Darryl Morsell is one of 30 men’s basketball student-athletes nationwide to be selected as a candidate for the 2021-21 Senior CLASS Award

Credit Source: University of Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Darryl Morsell is one of 30 men’s basketball student-athletes nationwide to be selected as a candidate for the 2021-21 Senior CLASS Award as announced by the organization’s offices today.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Darryl is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection who earned his bachelor’s degree in family science in three years. As a senior, he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy. Darryl was selected as a Gossett Fellow, which awards select Maryland student-athletes with admission into summer internship programs.

Darryl has always been an advocate for social progress, but the death of George Floyd and the subsequent months that followed pushed Darryl to emerge further as a leader within the community. Darryl helped lead honest conversations with University of Maryland athletes about race, social justice, mental health and other issues facing student-athletes.

He was also a catalyst for getting his entire basketball team to not only register to vote, but actually vote on election day. Darryl took it upon himself to help facilitate “Terps Talk” dialogue groups with his fellow student-athletes to have honest conversations about what was happening in the country.

A 4-year starter for Maryland who has appeared in more than 100 career games, Morsell was an All-Big Ten selection last season as a junior. He has led the Terps to a Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Maryland’s premier defender for the last three seasons, Morsell was named to The Athletic’s All-Glue Team as a junior. As of Dec. 28, 2020, Morsell has averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists for his career.

The men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists in late February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Final Four® and NCAA Women’s Final Four® this spring.

ABOUT THE AWARD

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.