he can be. He puts his head down and doesn't worry about the lack of postseason awards given to long snappers."
A native of Fayetteville, Ga. – a small rural town nestled in southwest region of the Peach State – Trevor learned the art of long snapping from his older brother, Tyler. Four years older than Trevor, Tyler spent four years as a member of the Georgia Tech football squad, where he was the team's long snapper.
"He was my role model growing up," said Trevor. "I watched him work to be able to play college football, and it made me want to do that as well. I wasn't quick enough to be a skilled position player, so I stuck with the long snapping. He taught me the basics of it – the form and stance – and I stuck with it, practiced it, and got better."
His family – dad, Ted, an owner of a construction business, and mom, Terri, a middle school treasurer – in addition to his brother travel to many games. While the family has attended nearly every game, they leave him to his own on the field, with one exception.
"The first game my freshman year, it was my first start (against Duke)," said Trevor. "I had two low snaps in the first half. We ran out after halftime, and Tyler came up to me and told me what I was doing wrong. I was able to fix it, and ever since then, he hasn't needed to come down to say anything."
Once on the Memphis campus, it didn't take long for Morgan to create a new inner circle of friends, as Elliott, Smith, and holder Evan Michael all reported to camp on the same day and became fast friends. Two years later, the four took Australian Nick Jacobs under their wings and into the group.
The tight group of friends is always seen together – whether it is on the practice field (usually a field away from the rest of the team), in the weight room, or just hanging out off the field. This past season, they decided to go above and beyond with their friendship, as each grew preseason moustaches, and the group called themselves the "Super Stache brothers" (think Mario Brothers with better physiques), and evidence of this collective can be seen on Elliott's starting lineup video.
It is those friends, though, where Morgan sees the rewards for his services. While he understands his anonymity doesn't allow him to win individual awards of his own, he takes great pride when his teammates take home awards.
"I like flying under the radar," said Morgan. "When Jake and Spencer win awards, that makes me happy, because it tells me that I am doing my job well. When I see them having success, it lets me know I am doing a good job. I like my role, and I've embraced it."
And those awards have been plentiful. During his freshman season, punter Tom Hornsey was named the Ray Guy Award winner, given to the nation's top punter. Jake Elliott was a Lou Groza Award finalist as a junior, while twice being named the American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year.
"Jake and I have been fortunate to be all-conference, and the first person who we go to tell is Trevor," said Smith. "We want to be the first people to tell him how much we appreciate him, because we wouldn't be able to do what we do without him."
And, while the general public may gloss over the importance of Morgan, his teammates absolutely understand his level of commitment to his craft.
"Having him – with his quality - is a necessity," said Smith. "Whether it is me stepping out there or Jake for a field goal, if something is wrong with the snap, it throws everything off.
"With Trevor, he is one of the best in the nation, and a lot of people don't know that because it is one of those anonymous positions. He has been great every year. It definitely helps having someone of his quality. Anything below that, it can throw off a punter's confidence, but Trevor's snaps are right there all the time, so I don't have to worry about it."
During the preseason in an online article, ESPN.com rated the University of Memphis special teams unit as the No. 2 grouping in all of college football. The article mentioned preseason All-American kicker Jake Elliott, and standout punter Spencer Smith; however, whom the media source left out may be the most important cog in that special teams unit – senior long snapper Trevor Morgan.
There are few positions on a football field where doing great at your job will keep your anonymity intact. In fact, the short list may consist of just long snappers and referees – which also happen to be the places on the field where you are only recognized when a mistake happens.
"He's not a guy who needs the spotlight to perform," said Smith. "He knows his role on this team, he accepts it, and that is why he is exceptional at it. He goes to work every day and works to be the best he can be. He puts his head down and doesn't worry about the lack of postseason awards given to long snappers."
A native of Fayetteville, Ga. – a small rural town nestled in southwest region of the Peach State – Trevor learned the art of long snapping from his older brother, Tyler. Four years older than Trevor, Tyler spent four years as a member of the Georgia Tech football squad, where he was the team's long snapper.
"He was my role model growing up," said Trevor. "I watched him work to be able to play college football, and it made me want to do that as well. I wasn't quick enough to be a skilled position player, so I stuck with the long snapping. He taught me the basics of it – the form and stance – and I stuck with it, practiced it, and got better."
His family – dad, Ted, an owner of a construction business, and mom, Terri, a middle school treasurer – in addition to his brother travel to many games. While the family has attended nearly every game, they leave him to his own on the field, with one exception.
"The first game my freshman year, it was my first start (against Duke)," said Trevor. "I had two low snaps in the first half. We ran out after halftime, and Tyler came up to me and told me what I was doing wrong. I was able to fix it, and ever since then, he hasn't needed to come down to say anything."
Once on the Memphis campus, it didn't take long for Morgan to create a new inner circle of friends, as Elliott, Smith, and holder Evan Michael all reported to camp on the same day and became fast friends. Two years later, the four took Australian Nick Jacobs under their wings and into the group.
The tight group of friends is always seen together – whether it is on the practice field (usually a field away from the rest of the team), in the weight room, or just hanging out off the field. This past season, they decided to go above and beyond with their friendship, as each grew preseason moustaches, and the group called themselves the "Super Stache brothers" (think Mario Brothers with better physiques), and evidence of this collective can be seen on Elliott's starting lineup video.
It is those friends, though, where Morgan sees the rewards for his services. While he understands his anonymity doesn't allow him to win individual awards of his own, he takes great pride when his teammates take home awards.
"I like flying under the radar," said Morgan. "When Jake and Spencer win awards, that makes me happy, because it tells me that I am doing my job well. When I see them having success, it lets me know I am doing a good job. I like my role, and I've embraced it."
And those awards have been plentiful. During his freshman season, punter Tom Hornsey was named the Ray Guy Award winner, given to the nation's top punter. Jake Elliott was a Lou Groza Award finalist as a junior, while twice being named the American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year.
"Jake and I have been fortunate to be all-conference, and the first person who we go to tell is Trevor," said Smith. "We want to be the first people to tell him how much we appreciate him, because we wouldn't be able to do what we do without him."
And, while the general public may gloss over the importance of Morgan, his teammates absolutely understand his level of commitment to his craft.
"Having him – with his quality - is a necessity," said Smith. "Whether it is me stepping out there or Jake for a field goal, if something is wrong with the snap, it throws everything off.
"With Trevor, he is one of the best in the nation, and a lot of people don't know that because it is one of those anonymous positions. He has been great every year. It definitely helps having someone of his quality. Anything below that, it can throw off a punter's confidence, but Trevor's snaps are right there all the time, so I don't have to worry about it."
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