DALLAS (Dec. 5, 2018) – After his record-breaking year at quarterback, FIU's James Morgan was named the 2018 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday.
 
For the full C-USA release, click here.
 
"This is a great honor," Morgan said about the award. "I'm very happy and humbled about it, but this award is really a credit to the entire offense and the whole team. I wouldn't have had the success I've had on the field if I didn't have guys out there making plays and making blocks."
 
Morgan becomes the first Panther to earn a C-USA individual award, with the honor being the first for any FIU football player since T.Y. Hilton was named Sun Belt Player of the Year in 2010. The quarterback is also the first FIU football player in the history of the program to win a Newcomer of the Year award.
 
Additionally, Morgan is just the third player in program history to earn an end-of-year conference award, joining T.Y. Hilton (2010 & 2008) and Keyonvis Bouie (2006).
 
Morgan, who transferred to FIU after graduating from Bowling Green last spring, has lit up the C-USA with his passing prowess. The redshirt junior shattered FIU's single-season passing touchdown mark, after tossing 26 scores for the year. Morgan also threw for 2,764 yards in 2018, which ranks second-most for a single-season at FIU. The quarterback ranks first in the C-USA for passer efficiency rating (157.6) and passing yards per attempt (8.4).
 
Morgan was showered with honors throughout the season, earning a spot on the Johnny Unitas Watch List before being named a Top 30 quarterback by the award. Morgan was also a member of the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, Manning Stars of the Week and Davy O'Brien Great 8 List.
 
On Tuesday, the Panthers earned a school-record 17 C-USA selections, with two first team, two second team and 13 honorable mention members comprising the list.
 
Morgan, who earned a spot on the C-USA Honorable Mention Team, was very appreciative of the talent he has surrounding him at FIU.
 
"It's awesome to be able to play with those guys," Morgan said about his teammates. "What they do and the work they put in is what earned them those honors. I think that's probably the coolest thing about this whole thing. All those guys deserve to get every accolade they get."
 
UP NEXT
FIU will begin preparation later this week for the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl against Toledo. The game is slated for Friday, Dec. 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET. For tickets, click here. All other information on the bowl game can be found here.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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2018 C-USA Player of the Year Awards
MVP: Brent Stockstill (QB), Middle Tennessee
Offensive POY: Mason Fine (QB), North Texas
Defensive POY: Jaylon Ferguson (DE), LA Tech
Special Teams POY: Jack Fox (P), Rice
Co-Freshman POY: Chris Robinson (QB), FAU & Isaiah Green (QB), Marshall
Newcomer of the Year: James Morgan (QB), FIU