Texas Tech's center is coming back in 2017 for a 7th season

Tony Morales will spend his seventh season as a member of the Texas Tech football team in 2017.

The center said he’s returning for a seventh year of eligibility next year and won’t go through Tech’s senior day activities on Saturday. Per the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Morales was told by the NCAA before the 2016 season that he could come back in 2017 if he wanted.

“I know I’ve got another year, for sure,” Morales told the Avalanche-Journal. “I already talked to compliance and [offensive line] coach [Lee] Hays and them. I worked too hard for too long. I didn’t rehab for four years to turn down eligibility.”

Yes, he’s missed a whopping four seasons because of injuries, including torn labrums in both shoulders and an ACL repair. Morales was a medical redshirt in 2011 and made his first game appearances for Texas Tech in 2015 — when he was a fifth-year senior. This season, Morales has started every game at center.

[Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers]

If you want some perspective for how long Morales has been in college, he was in the same signing class as Houston Texans DE Jadeveon Clowney, Green Bay Packers S Haha Clinton-Dix, Buffalo Bills WR Sammy Watkins and New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.

Morales is currently studying for a master’s degree and told the Avalanche-Journal that he could get a second master’s in 2017. We can’t blame him for doing as much as he can at Tech academically while he pursues his football dream.

Tech moved to 4-4 with a win over TCU in Week 9. The Red Raiders host 4-4 Texas on Saturday.

Popular college football video on Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @NickBromberg