Chad Morris resigns as Allen head football coach

[LonghornMM]

Chad Morris resigns as Allen head football coach​

By Matt Welch | Star Local Media May 13, 2022





Chad Morris' lone season as Allen head football coach produced an 11-3 record and a regional finals appearance.

Photo courtesy of Glenn Gunn

Less than 24 hours after its annual spring game, the Allen football team is without a head coach.

After one season at the helm, Chad Morris is resigning from his position, sources confirmed on Friday. Morris has an opportunity to return to coaching college football, according to a press release from Allen ISD.

Morris' tenure with Allen concludes after just under 14 months, during which he coached the Eagles to an 11-3 record and a spot in the regional finals during the 2021 season. The school district announced that a search will immediately begin to find Morris' replacement.

“I am so thankful to Allen ISD for the chance to work with an amazing group of student-athletes and a dedicated coaching staff,” Morris said in a press release. “Allen is a top-notch school system that prioritizes students above all else. I want to thank Superintendent Dr. Robin Bullock, the Board of Trustees, Administration, and Athletic Director Kim Garner for their unwavering support over the past year.”

Morris was hired by Allen ISD on March 31, 2021 to be the 11th head football coach in program history, last having coached at the high school level in 2009 with Austin Lake Travis. In between, Morris compiled an extensive resume coaching college football, including head coaching stints at SMU and Arkansas plus offensive coordinator gigs at Clemson, Tulsa and Auburn.

Morris' lone season at Allen wasn't without its peaks and valleys. The program had a state-record 84-game regular-season win streak snapped on Sept. 3 in a 41-20 loss to Atascocita — Allen's first defeat inside Eagle Stadium — and suffered its first district loss since 2010 on Oct. 29 against Prosper, 28-23.

But the Eagles found their footing as the season progressed, capturing their 16th consecutive district championship and advancing four rounds deep in the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Allen avenged a season-ending loss to Euless Trinity in the regional semifinals, 59-21, and also topped both Hebron (59-30) and Lake Highlands (49-24) during the postseason prior to being ousted by fellow powerhouse Southlake Carroll, 47-21.

“I want to thank Coach Morris for the passion he brought to the Allen Eagles football program,” Bullock said in a press release. “Coach Morris has an amazing ability to connect with student-athletes on a personal level, and I wish him all the best in his return to college football.”

Morris' departure comes at a less-than-ideal time of the offseason. The Eagles concluded spring ball on Thursday and won't begin fall practices until Aug. 8. During the summer, schools are allowed to hold voluntary sport-specific skills sessions that last 60 minutes for an individual sport.

Allen opens its 2022 season on Aug. 26 from Eagle Stadium in a high-profile edition of the Tom Landry Classic against California powerhouse St. John Bosco. The Braves went 10-2 last season and finished the year ranked No. 6 nationally by MaxPreps.

Whoever takes the reins at Allen will be the program's third head coach in three years.

“The chance to serve as a head coach in Allen is a premier opportunity throughout the state of Texas,” Garner said in a press release. “Coach Morris did an outstanding job of leading the Allen football team this past year and pouring his heart and soul into our student-athletes and program. Now, our attention turns to finding a coach who will continue to build upon our winning tradition, instill a positive family culture, and inspire our young athletes to find success on the field and in the classroom.”

 

[LonghornMM]

5 candidates to be the next head coach of the Allen Eagles​

After Chad Morris' sudden resignation at one of Texas high school football's most high-profile programs, what's next for the Allen Eagles?

Greg Tepper May 13, 2022

With the Friday morning bombshell coming out of Collin County — the resignation of former SMU and Arkansas coach Chad Morris after just one season as head coach of the Allen Eagles — all eyes will immediately turn to the future, as the largest school in Texas looks for its third coach in three seasons.

So, who will Allen target? Here are five candidates to watch.

David Branscom, Allen defensive coordinator
One of Morris' strengths during his brief time at Allen was staff-building, and that included bringing in a proven coach as his chief defensive assistant. David Branscom spent four years as the head coach at San Antonio Brandeis from 2017-20, ringing up a sparkling 37-10 record with a pair of regional final appearances. Considering how late in the coaching game this is — the Eagles have already finished spring ball — it might behoove Allen to stay in-house for at least the 2022 season, and Branscom is the most decorated guy on staff with head coaching experience.

Riley Dodge, Southlake Carroll head coach
One of the hottest names in Texas high school football today, the son of Texas high school football legend Todd Dodge has quickly established his own impressive résumé. After a strong stint as offensive coordinator at Justin Northwest, Dodge took the reins of his alma mater and launched into the stratosphere, going 52-5 in four seasons with a state championship appearance in 2020, a state semifinal appearance in 2021 and a pair of regional final appearances in 2018 and 2019. Allen reportedly called on Dodge last summer before it ultimately hired Morris; it figures his phone will ring again this year.

Jeff Rayburn, Frisco Lone Star head coach
Entering his 10th season as the head coach of Frisco ISD's most consistently excellent program, Rayburn has helped turn the Rangers into a juggernaut. With a 91-25 overall record as a head coach, including a state championship appearance back in 2015, Rayburn certainly has the pedigree and experience to be a splashy hire. Known for his high-flying offenses and disciplined squads, the question will be whether or not Rayburn would want to leave a program he's helped knock on the door of the Texas high school football elite.

Marcus Shavers, McKinney head coach
Few people know Allen like Marcus Shavers. An Allen native and an AHS alumnus, Shavers is rapidly becoming one of the hottest names in Texas high school football after a dazzling debut at Lubbock Estacado before moving back to the Metroplex at McKinney. And it's not like he'd need to get up to speed on the program, considering his Lions are district bunkmates with Allen. Known statewide as a supremely talented culture builder and one heck of a ball coach, one must wonder if coaching his alma mater would be a dream job; it'd certainly be a home run hire.

Tristan Weber, Allen offensive coordinator
Perhaps a dark horse in the search, few can boast a Texas high school football blue blood tour like Weber. After a lengthy stint on the staff at Highland Park under legendary coach Randy Allen, he moved on to Southlake Carroll to be on the staff for Riley Dodge before moving to Allen to be Chad Morris' offensive coordinator. Another option as an internal hire, Weber doesn't have any head coaching experience, but that's been considered a matter of "when" as opposed to "if." And if the Eagles want to get in on the ground floor and give him his first shot at the big chair, Weber would be a very intriguing choice.

 

[Oldmanastro]

Wonder why Morris resigned. Back to college?

 

[LonghornMM]

Wonder why Morris resigned. Back to college?

That's what Dave Campbell's Texas Football is reporting. Hard to believe, but there was a lot of rumbling/unrest last year at Allen about Morris.

 

[weevilcatch]

Wonder why Morris resigned. Back to college?

Dealing with parents is an asswhip

 

[EWNHorn]

I've heard the Allen job is terrible because of the parents.............just what i've been told by many coaches........

 

[Hoookem722]

I've heard the Allen job is terrible because of the parents.............just what i've been told by many coaches........

As someone who spent some of his earlier years coaching, I can attest that dealing with parents is the worst part of the job by far.

 

[KChorn11]

10 years ago Chad Morris looked like a future star in college coaching. Hasn’t turned out that way at all.

 

[ElDiabloTejano]

he's doing okay. the espn machine pushes certain assistants regardless of their abilities. manny diaz was pushed like that. charlie strong was pushed like that a long time ago. sylvester croom. chad played the game and did all sorts of all-access and feature spots for them, so they continued t push him. i actually worked for chad right out of college-- really nice guy, and not afraid of evolving. i'd imagine some of these dream jobs in high school are not as much a dream when you're actually in them and you're dealing with parents. but seeing as how he managed the lake travis folks (i'd rank as worse than HP because "new money/success" is worse than "old"), i'd say he probably would be able to handle allen people. but when you reach a certain income level... why bother?

 

[KChorn11]

he's doing okay. the espn machine pushes certain assistants regardless of their abilities. manny diaz was pushed like that. charlie strong was pushed like that a long time ago. sylvester croom. chad played the game and did all sorts of all-access and feature spots for them, so they continued t push him. i actually worked for chad right out of college-- really nice guy, and not afraid of evolving. i'd imagine some of these dream jobs in high school are not as much a dream when you're actually in them and you're dealing with parents. but seeing as how he managed the lake travis folks (i'd rank as worse than HP because "new money/success" is worse than "old"), i'd say he probably would be able to handle allen people. but when you reach a certain income level... why bother?

I agree the media does tend to push certain coaches. Charlie Strong at least went 23-3 his last two years at Louisville. Someone was going to hire him for a bigger job… just happened to be Texas unfortunately
Morris was 14-22 at SMU before Arkansas hired him

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

I agree the media does tend to push certain coaches. Charlie Strong at least went 23-3 his last two years at Louisville. Someone was going to hire him for a bigger job… just happened to be Texas unfortunately
Morris was 14-22 at SMU before Arkansas hired him

Why didn't Strong work out?

 

[LonghornMM]

he's doing okay. the espn machine pushes certain assistants regardless of their abilities. manny diaz was pushed like that. charlie strong was pushed like that a long time ago. sylvester croom. chad played the game and did all sorts of all-access and feature spots for them, so they continued t push him. i actually worked for chad right out of college-- really nice guy, and not afraid of evolving. i'd imagine some of these dream jobs in high school are not as much a dream when you're actually in them and you're dealing with parents. but seeing as how he managed the lake travis folks (i'd rank as worse than HP because "new money/success" is worse than "old"), i'd say he probably would be able to handle allen people. but when you reach a certain income level... why bother?

Well put. I can't imagine how difficult if must be to deal with some of the parents at HP, LT, SLC, Katy, Westlake, etc., and historically successful schools where kids come from money and the expectations are through the roof. A coach has got to set some boundaries and not let the parents past the boundaries. That's easier said than done.

 

[2300 Nueces]

Try building million dollar houses for anal retentive engineers etc.... It's a real beat down.

 

[LonghornMM]

Try building million dollar houses for anal retentive engineers etc.... It's a real beat down.

If I'm having any house built, regardless of price, I want it to be done right. No one should accept a finished house where things are just "ok". I get where you're coming from, but I don't blame the customer one bit. It's just part of the business. Either you accept it or do something else for a career.

 

[KChorn11]

Why didn't Strong work out?

I think there were a lot of different reasons why he didn’t work. Some his doing and some not his doing.

 

[2300 Nueces]

If I'm having any house built, regardless of price, I want it to be done right. No one should accept a finished house where things are just "ok". I get where you're coming from, but I don't blame the customer one bit. It's just part of the business. Either you accept it or do something else for a career.

Dude, I've built hundreds of houses and been in this business since '85. First house was for an aggy engineer at the age of 23. He shit his pants over a hole we were digging right next to his house, big hole. He threatened to sue me on the spot. I said, that's fine where do you want the outhouse because that's the hole for your septic system. My installer laughed his ass off in front of the aggy. He shut his mouth from that point on. Most people I build for think they are geniuses and that "HGTV" learn em a lot... lol.

 

[clob94]

Why didn't Strong work out?

Because he is a DC. Not a HC.