Brian Morgan joined the LU coaching staff in August 2014 as the running back’s coach and special teams coordinator. A native to Southeast Texas, Morgan is entering his third season on the Lamar sidelines.
In Morgan’s second season he helped junior running back Kade Harrington go from one of the top backs in the Southland to the nation’s leading rusher. Harrington led the nation in rushing yards (2,092), yards per game (190.2 pg), all-purpose yards (213.36 pg) and rushing touchdowns (21) while finishing second nationally in points per game (12.5 pg) and third in yards per carry (7.86 pc) on his way to unanimous first-team All-America honors. Harrington became just the seventh back in Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards in only 10 games and finished second in the balloting for the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year award – FCS football’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
Morgan spent two seasons at Prairie View A&M before moving to Beaumont. During that time he worked with the Panthers running backs and linebackers. Morgan also held down the responsibility of special teams and recruiting coordinator.
Under Morgan’s guidance, the Panthers produced one of the top special teams in the nation. Morgan had five All-SWAC selections for their work on special teams, including three return specialists and a kicker. Former Panthers punt returner Moses Ellis finished the 2011 season ranked third nationally averaging 14.5 yards per return. In 2012, PVAMU finished the season ranked in the top 10 nationally in punt return and punt coverage, and in his final two seasons the Panthers blocked 13 kicks.
Morgan’s familiarity of east Texas has been an asset to him on the recruiting trail. While at PVAMU, Morgan’s primary recruiting area was southeast Texas, including Houston.
Entering his 12th season as a coach, Morgan got his first taste of coaching southeast Texas’ football talent in the high school ranks. He served as an assistant coach at Port Arthur Memorial for three seasons where he worked with the Titans’ linebackers and special teams. Following his three seasons at the high school level, Morgan accepted a position as a graduate assistant coach at North Texas, where he worked with future Cleveland Brown Craig Robertson.
Morgan’s coaching career began at Grambling State where he spent the 2005 season overseeing the special teams. That year, Morgan helped coach the Tigers to a SWAC title.
The start of Morgan’s coaching career came on the heels of a standout playing career at GSU. A two-time All-America selection, Morgan graduated from Grambling as the school’s all-time leading scorer. A three-time All-SWAC selection, Morgan helped guide the Tigers to back-to-back HBC national titles.
Morgan graduated with a bachelor’s degree from GSU in December 2005. He returned to school to receive his master degree from North Texas in 2011.
