Jon Morris, UConn football commit, a difference-maker for Fairfield Prep

The talent and instincts Fairfield Prep’s Jon Morris displays on the football field are undeniable.
It’s what he adds to that equation that sets him apart in the eyes of Jesuits’ coach Keith Hellstern.
“High character,” Hellstern said of Morris while the Jesuits were playing in the recent Grip It and Rip It 7-on-7 tournament in New Canaan. “Beyond being a good football player, the fact that he’s such a strong young man and person makes all the difference in the world.”
It could also make Morris, a senior this fall, a difference-maker at the next level when he joins the UConn football program after the 2023-24 school year.
Morris, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back, made a verbal commitment to the Huskies in late June, tweeting “100% Committed” with Images of himself with the UConn logo and Huskies.
He said the recruiting process really started for him with interest from Columbia during the spring of his sophomore year, and UConn reached out following the 2022 high school season, when Fairfield Prep reached the CIAC Class LL final.
“I visited UConn two or three times in the spring and it just felt like home the second I stepped on campus,” Morris said. “I had my first visit on March 25th and it just felt awesome. The coaching staff is amazing, I love the campus and it just felt like home.”
“UConn did a great job in their recruitment of Jon,’ Hellstern said. “Jon from the get-go saw a commitment there that they want to be very good at football. They’ve got excellent facilities, the energy of the staff with coach (Jim) Mora, coach (John) Marinelli, and coach (Doug) Shearer, all those guys recruiting him - he believed in the people there as much as anything else.
“It’s where he felt he could have a great experience.”
Morris selected UConn over offers from several other schools, including from Army, Navy, Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Maine and Air Force.
His choice adds to UConn’s growing list of in-state commitments, which already included quarterbacks John Neider of Law and Danny Shaban of Joel Barlow, and linebacker Howard Simpson of Bloomfield, all from the Class of 2023.
110% Committed @UConnFootball @CoachDShearer @johnmarinelli @CoachDiabate @CoachJimMoraFB @Prep_Football @CoachJustin10 @CoachPaulin7 #HuskyRevolution #TheReload pic.twitter.com/TDrrhwfLrm
— Jon Morris (@_jon_morris_) June 20, 2023
“Every good team recruits in state,” Morris said. “So it’s a great thing for them and it’s going to show this year in the fall.”
Morris is coming off a season in which he led the Jesuits with 120 total tackles and 37 solo tackles, along with two interceptions and four passes defended.
The highlight for Morris was Prep’s most important play of the 2022 season, when he broke up a pass at the goal line with three seconds remaining in the Class LL quarterfinals against Staples. The Wreckers then missed a field goal, and the Jesuits won 29-28.
Hellstern said Morris has the attributes that are needed in the modern game of football.
“He’s a very physical kid with a great size and speed combination,” the coach said. “He has the ability to cover ground and he’s a sound tackler. That, plus good instincts never hurt — that’s what helps him make big plays when they’re needed.
“That’s what Jon has and that’s why he’s been afforded the opportunity that he’s going to get at UConn.”
The Jesuits have come close to state titles in each of the past two years, finishing as the runners-up to Darien in 2021 and Greenwich in 2022.
They’ll be decidedly younger this season, meaning players like Morris, the lone returner in the secondary, will take on even bigger roles.
Morris said despite that relative youth, he expects Fairfield Prep to be just as competitive as they’ve been the past few seasons.
“All the coaches have the same standards no matter what,” Morris said. I feel like this team has an even better bond because we have a small amount of seniors and all of them play really big roles. Everybody feels like they are a big part of this team, which will be a huge help for us.”
And for Morris, having his recruitment completed and his future course charted has made the transition from junior star to senior leader a bit smoother.
“It’s very relaxing to finally have it over,” Morris said. “It got a little excessive trying to balance school work at the end of the year, talk to recruiters, manage getting captains practice together, all that stuff. So it’s nice to have that done and be able to focus on playing football in the fall.
“Everyone’s playing really well, they’re getting everything down pretty quickly and I’m confident in everyone on this team.”