The Tampa Bay Buccaneers capped off the 2026 NFL draft by drafting standout players like Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter, and UGA WR Ted Hurst. In total, the team selected 7 players in the draft this year, but is still taking undrafted free agents. So far, Todd Bowles has added a total of 5 undrafted free agents, including Kansas QB Jalon Daniels and Arizona DT Deshawn McKnight. Now, the head coach has taken another veteran college QB.

According to reports, the franchise has now signed former Virginia Cavaliers QB Chandler Morris as an undrafted free agent. Chandler brings six years of collegiate experience, during which he passed for 9,185 yards and rushed for 887 yards. Initially, Morris was looking to play a seventh year of college football, but after the NCAA denied his appeal, he had to settle for registering for the NFL draft.

Morris is the son of the current Clemson offensive coordinator, Chad Morris, and was one of the most explosive QBs in the ACC. He led Virginia to an 11-win season, including a place in the ACC championship final. He was an All-ACC honorable mention and a semifinalist for the Dacey O’Brien award. In total, he passed for 3,000 yards and rushed for another 245 yards, becoming the team’s backbone. So much so that HC Tony Elliot was keenly hoping for Chandler Morris’ another year with the team.

“There have been some talks with Chandler of possibly (pursuing an extra year),” Elliot said on December 4. “That’s still to be determined. So, not going to say if that’s going to happen or not.” Finally, in late December, UVA was “hopeful” of Chandler Morris returning in 2026 as he applied for an NCAA waiver.

Morris applied for a waiver from the NCAA and cited his missed 2022 season due to mental health issues. The former Cavaliers’ QB has played at Oklahoma, TCU, and North Texas, starting in the 2020 season, during which he appeared in five games. Thereafter, in 2021, he redshirted after joining TCU and returned in 2022. Again in 2022, he didn’t start more than 4 games, but he had already used his redshirt year, making things complicated. 

Although he had the waiver for his 2020 season, like many other athletes, due to COVID-19, the NCAA denied his 2022 waiver. The NCAA contended that Chandler was “physically cleared” in October 2022 and participated in multiple games. Moreover, the material the QB had provided to corroborate his claims didn’t count as “contemporaneous documentation,” and the letters he presented weren’t from a licensed clinical psychologist. After the NCAA denied his waiver, Morris took recourse that many other players have taken in recent years.

The ACC Commissioner played a big role in Chandler Morris’ eligibility waiver denial

Like Diego Pavia and current Ole Miss QB, Trinidad Chambliss, Chandler Morris sued the NCAA, hoping for a favorable outcome. The former UAV QB contended that he was a “third-party beneficiary” of the contractual relationship between his university and the NCAA and was harmed by the regulator, breaching the contract. However, unexpectedly, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips involved himself in the process, and the court denied Morris’ injunction.

“I respectfully ask the Court to uphold the NCAA’s eligibility rules, which are essential to the integrity of college sports and to the educational mission they serve,” Phillips addressed the court. ” [NCAA eligibility rules] reflect the informed judgment of educational institutions to protect the distinctive character of collegiate athletics and the opportunities it presents for college athletes.”

The statement fully opposed UVA’s efforts to get another year of eligibility for Chandler. Jim Phillips essentially argued that college sports could start resembling a “minor league” if officials allowed players in their mid-20s to have multiple seasons of eligibility. The statement was also consistent with the NCAA’s stance on impending eligibility lawsuits. Because of the long, drawn-out waiver attempt, Morris couldn’t quite focus on his draft prep, and that explains his undrafted fate in this year’s NFL draft.