Wanya Morris Q&A: 2023 NFL Draft prospect on his R&B-inspired name, sleeping in his car as a child, his NFL Combine injury and idolising Joe Thomas | NFL News

Oklahoma offensive lineman Wanya Morris

Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris may brandish a familiar name, yet enters the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the unsung prospects in his position. 

Morris spoke to Sky Sports about the story behind his name, why fellow Draft prospect Will McDonald IV has been his toughest test, growing up watching Joe Thomas, facing Dallas Cowboys start Micah Parsons and his injury at the NFL Combine.

The powerful offensive lineman credits football as his “escape from reality” as he looks to reward the sacrifices of his mum having grown up staring adversity in the face.

You will have seen teammates in the past go through this process, how are you finding it now you’re here?

“It hasn’t hit me yet really, it did a little bit at the Combine when I’m like ‘damn I’m at the Combine’, we dream about moments like this and I’m just sat looking up, taking everything in. That was probably the most surreal moment, but really it’s just another day another dollar, we ain’t nowhere yet.”

I’m positive you will have been asked this many times in your life, but please explain the background of the name ‘Wanya?’

“A lot actually! The story is my mum was deciding what to name me, they were going back and forth and my auntie was like ‘hey sis, let’s just name him Wanya because his last name is Morris, that would be kind of cool with Boyz II Men’ (Wanya Morris is the name of one of Boyz II Men’s members) and that stuck.

“Every time I went to school I would tell them how to say it and it would be ‘so like the Boyz II Men’ and I’m like ‘yeahhhhhhh’. I’ve played with a lot of guys, they aren’t into the RnB as much as I am, some other guys probably pick it up but it’s not as big a deal.”

I know you’re an Old School RnB guy, what are you putting on if given control of the locker room music when you get to the NFL?

“For them I try to take it back, I put on some Al Green maybe, some Earth, Wind & Fire, some old school, chill vibes.

Wanya Morris in action at the Senior Bowl

Take us back to your childhood, what was life like growing up in Grayson, Georgia?

“Adversity was around every corner, but we were always a family who kept our head up and smiled through the pain, persevered and just kept moving because we knew stuff would happen. I had to grow up, other children get to do certain things you don’t because you have responsibilities now. It was always changing, but we’re still here.

“We weren’t the wealthiest people, there were times when we had to sleep in our cars and things like that, but you would never really know that because our mum did such a good job of providing for us. We made the best of times whatever the situation we were in. We wouldn’t have the most money, sometimes we would go to Centennial Park and run around the park in the dark at 12 at night and maybe stop at Denny’s or Waffle House. It was little things that make you take your mind off things.”

Do you think your background contributes to why reaching the NFL means so much?

“Definitely, it’s one of the games I’ve played to escape reality. When I’m between those lines nothing can stop me and I’m just out there having fun, it would be great to put in a situation to take care of my mum. All she’s sacrificed, I want to give her the world if I can.”

Before we get into the football, who is Wanya Morris away from the field?

“I love watching TV shows, I’m a big anime guy. I started teaching myself to play piano, just recently we’ve had time to ourselves because college is a constant schedule so when we started training I had more time on my hands. For me I’m a person who enjoys all aspects of life, talking to people, enjoying new things, football, but you’ve got to have something to separate and take your mind off it. You might end up being a bad place, if you aren’t finding things to get away from it and channel your emotions through it really deteriorates your mindset so I think it’s really important to find things outside football.

“Once you’ve done with football, who are you going to be, what are you going to do?”

Was football always the path?

“My mum wanted me to stop playing football, I think she thought I was done with football, she was tired of all the travelling. Then we met a Coach Kenyatta (Kenyatta Watson), he’s like a father, he kept telling her ‘Wanya is going to go to the NFL, Wanya is going to go to the NFL, you need to just do it, he’s going to the NFL’.

“She was like ‘alright alright’ and we just stuck with him and later down the line we’re on that path still on that journey and it’s crazy.”

When your name is called this weekend, will it almost be a ‘told you so’ moment?

“We’ll probably just rejoice together really, a lot of the times she’ll tell me she’s right. Mum is always right, I’ll probably tell her ‘I told you’ as I’m hugging her. It will probably be a thing we say together, once we stuck with it we stuck with.

Morris during his time at Tennessee

Take us back to the NFL Combine, you’re running your 40-Yard Dash and suddenly you suffer a hamstring injury, what are you thinking in that moment?

“You saw, you saw I was going to get a good time, I still got a pretty good time, but the one I was chasing after I was that close. It just tells you anything can be taken away from you at the snap of a finger, so you’ve got to cherish every moment, it’s why I’ve always got a smile on my face and enjoying the moment.

“The immediate emotion was ‘don’t fall on my face’, it was ‘okay we’re going to figure out how we fall, I’m not going to fall on my face’, by the time I got to the line I had it thought up how I was going to fall, that was the first time but after that it was like ‘man it felt good, I knew I had it’. As I was running I felt it and was like ‘this is the one’, and then boom I was like ‘don’t fall on your face’, as I slid I was like ‘okay, this really hurts, can’t do nothing about it now, get up and do what they tell you to do and go from there’.”

“After that it was pretty much just them saying ‘you still ran a good time’, stuff like that. Nothing but hopes and prayers, I’m pretty sure they were speculating ‘if he didn’t do that what time would he have ran’, I think everybody knew I was going to get that good time.”

Your college career was almost one of two halves: you started in Tennessee before transferring to Oklahoma ahead of the 2021 season, do you think it changed your career trajectory?

“Definitely. Switching from Tennessee to Oklahoma wasn’t easy, because Tennessee is home for me, that place will forever have a special place in my heart, but so will Oklahoma with the bonds and memories. You always remember your first love, I’ll always remember Tennessee, the experiences I had there, I always hold that close that to my heart. I feel like Oklahoma and being independent, I’m from Georgia which is like 13 or 14 hours away, it helped me mature in a lot of ways I needed to, it helped me grow up and realise things won’t be the same forever. It changed my mindset.”

Morris has been projected as a potential day two pick

How much of an influence has Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh been on your career?

“He’s one of the elements that helped me mature, he’s an old school coach and I really needed it at that time to push me to places I didn’t know I could go. He was the guy who helped me open my eyes to the bigger game, he taught me a lot in the film room, taught me to watch film and analyse, he helped me become a smarter player. Playing with him enhanced that to another level.”

We’re in the season of scouting reports and wall-to-wall analysis, how would you sell yourself to the team that is considering drafting you?

“Definitely athletic, intuitive, smart, can be a leader, tough, mentally tough, and somebody you can lean on and count on, being a great communicator on and off the field.”

Was there a particular opponent that stood out as your biggest test during your college career?

“Recently Will McDonald, he made me think a lot when we played. He made me think a whole lot, you know certain moves are coming, you just don’t know when. It’s how he sets it up is different every time, he has really good bend so it was hard to catch him, we battled it out and had some good battles. It was Halloween so it was a spooky day.”

Can you describe the difference in how you’re setting up against a bull-rush guy compared to a rusher that prides themselves on finesse and a wide menu of moves?

“With a bull-rusher you want to make sure you get your hands on him first and get your feet in the ground, make sure you’re inside-out, working on short sets, tight 5-techs, maybe a 7-tech, getting your feet in the ground, keeping the base and staying square. Finesse guys, my mindset is to get off the ball, give myself some space to recover if something does happen and then play basketball with him really.”

Totti, Rome & pizza: Baldonado’s path from Italy to the NFL

Francesco Totti, Rome and pineapple on pizza – Italy’s Habakkuk Baldonado speaks to Sky Sports about his incredible journey to the NFL Draft.

Do you believe you’re getting enough recognition in this offensive tackle class?

“Definitely not, that’s never been a problem though because people will draft who they draft, after that you’ve still got to make the team and perform.

Do you have an NFL idol? A player who you either grew up watching or wanted to be?

“Joe Thomas, I looked at Joe Thomas. I watched the Eagles a lot because my brother is an Eagles fan, so I used to love Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick, guys that go out there and put on a show.

What was it about Joe Thomas?

“I liked his set, I tried to use his set and stance which is hard for me, I’m not that long, I like to have my feet under me and be like athletic, not wide but not narrow but almost like shoulder width.”

Who are you looking forward to facing most in the NFL?

“Haason Reddick, Micah Parsons, that’s a big-time one, Khalil Mack, the Bosa brothers, Myles Garrett. I love challenges, I love competition, that gets the adrenaline pumping, out there competing against the best, you get to play the best and say ‘I’m the best’, I love that competition.”

Was is it about Micah Parsons that makes him so dangerous? How are you setting up to face him?

“He’s a reactive rusher, when he reacts it’s quick, you’ve got to be able to react right there with him. He’s a guy that if you don’t make a move he’ll wait for you to make a move so it’s who is going to sell-out first.”

Who is your ideal NFL teammate at the next level?

“I would love to play with Lane (Johnson), my boy Creed (Humphrey) and Trey (Smith) just because of the chemistry there. But you never know where you’re going to end up!”