“A lot of student-athletes are transfer students, and so finding a way to effectively review the courses they’ve taken at other institutions to see if they will fit into our program is really helpful,” Griffiths said. “One of the things that students need to apply to vet school is a certain number of animal hours. But with busy practice and competition schedules, it can be challenging for student-athletes to be able to get enough internships and find opportunities for credit hours working with animals.”

However, the challenges that came along with transferring didn’t seem to slow Morris down. His performance in the classroom and on the field skyrocketed. 

Morris was determined to get as much hands-on animal time as he could. One way he’s achieved this is by shadowing at UD’s Life Science Research Facility, which eventually led to a research assistant position. 

“That shadow experience resulted in a research assistant position because OJ has excellent follow through,” Grifftiths said.

Morris was also selected as a teaching assistant for Animal and Food Science Exploration (ANFS 111). In the beef cattle lab, he taught students about meat safety techniques and beef cattle husbandry. Additionally, students in the course spend time on the farm working with the cattle and learning how to safely handle them. 

“OJ was an outstanding TA and was motivated to make every lab a good experience for the students,” said Tara Gaab, assistant professor of animal science. “He made sure that the students felt comfortable with the animals and the material. He also grew as a mentor and leader.”

Morris found the experience personally rewarding. 

“Working with the beef and the dairy cattle while also getting to teach a little bit was really informative and rewarding,” Morris said. “I’ve also been working at the life science research facility, helping out with animal husbandry. I help ensure we’re taking care of and managing the animals that are there. So it’s been super cool to get a lot of different experiences.”

During his final semester at UD, Morris will complete a Field Experience (ANFS 464) at UD’s Webb Farm. Morris and fellow interns assist with care and management of the ewes that are lambing this spring. Later in the spring semester, as the beef cows begin calving, they will assist with that, along with general farm care and maintenance. 

“The experience with the farm animals, in some cases, opens students’ eyes to that as a potential career path for them,” Griffths said. “For others, it reinforces that they really want to stick with companion animals. So either way, it’s a good thing they're getting the hours, and they need hours in both companion and food animals, for their application to vet school.”

While getting as many animal hours as he could and achieving Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll (2023), on the field Morris became UD’s number one face-off specialist. Winning 138 of 243 face-offs on the year, he scooped 78 ground balls with one caused turnover and was ranked first in face-off percentage nationally. 

“I’ve seen OJ play, so I know he’s very competitive on the field,” Griffiths said. “He’s also competitive in the classroom, but you wouldn’t know that. He’s very humble. I doubt most of his peers would know he plays lacrosse, even though he’s an outstanding lacrosse player.”

After graduation, Morris intends to apply to veterinary school.

“I always kind of intended to try to go to vet school, but eventually, I learned that that wasn’t really gonna work with the biology degree I was on track for,” Morris said. “Coming to UD was really the best decision to put me on this track.”