Morgan Trent
Encyclopedia
Morgan Trent is an American football
cornerback
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
in the National Football League
. He played college football
for the University of Michigan
from 2005 to 2008. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
.
He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts
.
, but moved with his family to Brighton, Michigan
. His mother, Tina Trent, was a diver at the University of Nebraska. And his father, Philip Trent, played cornerback at Nebraska. Trent attended Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School
in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan
. Trent set a school record with 23 interceptions and also caught 84 passes on offense for 1,533 yards and 16 touchdowns. Trent also completed as a sprinter in high school and set Michigan indoor state track records in the 60-yard dash (6.83) and 200-meter run (21.79).
and was redshirted as a freshman. Trent played for the scout squad in 2004 and was assigned to play the role of the opponents' speediest players, including Ohio State's Ted Ginn
and Texas' Vince Young
. Cornerback Ryan Mundy
said of Trent, "His freshman year, it was Ohio State week, and he was playing Teddy Ginn. He would get a reverse, blaze around the corner, and I said, 'This dude is fast.'"
Trent came to Michigan as a wide receiver, but was moved to the defensive backfield during spring practice in April 2005. Trent noted, "Coach Carr thought it would be a good fit for me. So we went through the spring, and it went pretty smooth. So we decided to do the switch."
In the third game of the 2005 season, Trent snagged his first interception for the Wolverines.
In 2006, Trent also joined Michigan's track team as a sprinter. He said at the time, "Right when the football season was over, I started thinking about (running track). I've always wanted to, ever since I've been in college, but I wanted to establish myself in football first." Trent made his debut for the track team in February 2006, placing sixth in the 200-meter dash at the Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup with a time of 21.72 seconds. He later posted the team's fastest 200-meter time at 21.67 seconds.
During the 2006 season, developed a reputation as "a gabby, physical corner who likes to boast, among other things, that he is the most fashionable player on the team, not to mention the fastest." Asked about the transition to defense, Trent said, "I like corner, because you're out there on an island. Everybody sees you when you mess up, but everybody sees you when you make a good play, too. I really like corner. I didn't think I would, but I really do." Trent played well for most of the season, as the 2006 Wolverines began the season 10-0. However, he was criticized for giving up big plays in the team's only losses, against Ohio State and against USC in the 2007 Rose Bowl
.
In 2007, Trent told reporters he had tried to grow from the criticism he received in 2006: "It makes you so strong when you go through it. It's not fun during it, while it goes, but it's worth it. You have to be thick-skinned about it, and it really has helped me grow as a player and as a person."
By 2008, Trent had gone "from being picked on to being a top cornerback." Before the 2008 season started, Trent noted, "It's been crazy, it's been a wild ride for me, you know, up and down. I think I've earned my spot for now so I'm just looking forward to keeping it and having a great year."
Following his senior year, Trent played in the January 2009 East-West Shrine Game
. In four years playing for Michigan, Trent played in 48 games, including 41 as a starter. He totaled 149 tackles and 8 interceptions. His total of 31 total passes defensed ranked seventh in Wolverines history.
in the 6th round of the 2009 NFL Draft
and signed with the team in June 2009. During the 2009 NFL season, Trent appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and had 28 tackles and a sack. In November 2009, he deflected a Ben Roethlisberger
pass that was then intercepted and returned 26 yards to Pittsburgh's 14-yard line, setting up a game-tying field goal.
As a second-year player, Trent had 3 interceptions in a pre-season game against Philadelphia. He also recovered a Jimmy Clausen
fumble in a September 2010 game against Carolina; he also downed a punt at Panthers four-yard line in the same game. Trent was released on November 2, 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 2005 to 2008. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
.
He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
.
Early years
Trent was born in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, but moved with his family to Brighton, Michigan
Brighton, Michigan
Brighton is a principal satellite city of Metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area...
. His mother, Tina Trent, was a diver at the University of Nebraska. And his father, Philip Trent, played cornerback at Nebraska. Trent attended Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School
St. Mary's Preparatory
St. Mary's Preparatory is a Catholic secondary school in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan.-Overview:St. Mary's was founded in 1885 on Detroit's east side by Rev. Joseph Dabrowski as a school for Polish-American boys to train for the priesthood...
in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan
Orchard Lake Village, Michigan
Orchard Lake Village is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a small, exclusive suburb on the outskirts of Metro Detroit. The population was 2,375 at the 2010 census....
. Trent set a school record with 23 interceptions and also caught 84 passes on offense for 1,533 yards and 16 touchdowns. Trent also completed as a sprinter in high school and set Michigan indoor state track records in the 60-yard dash (6.83) and 200-meter run (21.79).
College career
Trent enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and was redshirted as a freshman. Trent played for the scout squad in 2004 and was assigned to play the role of the opponents' speediest players, including Ohio State's Ted Ginn
Ted Ginn, Jr.
-College career:OSU track coach Russ Rogers recruited Ginn to run track, believing that he could qualify for the 2008 Olympics. However, his track career was put on hold in order to focus on football. Ginn was recruited as a defensive back by Ohio State....
and Texas' Vince Young
Vince Young
Vincent Paul Young, Jr. , nicknamed "VY", is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans. Young was the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college...
. Cornerback Ryan Mundy
Ryan Mundy
Ryan Gregory Mundy is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
said of Trent, "His freshman year, it was Ohio State week, and he was playing Teddy Ginn. He would get a reverse, blaze around the corner, and I said, 'This dude is fast.'"
Trent came to Michigan as a wide receiver, but was moved to the defensive backfield during spring practice in April 2005. Trent noted, "Coach Carr thought it would be a good fit for me. So we went through the spring, and it went pretty smooth. So we decided to do the switch."
In the third game of the 2005 season, Trent snagged his first interception for the Wolverines.
In 2006, Trent also joined Michigan's track team as a sprinter. He said at the time, "Right when the football season was over, I started thinking about (running track). I've always wanted to, ever since I've been in college, but I wanted to establish myself in football first." Trent made his debut for the track team in February 2006, placing sixth in the 200-meter dash at the Sykes-Sabok Challenge Cup with a time of 21.72 seconds. He later posted the team's fastest 200-meter time at 21.67 seconds.
During the 2006 season, developed a reputation as "a gabby, physical corner who likes to boast, among other things, that he is the most fashionable player on the team, not to mention the fastest." Asked about the transition to defense, Trent said, "I like corner, because you're out there on an island. Everybody sees you when you mess up, but everybody sees you when you make a good play, too. I really like corner. I didn't think I would, but I really do." Trent played well for most of the season, as the 2006 Wolverines began the season 10-0. However, he was criticized for giving up big plays in the team's only losses, against Ohio State and against USC in the 2007 Rose Bowl
2007 Rose Bowl
The 2007 Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 93rd Rose Bowl Game and part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series at the conclusion of the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
.
In 2007, Trent told reporters he had tried to grow from the criticism he received in 2006: "It makes you so strong when you go through it. It's not fun during it, while it goes, but it's worth it. You have to be thick-skinned about it, and it really has helped me grow as a player and as a person."
By 2008, Trent had gone "from being picked on to being a top cornerback." Before the 2008 season started, Trent noted, "It's been crazy, it's been a wild ride for me, you know, up and down. I think I've earned my spot for now so I'm just looking forward to keeping it and having a great year."
Following his senior year, Trent played in the January 2009 East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...
. In four years playing for Michigan, Trent played in 48 games, including 41 as a starter. He totaled 149 tackles and 8 interceptions. His total of 31 total passes defensed ranked seventh in Wolverines history.
Cincinnati Bengals
Trent was drafted by the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in the 6th round of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
and signed with the team in June 2009. During the 2009 NFL season, Trent appeared in 16 games for the Bengals and had 28 tackles and a sack. In November 2009, he deflected a Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
pass that was then intercepted and returned 26 yards to Pittsburgh's 14-yard line, setting up a game-tying field goal.
As a second-year player, Trent had 3 interceptions in a pre-season game against Philadelphia. He also recovered a Jimmy Clausen
Jimmy Clausen
James Richard "Jimmy" Clausen is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.-High school career:Clausen had an outstanding prep career...
fumble in a September 2010 game against Carolina; he also downed a punt at Panthers four-yard line in the same game. Trent was released on November 2, 2011.