The NFL Draft is officially under way and the Dallas Cowboys drafted Alabama's Tyler Booker for their first-round pick. You can expect to see a number of young players with local connections over the course of the draft.
But last night's overall first pick is a player with a unique connection to North Texas — and one of the unique stories of the draft.
University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward was chosen No. 1 overall by the Tennessee Titans. Ward went from being a zero-star recruit to the top pick, and his journey to the NFL is thanks in part to his relationship with the current head coach at the University of North Texas.
Eric Morris was head coach at San Antonio's University of the Incarnate Ward when Ward was an overlooked high school quarterback who played in a run-based offense at West Columbia High School near Houston.
Morris spotted Ward late in his high school career and saw his potential, and the young quarterback headed to Incarnate Word before following Morris to Washington State, where the coach was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2022.
"Any time you have a hand in helping somebody get to his ultimate goal, the pinnacle of where you'd like to be at the end of your college career is really cool," Morris said at the last workout of North Texas' spring practice earlier this month. "It's such an underdog story."
The two worked together that season before Morris took over as the coach at UNT. Ward played one additional season at Washington State in 2023 before finishing his career at Miami, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Ward's also long credited Morris for finding him and developing him early in his college career.
"I think all I needed was a chance to play in a quarterback-driven system," Ward told reporters after his pro day at Miami last month. "Coach Morris gave me the opportunity."
In addition to being among Moore's guests at the draft, Morris also attended the Heisman Trophy ceremony, and Ward came to North Texas for a UNT basketball game last season, which just shows how close the pair remain.
Having a hand in developing a player like Cam Ward is a big achievement, and Morris' success with quarterbacks is one of the big reasons North Texas hired him in the first place.
It wasn't just Ward: Morris had success with a slew of other quarterbacks through the years, and he's also continued that success in North Texas.
For example, Chandler Morris — no relation — is expected to start at Virginia this fall after playing for a season at UNT a year ago. Morris left UNT last season, which forced the school to find a new quarterback for its bowl game. The Mean Green turned to Drew Mestemaker, who threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Texas State. Mestemaker hadn't started a game at quarterback since his freshman year in high school.
That track record is a testament to Morris' success with quarterbacks, and the tale became a little more compelling this week with news of Ward's impending No. 1 pick status.
How will Ward fair in Tennessee? It's anyone's guess. There have been some big names selected first overall throughout NFL draft history — think Dallas Cowboys legend Troy Aikman. But it's no guarantee.
Couple that with Ward's unique journey: He wasn't a highly regarded player in high school, and it's unusual for someone that far off the recruiting radar to grow into the first pick of the draft.
But Ward has a strong track record in college, and that bodes well for him in the pros, considering he jumped from program to program — to program — and had success along the way.
As for his mentor? Morris has a lot of confidence Ward will be a solid professional quarterback.
"He's worked so hard to earn this," Morris said earlier this month. "It's pretty gratifying as a coach."
