Morrell grew up in Tyndall, South Dakota and attended Bon Homme High School.

[3] Morrell graduated from Sioux Falls in 1998 and Bob Young offered him a position on his staff as a defensive assistant.

[5] South Dakota was then a member of the Great West Conference, part of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

Morrell spent only one year there before accepting the head coaching job at Montana Tech, an NAIA school.

Highlights of his tenure included three appearances in the NAIA playoffs, though Montana Tech never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.

Morrell commented at the time that "there's only one or two people in the entire world that I would leave Montana Tech to go work for.

[9] Morrell married Jen Van Ballegooyen, a fellow Sioux Falls graduate, in 2001.