Mature Beyond His Years, Morgan Ellison Has Worked His Whole Life for This Opportunity

Morgan Ellison had a breakout game Saturday and is looking for more. Image; Morgan Ellison's Recruitment Video

Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)

True freshman running back Morgan Ellison gave Indiana the consistent rushing attack they’ve sorely needed. A steady ground game, led by Ellison, paced the Hoosiers to a 52-17 victory over Georgia Southern last Saturday. After accumulating just 17 rushing yards on 27 carries against Ohio State in the opening game, Indiana’s coaching staff made a more concerted effort to run the ball against the Virginia Cavaliers. However, Indiana’s stable of running backs combined for just 2.7 yards per carry. Morgan Ellison’s play was perhaps the most promising sign to come out of the game in Virginia.

Ellison made good on that promise with flair as he broke out against Georgia Southern. He rushed for 186 yards on 25 touches for an outstanding 7.4 yards-per-carry average. He also punched in two touchdowns from the goal line. He fell just 21 yards shy of Anthony Thompson’s freshman record for yards in a single game. Ellison showed that he can not only be a power back on the goal line, but he can make explosive plays as well. Indiana’s third touchdown drive in the first quarter began with a 34-yard run from Ellison. Late in the second quarter, Ellison began another Hoosier possession with a big run – this time for 33-yards. He accounted for over 50% of Indiana’s rushing attempts, and two-thirds of the Hoosiers’ 282 rushing yards.

“I think it gives the offense some confidence,” Ellison said regarding Indiana’s sustainable run game. “I think that’s what we all needed just to get going a little bit so we can roll into Penn State this weekend.” Indiana’s offense will need to prove it can establish some form of a ground attack in Happy Valley if they want to hang with the Nittany Lions. Allen wants to see Ellison dominate a Big Ten defense the way he did Georgia Southern. One of those keys to future success, according to Allen, is staying hungry and humble. When asked about individual achievement, Ellison deferred to speak of the team as a whole, “First of all, it’s a blessing; but second off, it just shows us progressing as a team – as an offensive unit – and I think it gives us more momentum.” Ellison is truly humble and wise beyond his years.

Morgan Ellison’s maturity off the field is off the charts. His patience in the backfield is a testament to the obstacles he’s had to overcome. Ellison describes his journey in his commitment video – a touching tribute to his grandfather. Soccer was his sport of choice until his family moved to Pickerington. Eventually, at Pickerington High School North, Ellison bulked up and earned the starting job at running back as a sophomore. Then, everything changed. Ellison broke his left leg during the fourth quarter of the second game his sophomore season. He explained how gruesome the situation was, “I was breaking out to the right, and my foot was up a little bit and somebody came down on it; and it just snapped, and it just cracked, and it was, like, dangling.” It took 45 minutes before the ambulance arrived. He describes the moment after the injury, “I just remember it was so silent in the stadium. I had just started getting rolling. It was my second game starting as a sophomore so it was exciting.” His father, a pastor, came down with his mother to pray with him while they awaited medical attention. “I’m just laying there and you could hear a pin drop in the stadium. It was just so quiet, and everyone was just so quiet, and then you hear the ambulance a little later.” An eerie feeling one could only imagine. A plethora of thoughts must have been running through Morgan Ellison’s head as he lay on that field. This was just the first bump in Ellison’s road to IU.

Ellison’s family moved and he transferred to another high school in Ohio. After sitting out five games due to transfer rules, as he was about to become eligible for his junior season, Ellison broke his other leg in practice. “I don’t know about that one. When that one happened, it was just like, ‘alright, God, what are you trying to tell me?” Ellison reflects on what was his consecutive second season-ending injury. “So, I just sat down, prayed, and talked to my dad.” Suffering two devastating injuries at such a young age could deter some kids from the sport entirely. Ellison decided, “at the end of the day I wanted to play football.” He put his focus on faith and said “alright, I’m going to try this again.” The Ellison’s moved back to Pickerington, Ohio where Morgan would work his way back to full strength. Again. At Pickerington Central High School, Ellison finally made a name for himself on the football field. He earned All-Ohio first-team honors from the Associated Press. He also received all-district and all-conference honors.

With a healthy and stellar season under his belt, schools came calling. Ellison describes his encounter with former IU running backs coach Deland McCullough, “Coach McCullough came to my school about five months before I got an offer from here.” Ellison was asked to share more details about his recruitment. “Something fell through with a linebacker so they had another scholarship. I ended up being that guy they gave it to so it was just a blessing I ended up here at the end of the day.” Initially, some of Indiana’s coaching staff had ideas of playing Ellison at linebacker. Ellison responded with a laugh, “No, no, no. When I saw that on film I was like, ‘hold up, I didn’t know they were thinking that.’” In humble fashion, Ellison turned serious and said, “Whatever the team needed, I would have ended up doing. Coach Inge (Indiana’s linebacker’s coach) is a great coach and I would’ve done anything for him.” Morgan Ellison is the kind of football player and individual any Big Ten program would be lucky to have.

Ellison’s breakout game comes as no surprise to his family, his old coaches, or IU’s current coaching staff. He’s drawn praise since the moment he stepped foot on campus. Back in August, Hoosier Huddle’s very own Sammy Jacobs wrote about how Ellison was turning heads in camp. Ellison can credit a background in rugby for adding another layer of toughness to his game. Ellison described how he adapted to the game, “Running with no pads – it was hard – but it was like backyard football again.” Fiercely competitive, Ellison wants to be the best at everything he does. After all he’s been through, after all the obstacles he’s overcome, Ellison deserves the spotlight as much as anyone. He won’t be taking anything for granted. Hopefully his remarkable story continues, and he has success during conference play. Ellison previewed Penn State, saying, “They have a very good defense. We watch film on them. I think if we do what our coaches are teaching us this week, we’ll be just fine.” Morgan Ellison’s football career was in jeopardy just two years ago. Now, he’s the Big Ten Freshman of the Week.