TomVH: An Interview with Desmond Morgan

Submitted by TomVH on

Sleeper in-state linebacker Desmond Morgan (6'1", 225 lbs, three star) was offered by Michigan a few days ago. I got in touch to get his reaction to his first big offer and hear about his decision timeline, but first the film:

TOM: Congrats on the offer. Was it kind of unexpected for you?

DESMOND: Yeah, you could say it kind of came out of nowhere. I took a visit for the UMass game, gave my film to the recruiting coordinator, and then I hadn't heard from him in awhile. I got a call from Coach Magee, and he said someone wanted to talk to me. He handed the phone to Rich Rodriguez, and coach said I had an offer.

TOM: That had to have been exciting for you and your family.

DESMOND: Yeah, we're all Michigan fans, so it was definitely exciting. When I told my dad he gave me a big hug, and you could tell he was just really excited. Getting an offer from such a prestigious school, I think that's what shocked him. It was exciting.

TOM: You said this came as somewhat of a surprise. Are you expecting any other offers to come in, or are any schools like MSU talking to you?

DESMOND: There's nothing I'm counting on or expecting, if it happens it happens. Northwestern and Cincinnati have showed me some interest. MSU was early on, and I took a visit in February, but the communication kind of died off from there. That's really it for now though.

TOM: I think a lot of people have seen your film in the last two days. There's some good evidence there of why you were offered, but what did the coaches say they like about you?

DESMOND: They said they're looking for kids that knew how to hit, and that aren't afraid to get after it. They want guys that have a nose for the ball, and smart kids. I learn from my coaches, and I give 110% no matter what. Even if I'm doing something wrong, I'm going to go 100 MPH doing it. 

TOM: You mentioned smart kids. You have a pretty high GPA yourself. Is it a 4.0?

DESMOND: Well, my unweighted GPA is a 3.97, and my weighted GPA with my honors courses is a 4.1.

TOM: That will work. Since you're a Michigan fan a lot of people think that it would make sense to commit right away, and get it over with. Is that how you feel it will play out?

DESMOND: No, before the recruiting process started my dad and I said that we were going to take our time with everything, and just let it play out. We still want to stick to that game plan, and just see how it goes. I don't have a specific date that I want to commit by, or anything.

TOM: What are your plans from here though? What does taking your time mean to you?

DESMOND: We want to go up to Michigan, probably after my season, and meet with the coaches, see the facilities, and everything that Michigan has to offer. I want to make sure I feel comfortable with everything, and not just make a rash decision. There's nothing in the nation that compares to the Big House, so it could just take one visit to know that I'm in love with it, or it could maybe take a couple. I'm not looking to prolong the matter, but I don't want to rush into anything. My decision will most likely be after the season.

Comments

Keeeeurt

October 27th, 2010 at 9:51 PM ^

Thank you Tom.  I am kind of excited for this kid (assuming he commits).  I know you might not be able to tell a lot about a player from a highlight film but man alive, that guy can hit.

MEZman

October 27th, 2010 at 9:57 PM ^

From the looks of his timeline he doesn't seem to be an early enrollee candidate. But I'll ask anyway, is there any chance he'll be an EE?

cadillacjack333

October 27th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^

This is Michigan arrogance but with those grades he should not be considering another university in this state or the midwest.  Sign the deal and save mom and dad the $20,000 per year.

Rasmus

October 28th, 2010 at 8:36 AM ^

I'll bet Stanford could show some interest. But I don't see anyone else in the Big Ten spending much time on him if Michigan has already offered -- his grades are way too good for MSU -- maybe Northwestern, like you say.

A good question to ask him, if you're listening Tom, is what is he interested in academically?

plaidflannel

October 28th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^

Kirk Cousins had pretty damn good high school grades.  Just because people are intelligent, it doesn't always mean they go to the most challenging university.  Granted, I don't think we recruited Cousins, but he had the grades to get into UofM without football.

zlionsfan

October 28th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^

Besides, there are plenty of Great Lakes-area schools that have quality programs, depending on your interest. And even so, more than a few incoming freshmen may prioritize other things than their major ... a great situation for football may be more important than a great situation for classes. (As noted before, in that case, pretty much any good defensive prospect should be coming to Michigan ...)

One advantage of a school like Michigan in that context is that it has enough good choices that you don't necessarily have to know in advance (as long as you make progress to keep yourself qualified) ...

MGolem

October 27th, 2010 at 10:17 PM ^

The fact that he plays QB too suggests that he is a very capable player. He would be the perfect compliment to a guy like Furman who is a athletic freak but has little experience playing the position. I might be in the minority but if it is between him and Duggan I would go local always. How does he compare to Eric Gordon or Max Bullough from MSU or even David Harris coming out of high school?

Blue Bunny Friday

October 27th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^

Obviously Desmond doesn't actually need this, but I thought this might be an okay place to post this.

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Maize_and_Drew

October 27th, 2010 at 10:35 PM ^

I don't care how many "Stars" this kid has, he looks like a good football player that can help our defense right away.

Also, the whole "Rich Rod doesn't recruit Michigan kids" bullshit can die in a fire.

Princetonwolverine

October 27th, 2010 at 11:19 PM ^

I hope those scrimmages are against other teams. He hits so hard it would be a shame to hurt his own teammates. Not that I want anyone to get hurt.

HAIL-YEA

October 27th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^

He was born in the early 90's..his dad is a huge M fan..and his name is Desmond..hmmm, no chance he got his name from a certain wideout that won the heisman?

I don't know who I like more, this kid or his dad.

EGD

October 28th, 2010 at 12:20 AM ^

Reading between the lines of that interview, I get the sense that Morgan wants to sign with Michigan but first wants to make sure we finish this season strong so there are not lingering questions about Rich Rod's job security.  I imagine that is a fairly common approach among our recruits this year.

JeepinBen

October 28th, 2010 at 9:32 AM ^

I think that he's making the decision most of us made in terms of where we wanted to go to school. I grew up a Michigan Fan, and once I got in i didn't say I"M GOING THEREEEE!!!! right away. In general these kids (and most 17 year olds) need to figure out where they're going to spend the next 4 years. He's gotta make sure Ann Arbor seems like a fit, and that he can see himself there for 4/5 years. 

I wanted to do Mechanical Engineering, and I visited U of M, Illinois, and Wash U, all three were great programs, but in terms of overall experience with the visit, U of M was right for me. 

I think these kids are smart to take there time, and make sure that Ann Arbor is the place for them.

 

my $.02, you might be right too, it might be all about the coaches, who knows?

profitgoblue

October 28th, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^

There is definitely something going on there.  I got waitlisted at Michigan (my first choice) so had to look around at other schools.  But when my acceptance letter finally came (like Desmond's offer) I jumped through the roof and "committeed" right then and there.  If he's already all-in, I assume that would be his same reaction.  But he seems very bright and it definitely makes sense to at least take an official visit first.