Matt Morrissey

10

Class: Senior Hometown: Lincolnshire, Ill. High School: Adlai E. Stevenson

Height / Weight: 6-3 / 204 Position: S Experience: 3L

CAREER NOTES: Fifth-year senior and three-year letterwinner will see time in the playing rotation at safety . . . has 60 tackles in 35 career games with four starts . . . member of the team’s Eagles leadership council . . . three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection . . . father Jim was a four-year letterman at Michigan State (1981-84), earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a linebacker as a senior, and spent nine years in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears (1985-93; Super Bowl XX Champions in 1986) and Green Bay Packers (1993) . . . brother Mike played linebacker at Boston College (three-year letterman; 2007, 2009-10) . . . sister Anna was a three-year letterwinner on the Spartan women’s basketball team (2012-14).

2017 SEASON (JUNIOR): Played in all 13 games, starting at field safety in three games (Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Notre Dame) . . . recorded a career-high 35 tackles and four pass break-ups on the season . . . tallied five tackles and one pass break-up against No. 18 Washington State in the Holiday Bowl . . . posted three tackles against Maryland . . . tallied two tackles at No. 11 Ohio State . . . recorded three tackles and one QB hurry against Indiana, including a solo tackle on third down, forcing IU to punt which set up MSU’s go-ahead TD drive; ended game by posting 10 production points . . . tallied two tackles and one pass break-up at Minnesota . . . logged one stop in Michigan game, logging 10 production points . . . tallied one pass break-up in Iowa game . . . recorded career-high and game-best 11 tackles against Notre Dame, his first double-digit tackle outing of career . . . logged seven stops in WMU game, adding 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass break-up, finishing with 18 production points to rank second among defensive backs and fourth on the defense.

2016 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Played in 10 games, primarily on special teams . . . led team with 11 tackles on special teams . . . recorded 20 tackles overall . . . named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team for the second year in a row . . . made his first career start at Illinois . . . was third on team with career-high eight tackles at Illinois and posted first career pass break-up; led the secondary with 11 production points against the Fighting Illini . . . tallied two tackles vs. Michigan . . . notched five tackles vs. Northwestern . . . registered a pair of tackles at No. 18 Notre Dame.

2015 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Played in 12 games, primarily on special teams, to earn his first letter . . . recorded five tackles, including a season-high two vs. Oregon . . . played a key role on the game's final play in the win over No. 12 Michigan; rushed Wolverine punter Blake O'Neill and helped pop the ball loose, leading to Jalen Watts-Jackson's 38-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 27-23 win as time expired . . . Academic All-Big Ten selection.

2014 SEASON: Redshirted . . . named Scout Team Special Teams Player of the Week against Maryland . . . selected Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week vs. Purdue.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated one of the top safeties in the nation by Scout.com (No. 56) and ESPN.com (No. 88) . . . named to PrepStar's All-Midwest Team . . . ranked among the state's top seniors by Rivals.com (No. 28) and ESPN.com (No. 31) . . . two-time Class 8A all-state selection by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association . . . named second-team all-state by the Chicago Tribune as a senior . . . three-time all-area selection by the Pioneer Press and two-time all-area pick by the Daily Herald . . . three-time All-North Suburban Conference choice . . . two-time IHSFCA academic all-state selection and three-time NSC All-Academic pick . . . three-year starter at safety and wide receiver for Coach Bill McNamara at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois . . . helped the Patriots to a combined record of 28-9 (.757), including three-straight conference championships . . . named Daily Herald Lake County All-Area Player of the Year in 2013 . . . also selected Pioneer Press All-Area Defensive Player of the Year as a senior . . . recorded 107 tackles (70 solos, 37 assists), including three for losses, four interceptions and five pass break-ups in 2013 . . . also returned a fumble for a touchdown as a senior . . . had 43 receptions for 783 yards (18.2 avg.) and 10 TDs in 2013 . . . produced 87 tackles and five pass break-ups as a junior . . . caught 33 passes for 563 yards (17.1 avg.) and five scores in 2012 . . . also lettered in basketball for the Patriots . . . son of Jim and Amy Morrissey . . . born Jan. 18, 1996 . . . father Jim was a four-year letterman at Michigan State (1981-84), earning first-team All-Big Ten honors as a linebacker as a senior, and spent nine years in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears (1985-93; Super Bowl XX Champions in 1986) and Green Bay Packers (1993) . . . brother Mike played linebacker at Boston College (three-year letterman; 2007, 2009-10) . . . sister Anna was a three-year letterwinner on the Spartan women's basketball team (2012-14) . . . finance major.