Star player CARL MORRIS is tackled by a Northeastern opponent during a game earlier this year. Yesterday, the wide receiver was named the Ivy League Player of the Year for the second year in a row.

For the second straight year, senior wide receiver Carl Morris is the Ivy League’s Player of the Year, the league announced yesterday.

Morris becomes the first player in the last 25 years to bring home the honors in consecutive seasons—and only the third to accomplish that feat all-time.

“Obviously, I wasn’t surprised [by the selection],” said Harvard football coach Tim Murphy. “There’s no question that he’s the Ivy League’s best player.”

Morris shattered many of his own receiving records this year, catching 90 passes for 1,288 yards—topping last year’s school record-setting mark of 71 and 943. Morris also broke the school record for most catches in a game with 21 in the Crimson’s October win over Dartmouth.

Morris was the Crimson’s most consistent offensive weapon en route to a second-place finish in the Ivy League. In a year in which the Ivy League had no shortage of talented receivers—including Brown’s Chas Gessner and Rob Milanese of Penn—Morris was still the cream of the crop.

“It was just a great year,” said Morris, who found out about the award on Monday. “We did a lot of good things, maybe didn’t do everything we set out to, but we had a good season.”

Earlier this week, the Sports Network announced that Morris is one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented on Dec. 19 to the top player in Division I-AA football. Morris is currently second in the nation in receiving yards per game (128.8) and catches per game (9.0).

Morris said yesterday that his accomplishments over the past year have yet to fully sink in.

“It still hasn’t really hit me,” Morris said. “I’ve spoken with a lot of alumni, people who follow the team and pull for us in so many ways, and they’ve been very supportive.”

Morris has been invited to two major postseason exhibitions, the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl.

Whichever events Morris attends between now and the April 26 NFL Draft should help determine whether Morris can successfully follow Seattle Seahawk Isaiah Kacyvenski ’00 and Minnesota Viking Matt Birk ’98 from Soldier’s Field to the professional ranks.

Murphy, for his part, is confident.

“There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Carl Morris is the best Ivy League skill player I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” said Murphy, who has coached the Crimson since 1994. “It’s not going to be easy, and nothing’s a given, but I think he’s going to make it.”

Morris was the biggest name among a handful of Crimson honorees announced yesterday. Senior offensive linemen Jack Fadule and Jamil Soirano and junior linebacker Dante Balestracci were also named to the first team.

Fadule and Soriano anchored an offensive line that was the team’s biggest question heading into the season. The unit ended up being effective—Harvard led the Ivy League in total yardage, with no small thanks to its tackles.