Kentucky's Guy Morriss to Baylor?

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Kentucky coach apparently BU’s pick
By JERRY HILL Tribune-Herald assistant sports editor
Barring a last-minute switch, Kentucky's Guy Morriss is expected to be named the Baylor football coach by Tuesday.

A source close to the coaching search said Morriss “already has an offer on the table” and will be in Waco today to visit the campus and meet with Baylor offi- cials.

According to another source, negotiations with Clemson's Tommy Bowden broke down when Baylor refused to pay Bowden's buyout with the Tigers. The only other candidate still left in the mix is apparently Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe, who accepted an invitation Sunday to play Oregon in the Dec. 30 Seattle Bowl.

Baylor athletic director Tom Stanton called Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart Friday and received permission to talk with Morriss, a Texas native who is 9-14 in two seasons with the Wildcats.

“Sure, there's certain places where you'd listen, and there's other places where you'd immediately say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ ” Morriss told The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky. But when reached this weekend, Morriss refused to comment specifically on the Baylor situation.

"The thing that's unique about Guy is that he's very well-versed with the high school coaches in Texas," said McKinney athletic director Rusty Dowling, a longtime coach at Texas City and McKinney who first met Morriss when he was recruiting his players. "I know there are a lot of high school coaches in this state that really respect Guy and what he's done.” Asked to replace Hal Mumme when the Wildcats were put on NCAA probation in January 2001, the 51-year-old Morriss led them to a 2-9 record last year that included a 29-25 loss to Southeastern Conference champion LSU and a 38-35 loss to Tennessee.

This year, Kentucky started 4-0 with wins over Louisville, UT-El Paso, Indiana and Middle Tennessee State. After close losses to Florida (41-34) and South Carolina (16-12), the Wildcats pulled off a 29-17 win over eventual SEC West champion Arkansas in Fayetteville.

The most memorable moment of a 7-5 season came on Nov. 9, when LSU pulled out a 33-30 win on a deflected pass on the last play of the game.

This year's team averaged 347.4 yards and 32.1 points per game while holding opponents to 401.3 yards and 25.1 points per game. The Wildcats were also ranked 29th in the country in turnover margin at plus-7.

Kentucky was ineligible for a bowl bid this year and is in the second of three years of NCAA probation that includes reduced scholarships.

A native of Colorado City, Texas, Morriss was an All-Southwest Conference offensive guard at TCU and played 15 years in the NFL. He played in the 1981 Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, earning all-pro honors, and played in the 1986 Super Bowl with the New England Patriots.

His coaching career began as an assistant line coach with the Patriots in 1988-89 after he retired. He also was offensive coordinator for one year at Mansfield High School in Texas and was the offensive line coach for the Canadian Football League's San Antonio Texans in 1995.

Morriss’ other coaching stops have included the Washington Marauders of the Professional Spring Football League (1992), Valdosta State (1992-93), the Arizona Cardinals (1994) and Mississippi State (1996).

He joined Mumme's staff at Kentucky in 1997 as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach, a position he held until his promotion.

Morriss' staff includes five assistants with Texas ties, including former Baylor assistants John Goodner and Chris Lancaster. Goodner is in his second year as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, while Lancaster coached the offensive line this year after working with the defensive ends in 2001.

Other assistants include offensive coordinator Brent Pease, a former NFL quarterback with the Houston Oilers; wide receivers coach Harold Jackson, an all-pro receiver with the Eagles; and defensive tackles coach Tom Adams, a former Rice player who coached at Sam Houston State and SMU.