In Georgia, young Dashaun Morris II is already getting interest from colleges.
But get this: He is only 7 years old.
Morris II was invited to visit the University of Georgia and was taken on tour of the campus by the running back duo Brian Herrien and James Cook. Morris II admits that he is shocked by that.
“It is crazy,” Morris II said. “I got to go to Georgia, got to see some of the jerseys. I got to see [D’Andre] Swift too. I was also invited to the Spring game.”
The Born to Compete Division 7u Player of The Year only started playing a year ago; and training when he was a toddler.
“Once I was six years old, I started getting into football,” Morris II said. “I started training when I was three years old.”
Too young to lift weights at age three, his father put him through the basics like push-ups and sit-ups.
When he turned six, he immediately put on an offensive display with his speed.
“I play running back and I play cornerback,” Morris II said. “I like offense more.”
On his Instagram account, dflash2.0, numerous videos drive home just how fast he is.
The young man trains almost everyday and says fitness and football have made him mature earlier than most. Whether it be with athletics or with food.
“Fitness and football have taught me a lot [about discipline],” Morris II said. “I’m used to it and I started from a really young age so it’s just in my diet [habits].”
While some kids may enjoy french fries and milkshakes, Morris II chows down on broccoli, different pastas, and carrots.
On top of football, Morris also competed in the Junior Olympics, where he won Gold in every event he competed in that included the 100, 200, and 400 metres.
The example was set by his father, Dashaun Morris Sr., who teaches all of his kids a lesson of life summed up by one word.
“We have a mantra in life that we live by, it’s called upshot,” Morris Sr. said. “The definition is the direct result or outcome. So that’s one of the things you’ll hear us say and it’s just a reminder that whatever you do, you better be able to stand on your own two feet and live with the consequences good or bad.”
His kids, who are all stars in their own right when it comes to sports, are still being prepared for life after sports. Thanks to their father.
“I try to teach them that in life, sometimes people make bad choices, and sometimes we make bad choices for good reasons,” Morris Sr. said. “I’m real big on positive affirmations, isms, things that we shout or say to each other just to kind of give us those pull-ups. And we all need those when we get off track, or get distracted and always need that sign to just tap you back into what matters.”
Morris Sr. understands that his son is gaining recognition and fame. With over 73,000 followers on Instagram, it comes with a lot of comments: Good and bad. Morris II’s father does not just share the good ones, but the bad ones that come with the evils of the digital age.
“We talk about the comments, I explain some things to him when he asks, ‘Why would that man say that about me’ And I explain to him how the world works,” Morris Sr. said. “No matter what you do in this world, people will find stuff to hate on you about, it comes from jealousy. Maybe their kid is the same age as you that can’t do nothing that you do, I expose him to these things so that it can build a certain coat over him, a certain tolerance because it’s going to come in life.”
Morris Sr. praised his son’s maturity at just 7 years old. Part of this he attributes to the cruelties of the real world he has exposed his Morris II to.
“I try to use examples that are relative to his world that he can directly connect to, ” Morris Sr. said. “I used those examples and metaphors so he can understand, a lot of it he does and you can have a conversation with him and 20 other 7 year olds, I can almost guarantee you he would be able to hold his own in that conversation, he would be able to have a deeper perspective to why that happened or what should happen, and what you do or what you should do, and I credit it to the things we teach him at home.”
Morris Sr. and Morris II built a relationship with two-time Super Bowl champion running back Brandon Jacobs who offers advice to the young man.
“We have a good relationship with Brandon,” Morris Sr. said. “We are from New Jersey so Brandon spent a lot of time in our city so we kind of connected in more than one way.”
Morris Sr. said Morris II had butterflies at first meeting the former New York Giant.
“He definitely was [starstruck] the first time we met him,” Morris Sr. said. “He’s given me some insight on things about just developing his social media presence and how some things are perceived and he would talk to me about different ways to handle that, I consider him also a mentor to me honestly in that regard, [about how to] make my son’s journey a little better with maybe a few tweaks that I can make and that’s what I respect most about him.”
The moment he considers the most precious in their and Jacobs’ relationship, is an unexpected phone call he got from the Giants touchdown record holder.
“He called me on the side and said, ‘Hey bro, I would never tell you how to do anything with your son, I just want to put some things on your plate to consider,'” Morris Sr. recounted. “Truth be told [looking back] it definitely made a lot of sense so our bond has been real tight.”
When asked what current NFL player he would want to be like, Morris II pointed back to his favorite team.
“I gotta go with Saquon [Barkley],” Morris II said.
