Carl Morris was not born with the football bug. He did not dream of Super Bowls and Candlestick Park.

Instead, the 6'3 sophomore wide receiver, who hails from Virginia, was born and bred a soccer nut. He had the pedigree: his British mother's father had been a star for English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United. So Morris focused on soccer for most of his youth.

"I always liked football, but I always played soccer," Morris said. "My parents didn't like Pop Warner [youth] football. They didn't think the coaches knew what they were doing."

Morris's transition to football was discrete. He attended a private boarding school in Alexandria, Va., and didn't play his first two years. But something about being away from home, away from parental supervision, drove Morris to make a life-changing decision.

"Right before junior year, I decided to drop soccer and play football," Morris said. "I didn't tell my parents until right before summer practice began."

Starting football late didn't hurt Morris, a naturally gifted and speedy athlete. He played wide receiver, cornerback, kicker and punter and was also penciled in as a backup quarterback. Senior year he led his high school to an undefeated season and earned a first-team All-Virginia award at cornerback. He was also a CNN/SI First Team All-Region and an All-America nominee.

Morris was recruited as both a cornerback and wide receiver, but the latter was more important to him. He looked at Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, among others, before turning his attention to the Ivy League. In classic Harvard fashion, it was family ties that sealed the deal.

"[Senior strong safety] Mike Brooks is my cousin, and so he showed me around," Morris said. "It was a lot different than what I expected, and Mike helped me make the decision."

Once here, Morris knew he was going to make an impact. Terrence Patterson '00 was the team's premier receiver last season, but injuries had left some openings for the freshmen.

"[Offensive Coordinator Jay] Mills called me in the summer and told me I should start learning the offense, which is pretty complex," Morris said. "That was one sign that told me I was going to get a shot, that they would need me to play."

Freshman year was a successful introduction for Morris. Patterson was the team's top receiver, and Morris was right behind him with the second-most receptions. His biggest games came against Columbia and Dartmouth.

"Both Brad [Wilford '00] and Rich [Linden '00] were awesome--they took me aside and helped me develop," Morris said, referring to Harvard's two quarterbacks from 1999.

With Patterson graduating, the sophomore assumed the mantle as the go-to receiver for this season. Playing both split end and punt returner, Morris has come up with big plays in key situations. In an early season match-up against Brown, Morris set a school record for total receiving yards in a game with 220 yards on 10 catches, including touchdown receptions of 63 and 80 yards.

But there have been ups and downs throughout the season for Morris. Against Lafayette, for example, Morris failed to show up, getting one catch for three yards. Luckily, Harvard didn't need him in winning 42-19.

In a big game a few weeks later against Princeton, however, Morris was in form, catching five passes for 87 yards. His 25-yard touchdown reception also proved to be a turning point in the close game.