• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

  • Home
  • About
    • Support Us
  • News
    • Podcast
  • Hawks
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Baseball
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Softball
      • Roster
      • Schedule
  • Jaguars
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Baseball
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Softball
      • Roster
      • Schedule
You are here: Home / Top Sports Stories / Football / Morgan will bring ‘underdog’s mentality’ to UNI

Morgan will bring ‘underdog’s mentality’ to UNI

January 5, 2018 by Dan Holm

Tanner Morgan has decided to transfer to Northern Iowa after playing two seasons at Oklahoma State. (Photo courtesy of Oklahoma State athletics communications)

Former Oklahoma State long snapper Tanner Morgan will be moving closer to home.

Morgan, who earned all-state honors as a defensive end at Ankeny Centennial in 2015, has decided to transfer to Northern Iowa. He is already enrolled for the spring semester.

“The only coaches that I talked to were UNI and North Dakota State,” said Morgan. “They both offered me spots on their spring roster as a walk-on, so I’m still a walk-on and I like that. I have an underdog’s mentality.”

Neither of the FCS programs had recruited Morgan out of high school.

“I have a lot of respect for North Dakota State’s program,” Morgan said. “They’re very good year in and year out, but so is UNI.”

Morgan spent two seasons at Oklahoma State, helping the Cowboys to a pair of bowl appearances. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound sophomore had previously announced his decision to transfer on Nov. 19.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to compete like they had promised,” Morgan said. “I went to the coaches several times asking why and what I had done wrong–why I couldn’t compete. And they didn’t give me an answer.”

Morgan earned a starting position as a true freshman in 2016, when he played in 10 games and snapped without incident. He also recovered a fumble deep in Baylor territory to set up a touchdown during a loss to the Bears.

However, Morgan did not play in the Cowboys’ Alamo Bowl victory over Colorado at the end of that season. He was hoping to compete with redshirt sophomore Sam Walkingstick for the starting long snapper position in 2017, but was not invited to fall camp and did not play in any games.

“I was very disappointed in that, but I’m just putting that behind me,” Morgan said. “I know college football is a business and that life is not always fair. I’m just looking forward to hopefully contributing at UNI.”

Morgan, who finished his high school career with 105 tackles and 10 sacks, will be joining a UNI program that posted an 8-5 record this season. The Panthers reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs before losing at South Dakota State, 37-22.

Morgan said he will continue to focus just on long snapping.

“Some people don’t realize that the FCS level is pretty good,” he said. “They’re just as good as the DI players, they’re maybe just a little smaller and not as quick. So I’m not totally sure that I could compete at that level if I was going to be a linebacker.”

Morgan, whose father, Dave, played rugby for Northern Iowa, will be reunited in Cedar Falls with former Centennial teammate John Yount. Yount is a freshman offensive lineman for the Panthers.

“There’s a bunch of people up there that I know,” Morgan said. “It’s closer to home, and I just felt like academically it fit me better with my accounting degree.”

Filed Under: Football, Top Sports Stories Tagged With: John Yount, Tanner Morgan

Primary Sidebar

Support Ankeny Fanatic

Recent Posts

  • ‘We’re incredibly proud of her’: Peterson earns 8th-place finish at state tourney
  • Jaguars toss back-to-back no-hitters in doubleheader sweep over Lincoln girls
  • Hawks use pair of 5-run innings to sweep doubleheader against Bondurant-Farrar
  • ONE OF A KIND: Smith becomes city of Ankeny’s first-ever state tennis champion
  • ‘We just can’t take anything for granted’: Jaguars rout Roosevelt, advance to state

Find Us on Facebook

Ankeny Fanatic

Archives

  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017

Categories

  • Hawks
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
        • Roster
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Boys’ Bowling
      • Boys’ Swimming
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Bowling
      • Boys’ Wrestling
  • Jaguars
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Wrestling
  • Top Sports Stories
    • Football
    • Volleyball
  • Baseball
  • Softball

© 2025 Ankeny Fanatic. All rights reserved.