Graduate quarterback Chandler Morris is hoping to get one more year of eligibility — but it has yet to be determined if he will receive another season. Perhaps Morris will, allowing him to captain the Cavaliers once more in 2026. But if Morris just played his final college game Saturday in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, he went out on a high note.
“This is my favorite team I've ever been a part of,” Morris said postgame. “I'm not just saying that because we won a lot of games this year. I mean, it truly was. When you go in the locker room, everybody really does love each other. They're really pulling for each other, and it's just great people, which starts with Coach Elliott and his staff and bringing in the right people.”
Morris himself is at the top of the list of notable additions to the program. Joining as a graduate transfer, Virginia is Morris’ fourth collegiate team — one final stop on a rollercoaster of a career.
“I'm just extremely grateful for the opportunity that I got to come to this awesome University and really get to experience it with everyone here,” Morris said.
Ever since Morris arrived last January, he believed in the Cavaliers, and they believed in him. Morris was undersized and injury-prone but predicted he could guide Virginia to new heights — and he did just that. Morris was named MVP of the Gator Bowl win over Missouri, which was Virginia’s first bowl game victory since the 2018 Belk Bowl.
On paper, Morris’ Gator Bowl outing appears rather pedestrian. He did not record a touchdown, he only threw for 198 yards and his offense managed to score just 13 points. Even so, Morris did enough to lead his team to a bowl victory. When the lights were brightest, Morris completed all 10 of his third down pass attempts — the most by any ACC player this year.
Every quarter of Saturday’s game was a high-pressure affair for Coach Tony Elliott’s crew. Morris kept drives alive, eating up game clock. By the evening’s end, Virginia nearly doubled Missouri’s time of possession.
Morris even made an impact on special teams. In a 4th-and-10 in the final quarter, it appeared as if the Cavaliers were going to go for it. Morris received the snap, but instead of throwing the ball, he punted it. His kick was a gorgeous 41-yard boom that was downed at Missouri’s two-yard line.
“It was one of the first things [Elliott] said in the team meeting, like, ‘Hey, we got to be ready,’” Morris said. “And he goes, ‘Chandler, what do we got to be ready for?’ And I'm like, ‘[this type of coverage], I think.’ And no, he's like, ‘New York punt.’ And that's kind of funny how it played out.”
Morris is the first Cavalier quarterback to land a punt inside the 20-yard line since Brennan Armstrong did so in 2022. Morris’ highlight punt meant the Tigers had to operate with their heels in their own end zone — as a result, they punted the ball back to Virginia just three plays later.
“So really, [a quarterback punt is] something that we practice every week, never knowing when you're going to have to execute it,” Elliott said. “And so really, for 15 weeks, we've been practicing…with that particular play.”
That game-altering play is a prime example of Morris’ impact Saturday, proving that he did not need to throw for 250-plus yards to lead his team to victory.
But Morris’ stellar leadership extends beyond a handful of clutch plays or conducting the Cavalier offense. In high-pressure situations throughout the season, Virginia has rallied behind Morris’ steady leadership. This is something Morris does not take for granted.
“I'm so blessed to be in this position,” Morris said.
It remains to be seen if Morris will have one more season of eligibility. The fickle rules of college football have become increasingly malleable and unpredictable. If this is the end, Morris can take pride in securing the ninth bowl win in 136 years of Cavalier football. Morris helped Virginia beat Virginia Tech, won the ACC regular season title and got to walk off the field with a bowl game trophy — a trifecta that the program has never accomplished in a single season.
The magical 2025 campaign ended with celebratory t-shirts, hats and a shiny trophy. Very few Cavalier quarterbacks have ended a season — or career — that way. Regardless of what his future holds, Chandler Morris will go down in Virginia history as one of the most impactful players to ever don the V-sabre.
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