Kyrei Fisher-Morris has an ever-present smile. He is one of the most talkative players on Oregon State’s defense.
Fisher Morris has reason to be happy. Six years into his college football career, Fisher Morris is finally here. He will likely start as his inside linebacker in the Beavers’ Sept. 3 season opener against Boise State.
Come this far, whew. What a ride, very rocky.
Fisher Morris had a tragic childhood growing up in Oklahoma. His father, Dietrich Fisher, died in a motorcycle accident in 2006 when Fisher Morris was 6 years old. While in school, Fisher Morris’ family lost their home to fires, floods, and foreclosures. When he was in Trinity, Texas in 2019 He Valley CC, Fisher Morris was homeless and living in his car.
“We had a hard time. My mom said, ‘I have $5 to last for two weeks.’ No matter how many times I listened to that conversation, I got lost,” Fisher Morris said.
Football has been on his mind since childhood for as long as Fisher Morris can remember. Fisher Morris’ dream led him to his NFL and Hall of Fame. When college football offers began pouring in while at his high union in Tulsa, Fischer’s Morris thought his dream was about to become a reality.
“Football was what I had in mind. Honestly, that saved me,” said Fisher-Morris.
Fisher Morris, who has three siblings, knew he was athletic. His late father’s best friend, Derrick Morris, used to tell his father he could play. After all, Morris had plenty of time to watch young Kailey grow up on the football field.
When Dietrich Fisher arrived at the hospital following a motorcycle accident, Derrick Morris was the first visitor. Kyrei Fisher said Morris told his father not to worry about the kids.
“He said, ‘I got your kid for life,’ ‘he never broke that promise,” Fisher said. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without him, I promise.”
Her real name is Kailei Fisher, but her nickname is Kailei Fisher-Morris. It’s the name on the back of his Oregon jersey. Fisher his Morris lists Derrick Morris’ children in his OSU bio like his family.
The death of his father hit Fisher Morris hard. His father played his junior college football and the two bonded through this sport. Fisher Morris remembers being angry for months and even blaming himself for his father’s death.
Fisher Morris’ father owned an Xbox.
“He said, what am I going to play? He said he could get it when I was gone,” Fisher Morris said.
Not long after, Dietrich Fischer had a fatal motorcycle accident. 6-year-old Fisher Morris believed he had something to do with Xbox.
“I’m at home with that Xbox sitting there thinking about how I’m going to leave that stupid Xbox to my dad,” he said.
The hits continued to pile up. When I was in elementary school, my family had to leave home because of a flood. Years later, when Fisher’s Morris was at a friend’s house in Tulsa, her mother Kelly called.
“We lost everything. Our house burned down,” Fisher Morris said.
The family lived in the hotel for a while, but found another home. They eventually had to move out due to foreclosure.
The family eventually settled in another house in Tulsa, a two-bedroom house that housed eight people, including 16-year-old brother Darian, a young son and a girlfriend. During his eighth and ninth grades, Fisher Morris tore the ACLs in both knees.
Healed and healthy, Fisher-Morris knew he had a future in football. High school senior Fisher-Morris initially focused on Minnesota, but changed course later in the hiring cycle after the Gophers’ coaching staff was in turmoil.In 2016, Fisher-Morris chose to sign with Arkansas. and had the opportunity to play near my family.
Fisher Morris appeared in four games over two seasons with Arkansas. I didn’t find soccer fun. It got worse off the field when Fisher Morris said he “got into a bit of trouble” at the fraternity house.
Fisher Morris lost.
“I made a mistake. I got to the point where I wondered why I was here. I did a lot of soul-searching,” Fisher Morris said. I have lost faith in.”
Fischer-Morris thought his junior college pit stop would give him a boost of confidence. Fisher Morris returned to Trinity. He spent several months in the Valley, but never played a game there. However, Fisher Morris devoted himself to football and training, and FBS and his FCS schools never lost sight of him, including Oregon State University.
OSU’s inside linebacker coach at the time, Trent Bray, visited Fisher Morris in Texas. The conversation was short. Bray saw someone looking for an opportunity, and Fisher Morris embraced it enthusiastically.
“It felt like a fresh start, a blank slate,” Fisher Morris said. It was just doing something, and it felt like it was worth much more than a two-bedroom house with eight people that had lost their home to floods, fires, etc.”
Speaking of (more) crazy things, Fisher Morris totaled the car the week before it arrived in Oregon in 2019. Then in 2020, Fisher-Morris had to miss 4 of 7 games due to COVID contract chasing, but he never contracted it.
It wasn’t until the 2021 season that Fisher Morris had a chance to flower. Inside Fisher-Morris, who played as backup to Avery Roberts at linebacker, appeared in nine games and made 30 of his tackles. His breakthrough came when Roberts injured his ankle late in the season against Arizona State. Fisher-Roberts recorded his then career-high nine tackles. This was his LA Bowl game against Utah where he made 10 tackles and surpassed that in his first career start.
“Derrick Morris always told me to stay ready. When your number is called, be ready. I will,” said Fisher Morris. “It was a lot of fun.”
Fisher Morris also remembers the wedding during his tenure at OSU. He and his girlfriend MaKayle Traxson were married 17 months ago. Fisher Morris says his wife has been a calming influence on her.
“It really slowed me down and made me want to focus more,” said Fisher-Morris. “She makes me better. She makes me want to be a better man.”
Not perfect in Oregon. Fisher says she misses her sisters Amarion and Keyira growing up. Both of his grandparents are battling cancer.
“It’s been a wild roller coaster, and I can’t wait until it pays off,” said Fisher-Morris.
With Roberts graduating, Fisher-Morris will likely start as the inside linebacker behind senior Omar Speights as his successor in 2022. Fisher Morris wants to impress in his final season of college, but he keeps his cool no matter what happens. Fisher-Morris feels his aggressive defense under Bray, now DC, fits his style. He said he was grateful that he had played and learned three years behind Roberts.
“I don’t even feel the pressure,” Fisher Morris said. “I didn’t get much of the coaching I got here. I’m ready.”
Like most students in college, Fisher has the NFL in mind. He knows it’s hard. Perhaps it will work, but his playing days may end later this fall.Fisher There are business possibilities for his Morris to pursue, among them his family and his Some have connections. Fisher Morris then recalls his own childhood and his dreams. Football is his outlet as a coach, not as a player. He may be in college or high school. Fisher Morris often jokes about him and Speights coaching together in high school.
Fisher Morris said, “There’s no getting away from this situation. I think about it all the time.”
–Nick Daschel | [email protected] | @Nick Dashell