JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Toriano Morgan got the job as head coach for Edward Waters football program three years ago, when the program also took its first step in becoming an NCAA Division II program. He has guided this team to nine wins the past two seasons and this hard work is finally all about to pay off.
“Every day you step on the field, you want to be one day better than you were before,” Morgan said.
Going into this season Morgan is very excited about the returning players as well as the incoming freshman, a group that he thinks will mesh well with a core of returnees from last year’s 5-6 team. The Tigers open their season at home on Sept. 2 against Florida Memorial University.
“We’re returning a lot of guys that got a lot of experience the first two years,” Morgan said. “This will be helpful, as these players will already know many of the plays and how to work with each other. These players can also guide the new ones coming in this season.”
Morgan envisions this team to be is fast on both offense and defense, they want to be a strong competitive team this year as well as for years to come.
The school has been growing rapidly from the transition of becoming a university adding more coaches and staff members on campus. Morgan said “the transition has been great just not from a professional standpoint for me and the other coaches in the athletic department, but from a personal standpoint as well.”
All these big achievements are looking great for Edward Waters University as the new school year begins. It’s one more step in the journey for the Tigers, who have had a significant momentum after moving from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in July 2021. After this season, Edwards Waters University will officially be a full-fledged NCAA Division II member after completing three years of provisional membership.