Huntsville alumnus’ Cinderella story to continue in Buffalo. In the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, Linebacker Nicholas Morrow began the 2023 NFL season. By the time it all completed, the Huntsville High School alumnus had started 12 regular-season games and one playoff contest and was the Eagles’ defensive signal-caller. Morrow will become an unrestricted free agent at 3 p.m. CDT today. It will also join the Buffalo Bills for the 2024 season. Buffalo News and Syracuse.com reported the news on Tuesday, on a one-year contract. However, the terms have not been disclosed yet.
It recorded 95 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, five quarterback hits, five passes defended, one forced fumble. Moreover, it also recorded two fumble recoveries and one safety in 15 regular-season games in 2023. However, way before adding Morrow, the Bills seemed set at linebacker for 2024 with Terrel Bernard returning after leading Buffalo with 143 tackles and 2022 All-Pro Matt Milano coming back after a broken leg and torn anterior cruciate ligament limited him to five games in 2023.
At Huntsville, he played mostly in the offensive line until moving to outside linebacker as a senior I back in 2012. During the time, the Panthers went 7-5 and won a first-round game in the AHSAA Class 6A playoffs against Florence 37-19. However, it had no scholarship offers, Morrow went to NCAA Division III Greenville University to study biology and play football.
At Greenville, he had 222 tackles, 38 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions in 34 games. Another thing to consider was selection on the American Football Coaches Association’s NCAA Division III All-American team, he became Greenville’s first All-American in 2016. It was when he was the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a hybrid safety/linebacker.
He even did more than play defense at Greenville. He had 26 yards and two touchdowns on four rushing attempts, caught a 19-yard pass and returned 11 kickoffs. Later, a senior against Minnesota-Morris, Morrow ran for a TD as a wildcat quarterback, made his only career reception, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble.
He then became the first Greenville alumnus to play in the NFL when he began his pro career as an undrafted rookie in 2017 with the Oakland Raiders.