Who is Wanya Morris? Meet Chiefs OL named after Boyz II Men singer who caught touchdown pass vs. Bengals

On second-and-goal from the Bengals one-yard line, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs lined up down six points with a chance to take the lead.

Mahomes took the snap and faked the handoff before lofting a pass to his right, but not into the hands of common targets Isaiah Pacheco or Travis Kelce.

Rather, offensive lineman Wanya Morris stood wide open on the other end and made the reception to tie the score at 16.

The extra point was good and Kansas City took its first lead of the game thanks to the big man. In his 2024 Chiefs debut, the 23-year-old not only protected his quarterback on the touchdown drive but pulled in the score himself—a feat that doesn't happen often in the NFL.

Here's everything to know about Morris, the Kansas City lineman who caught a touchdown pass vs. the Bengals.

MORE: NFL Week 2 Power Rankings

Who is Wanya Morris?

The 6-6, 307-pound offensive lineman entered this season in his second campaign with the Chiefs. Kansas City selected Morris 92nd overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.

His senior year as a Sooner, Morris earned a second-team AP All-Big 12 selection after playing in nine games at right tackle. Throughout the 2022 season, he played 580 snaps and gave up just two sacks on 303 pass-blocking plays.

Morris played at Tennessee for two years before transferring to Oklahoma, enrolling in Knoxville in 2019. He became an SEC All-Freshman team member after starting 12 of 13 games at left tackle. The Grayson, Ga., native earned a reputation as one of best offensive linemen in the nation and there was little surprise when his name was called on draft night.

In his rookie season as a Chief, Morris took 339 snaps in 14 games, four of which were starts. He was only penalized twice throughout the season, both times for holding.

Is Wanya Morris related to Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men?

The football player is not related to Wanya Morris from Boyz II Men, however he was named after the R&B singer. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the 2023 NFL Combine , Morris clarified that his mom was joking with his aunt about naming him Wanye because his last name was Morris, and it eventually stuck.

"Every time I went to school I would tell them how to say it and it would be 'so like the Boyz II Men' and I'm like 'yeahhhhhhh,'" Morris said. "I've played with a lot of guys, they aren't into the R&B as much as I am, some other guys probably pick it up but it's not as big a deal."

Before officially enrolling at Tennessee, ESPN's Tom VanHaaren captured a video of Morris appealing to his musical counterpart for a potential collaboration.

"I'm Wanya, Wanya Morris to be exact. And, you know, we should definitely get together," he said. "I'm a future Tennessee football player, we should definitely get together and make a little collab, do a little duet."