April 7, 2026 // Local

From Saint Joseph to the Sports Desk

Todays Catholic

By Charles Moran

Saint Joseph High School alumni Jacob Morris, who graduated in 2019, has turned his love for sports and storytelling into a full-time career. Today, he is a sports reporter and weekend anchor for CBS 42 in Birmingham, Alabama, where he covers college games, talks to athletes, and captures the energy of game days for thousands of viewers who follow the Alabama Crimson Tide, a national football powerhouse from the Southeastern Conference.

After beginning in student media at Saint Joe, Morris went on to Syracuse University in New York, earning a degree in 2023 in broadcast and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, one of the top journalism programs in the country. During college, he spent his hours reporting from the sidelines, writing stories, and learning what it takes to be successful in live broadcasting. Those experiences helped him build the confidence and skills needed for a fast-moving career in sports media. He even had the chance to do play by play for Syracuse basketball games, including a game in South Bend for the Orange’s contest against Notre Dame.

Morris said his high school experience played a big part in shaping who he is today.

“Saint Joe gave me the confidence to take chances,” he said. “My teachers and coaches pushed me to do my best and to stay active and open.”

The teamwork and communication skills he developed in high school still help guide him in every newsroom he has worked in.

Currently at CBS 42 in Birmingham, Morris has covered everything from college football rivalries to NCAA basketball tournaments. Whether he is interviewing the players or highlighting inspiring underdog stories, his goal is always to share sports with honesty, energy, and heart.

Morris told Today’s Catholic in 2024 that he never thought his love for sports broadcasting could become a career until his mother encouraged him to attend a sports media camp during high school, and at the time he said he was still in disbelief that he gets to do full-time what he loves so much, saying it’s “quite ridiculous that it’s something I can do for work.”

In the Today’s Catholic article on high school journalism classes at diocesan high schools, Morris said he credits his time in Phil DePauw’s media class at Saint Joseph. “I loved it so much I took it both semesters,” Morris said. “That was phenomenal.”

“As a 17-year-old, a large part of what made it so memorable was the way it was taught,” Morris remembered, saying that no other class afforded him the opportunity to edit video, or run an audio board, or “go to this basketball game and interview these players to air in the morning announcement.”

Morris said he was grateful for DePauw and his class. “He was always pushing to find a new way to go about things, pushing students in the class to pursue passions, which is kind of the best quality a teacher can have,” Morris said.

While sports and broadcasting may still be thriving, Morris noted that “there are students in high school now who have never picked up a newspaper in their life.” However, Morris said, “Telling a story and getting somebody’s story out there is kind of what journalism is supposed to be at its core. It’s important that we don’t entirely lose that.”

Morris’ journey from the classrooms of Saint Joe to the world of college sports shows what is possible through dedication and faith. His story proves that big dreams can start right here, and with hard work, they really can come true.

Charles Moran is a senior at Saint Joseph High School. Editors at Today’s Catholic contributed to this report.