Austin Morley

Austin Morley

Morley running after a catch in practice.
No. 33 – Chicago Butchers
Position:	Wide Receiver
Personal information
Born:	(2025-05-05)May 5, 2025 (aged 37) Gahanna, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	183 lb (83 kg)
Username:	Soevil
Career information
High school:	Gahanna Lincoln
College:	The Ohio State University
ISFL Draft:	S36 / Round: 2 / Pick: 5
DSFL Draft:	S35 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Career history
Norfolk Seawolves (2049 (S34)) Kansas City Coyotes (2050 (S35) - 2051 (S36)) Chicago Butchers (2052 (S37) - Present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
1x DSFL Pro Bowl 1x STPotY 2x ISFL 1st Team All Pro 1x ISFL 2nd Team All Pro 3X ISFL Pro Bowl
Career ISFL statistics
Receptions: 620 Receiving Yards: 8048 Receiving Touchdowns: 51 PR Yards: 1557 PR Average: 10 KR Yards: 3885 KR Average: 28.4 KR Touchdowns: 1
Career DSFL statistics
Receptions: 161 Yards: 2106 Touchdowns: 15 "

Austin "The Gingerbadger" Morley (born May 5th, 2025) is an American football wide receiver. He was selected 5th overall in the S35 Developmental Simulation Football League Draft to the Kansas City Coyotes, where he played two seasons. The "Gingerbadger" was selected 19th overall to the Chicago Butchers in the S36 ISFL draft.

Early years

Austin Morley was born in Gahanna, Ohio, to Kathy and Timothy Morley. Though he had a relatively uneventful upbringing, Morley loved to play football from a young age. He was always the smallest kid on the team, but what he lacked in size he made up for with heart. Barely seeing the JV field his first two years of high school, Morley decided to take off the cleats after his sophomore season. A “late bloomer”, he was always small, slow, and weak. No longer could he justify the time and effort spent at practice to ride the pine. Instead, his varsity seasons were spent on the lacrosse field. While he was technically no better at lacrosse than football, he began to find his athletic footing. Though he did not get any bigger at this time, his speed and agility improved greatly. This boosted his confidence and unlocked a level of tenacity not yet seen from him, earning Morley the nickname "The Gingerbadger".

College career

After enrolling at Ohio State, Austin once again found his love for the game of football. A delayed growth spurt put him more in line with his peers, and after his sophomore year, he tried out for the Club football team. Clocking a respective 4.5s 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle, he made the team. His junior season was full of ups and downs. Through the first 4 games, Morley recorded 17 catches for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. Additionally, he returned 7 punts for an average of 17 yards per return and 1 touchdown. In the 5th game of the season, however, Morley suffered a broken hand and could not finish the season. He continued to travel with the team and supported them from the sideline for the final 4 games. In his senior season he was voted a team captain and amassed 57 receptions for 437 yards and 5 touchdowns, while returning 16 punts scoring another 2 touchdowns.

College career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving					Punt Return
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD	PR	PR Yds	PR Avg	PR TD
2047	OSU Club	4	17	146	8.6	39	2	7	112	16.0	1
2048	OSU Club	8	57	437	7.7	45	5	16	232	14.5	2

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	4.5 s	4.5 s	7.14 s	30 in (0.76 m)	9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)

Professional career

DSFL

2049 (S34)

Austin Morley was claimed off waivers in week 13 of S34 to make his ISFL debut for the Norfolk Seawolves. At the end of the S34 season, Morley was released back into the pool of prospects eligible to be drafted for the S35 season.

2050 (S35)

Morley was drafted 5th overall in the S35 DSFL draft to the Kansas City Coyotes. Due to his excellent locker room presence and leadership ability, Morley was voted by the team to be the offensive captain. On the season, Morley helped lead the Coyotes to an 8-6 record and 2nd place in the DSFL North. Despite sharing targets with other rookie sensations Octavio Pérez, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Mandrews McHollywood, Morley lead his team in receptions and touchdowns while finishing among the league receiving leaders - placing 8th in receptions and yards and 6th in touchdowns. Concentration issues, however, did cause Morley to finish near the top of the list in drops on the season.

Morley played an integral part in the Coyotes playoff run. During the Conference Championship game against the Portland Pythons, Morley helped to give the team life. Down 27-7 at half time, Morley rallied the team in the locker room, and in the second half scored two game changing touchdowns. This effort helped lift the Coyotes to a 34-30 victory against the Pythons. The season ultimately ended in heartache as the Coyotes fell to the Seawolves 23-14. In the Ultimini, Morley was blanketed by the Norfolk secondary, being held to 2 receptions for 32 yards. The "Gingerbadger" was selected 19th overall to the Chicago Butchers in the S36 ISFL draft. He will play his S36 season for the Coyotes before he is called up to the ISFL.

2051 (S36)

Austin Morley stayed relatively consistent during his S36 DSFL season. Despite being 3rd in the league in receptions, he finished 10th in yards and touchdowns with 1035 and 8 respectively. Drops plagued him once again this season as he finished with 10, putting him squarely in the middle of the pack statistically. Morley lead the Coyotes in targets and receptions, but finished 3rd in yards and touchdowns behind Mchollywood (1312/11) and Perez (1236/11). The Kansas City Air Raid offense was not as fruitful as it was the previous season. Despite Queen Elizabeth II throwing for a league leading 4747 yards and breaking the single season records for passing touchdowns (39), the Coyotes missed the playoffs, finishing the season at 5-9. Morley must now decide whether or not to waive his contractual clause to be called up by the Chicago Butchers to stay down one more season to try and help the Coyotes get back to the Ultimini in S37.

ISFL

2052 (S37)

Morley was called up to the Chicago Butchers active roster for the S37 season and filled in as the primary slot option for the Butchers. As a rookie in the ISFL, Morley posted solid numbers as the number 4 option on the offense behind star running back Lalu Muhammad Zohri and veteran Wide Outs Rejoignez LordreSombre and Vincent Sharpei Jr. He ranked 22nd in receptions among Wide Receivers with 75 (4th among rookies) and generated 1025 yards, good for 19th in the league (3rd among rookies). Despite boasting an impressive 13.7 yard per catch average, Morley could only find paydirt 4 times on the season. With a second half of the season surge, winning 7 of the final 9 games, Chicago lucked in to the post season only to be defeated in the Wildcard round by the Yellowknife Wraiths. With the possible departure of LordeSombre this offseason, Morley looks to build upon his respectable rookie season and step into the WR2 role in the offense for S38.

2053 (S38)

At the start of S38, Austin Morley had the honor of being selected Offensive Captain by his teammates. Climbing up the depth chart to WR2, surpassing an aging Rejoignez Lordesombre, Morley looked to build upon his success from last season. Despite leading the Chicago Butchers in receiving yards, Morley was unable to really make a greater impact this season, finishing ranked at only WR19 in yards and receptions in the ISFL. Where Morley was able to make an impact, however, was special teams. Having not played on special teams since his college days, The Gingerbadger decided he needed to improve that aspect of his game to help ignite the struggling Butchers offense. During the season, Morley split kick returning duties with Lalu Muhammed Zohri and was the teams primary punt returner. In this role, Morley generated 466 kick return yards with an average of 22.2 yards per return, but where he really excelled was in returning punts. Morley led the league in punt return yards, claiming the #10 spot on the all-time punt return yards in a season list with 489 yards with and a league leading (min >10 returns) 12.2-yard average. As a team, the Chicago Butchers finished 5th in the NSFC with a 7-9 record, with 7 losses decided by 1 score. Morley looks to improve to provide an offensive spark next season as the Butchers try to get back into playoff contention.

2054 (S39)

Morley was named Offensive Captain for the second consecutive season in S39, and he took over complete WR1 and returning responsibilities for the Chicago Butchers. Although many expected the Butchers to be a middling team for the season, Morley set high expectations for himself as he hoped to be the focal point of the offense. After a 2-5 start to the season, it was clear that only one of those things were true - The Butchers were not in a good spot. The replacement of Kazimir Oles Jr with Tron Carter at QB did not prove to be as good as initially hoped, leading to the offense being more one-dimensional than it should have been. After the horrendous start, however, the Butchers went on a 6-game win streak to propel them back into the playoff hunt. A season defining victory in the week 16 against the league-best Yellowknife Wraiths punched the Butchers ticket to the post season. The Butchers would go on to defeat the Sarasota Sailfish 24-22 in the Wild Card round, however, their season would end in the Conference Championship game after a defeat by the eventual ISFL S39 Champion Yellowknife Wraiths. Individually, Morley did not perform as expected, amassing only 67 receptions for 972 yards (both career worsts) and 9 touchdowns. Morley did improve in aspects of the return game, with a league best kick return average of 31.2 yards while finishing second in kick return yards with 748. His punt return numbers took a step back, with only 217 yards on an average of 8.7 yards per return. At the end of the season, Morley signed a multi-year deal to stay with the Butchers through the end of his career.

2055 (S40)

S40 proved to be Austin Morley's best professional season to date. As far as personal achievements, Morley tied his career high for receptions with 84 and reached a new high in receiving yards with 1242 which was good for 10th in the ISFL on the season. He also hit paydirt 8 times through the air. However, this season was another where Morley really shined as a returner. He amassed 720 kick return yards on 20 attempts for an ISFL record 36 yards per return. His punt returning left a little to be desired again, though. His performance as both a receiver and special teamer led to two All Pro selections and the Special Teams Player of the Year Award for S41. Morley's highlight of the season came during the week 1 matchup at home against the Colorado Yeti. After the Yeti scored on their opening drive, Morley dashed for a 102 yard kick return touchdown on his first touch of the season, leading the Butchers to a victory. The Butchers as a whole had a Cinderella story of sorts, as no pundits expected them to have as much success this season as they had. The team finished 12-4 and earned a playoff victory against the Cape Town Crash, however fell short in the NSFC championship round to the Yellowknife Wraiths.

2056 (S41)

Coming off of a great season in S40, Morley hoped to continue building off of that success and prove to be one of the most elite wide receivers and returners in the ISFL. Although he still put up respectable receiving numbers, Morley took a step back in the return game. Morley caught 82 passes and broke the 1000 yard mark for the 4th time in 5 ISFL seasons and had the lowest number of drops of his career. In the return game, Morley had solid averages with 29.2 yards per kickoff return and 11.5 yards per punt return, finishing 4th and 7th in the league respectively. The Chicago Butchers would have an up and down season as a unit, finishing 9-7 but failing to make the playoff after losing the final two games of the season. Look for Morley and the Chicago Butchers to bounce back in S42 with playoff aspirations.

2057 (S42)

Austin Morley would see Season 42 be one of his best individual performances yet as he set personal records for receptions and yards in a season with 105 (1st) and 1281 (7th), respectively. He also tied his single season best for touchdowns with 9 (T-8th). The significant increase in Morley's workload came in part from having limited competition for targets on the team, but more from the rancid defense that the Butchers fielded during the season which led to frequently playing from behind. In the return game, Morley had another good but not great season. He averaged 28.3 yards per kick return (4th) and 9.6 yards per punt return (5th) while finishing 9th in the league in combined yardage. Morley was selected to the S42 Pro Bowl as a Wide Receiver (the second time of his career), but the Butchers as a team finished with with worst record in the NSFC.

2058 (S43)

The veteran wide receiver turned what was a terrible season for the Chicago Butchers into one of the best individual seasons of his carrier. Morley finished 2nd in the league in receptions (123) and yards (1390), behind only Blaze Jr's. sensational season, which are both career marks for him. During the season Morley proved that he was still a dependable (career low 3 drops) and possibly even elite receiver despite his age becoming apparent. Although Morley had great receiving volume, his efficiency could be questioned, pulling a career low 11.3 yards per catch. Morley continued to regress on special teams, posting the 2nd worst kickoff return average of his career. Morley's season would earn him a 2nd consecutive Pro Bowl nod (the 3rd of his career), and potentially his first All Pro nomination since S40. Morley again looks to return to the Chicago Butchers next season to lead the passing attack in what many hope will be a more fruitful season for the team.

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving						Punt Return					Kick Return
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD	Drops	PR	PR Yds	PR Avg	PR Long	PR TD	KR	KR Yds	KR Avg	KR Long	KR TD
2049 (S34)	Seawolves	1	6	93	15.5	37	0	0
2050 (S35)	Coyotes	14	70	978	14	90	8	9
2051 (S36)	Coyotes	14	85	1035	12.2	63	7	10
2052 (S37)	Butchers	16	75	1025	13.7	75	4	6
2053 (S38)	Butchers	16	84	1086	12.9	63	6	6	40	489	12.2	61	0	21	466	22.2	40	0
2054 (S39)	Butchers	16	67	972	14.5	73	9	10	25	217	8.7	22	0	24	748	31.2	46	0
2055 (S40)	Butchers	16	84	1242	14.8	86	8	6	24	192	8	52	0	20	720	36	102	1
2056 (S41)	Butchers	16	82	1052	12.8	66	7	5	21	242	11.5	45	0	21	613	29.2	39	0
2057 (S42)	Butchers	16	105	1281	12.2	74	9	12	23	221	9.6	23	0	23	651	28.3	43	0
2058 (S43)	Butchers	16	123	1390	11.3	52	8	3	22	196	8.9	21	0	28	667	24.5	42	0

Achievements and records

Individual

• S35 DSFL Pro Bowl
• [1] S39 ISFL Pro Bowl (Returner)
• [2] S39 ISFL 1st Team All Pro (Returner)
• [3] S40 ISFL Pro Bowl (Returner) [Unanimous]
• [4] S40 ISFL 1st Team All Pro (Returner)
• [5] S40 ISFL 2nd Team All Pro (Wide Receiver)
• [6] S40 ISFL Special Teams Player of the Year
• [7] S42 ISFL Pro Bowl (Wide Receiver)
• [8] S43 ISFL Pro Bowl (Wide Receiver)

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