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

FingerMustache

October 28th, 2010 at 12:25 AM ^

do we know anything about why hes not getting much love from the bigger programs, or the recruiting sites? Is playing against really bad competition? is he coming off injury?

he seems reasonably athletic for a kid thats 225. he looks like a very solid tackler. he seems to have a nose for the ball. hes be a bit short, at only 6'1, but i still find it odd that he hasnt even been rated by the recruiting sites.

GunnersApe

October 28th, 2010 at 7:35 AM ^

hes be a bit short, at only 6'1

A MLB/ILB does not have to be a tall person just smart and arrive at the ball with bad intentions. At 6'1 225 (so let's say 6'0 215) he should be fine after collegiate weight room/training.

 Mike Singletary 6'0 230

Chris Spielman 6'0 247

 More recent

Pat Angerer (Iowa) 6'0 235

Patrick Willis 6'1 240

Lofa Tatupu 6'0 250

Our own David Harris 6'2 250

micheal honcho

October 28th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^

This kid(Desmond) is an absolutely legit 6-1 and 225, no high school program hi-jinks goin g on here. I met him and I'm 6-0. He was taller then me and looked to be all of 225 with the weight in all the right places, real thin waist, huge upper body and monster thighs.

Yooper

October 28th, 2010 at 12:33 AM ^

In high school, like Jones and this kid. While there are examples of kids who have made the transition I think predicting how a kid will perform is so much better if there isn't a transition involved. Plus some guys love to hit, which is so important. That can be identified in high school. That trait, which this guy seems to have, is especially important at MLB, and can trump speed allay long.

heffman

October 28th, 2010 at 1:14 AM ^

The video makes me wonder why he's not getting more the other Michigan schools MSU, WMU and the likes.  He seems like a pretty good athlete who could play mlb successfully,  I loved watching him run over people on the run plays.

mwburner26

October 28th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^

Read some of the above posts. But to add to them, MI high school football Definitely gets over shaddowed and overlooked by a lot of other states because of the "Competition" issue. Unless a kid is playing for a good team or is just oozing talent they will get overlooked or turn into a Sleeper. If you take this kid and put him on a team down south, he probably gets more attention.

UMAmaizinBlue

October 28th, 2010 at 2:35 AM ^

Or does anyone else like any kid with the first name Desmond? I just like seeing that name associated with Michigan. 

 

He looks solid, and anyone who looks like they can tackle is more than welcome at this point.

UMICH1606

October 28th, 2010 at 7:16 AM ^

This is the type of kid that Iowa and Wisconsin builds their program around, and having a defense like theirs wouldn't suck.

My question is, does this prevent Darryl Monroe from getting an offer, or if Monroe is offered on his visit, will it be a first come first serve type of situation with Morgan and Monroe?

Personally, I think Kellen Jones may end up at Mouton's spot before it is all said and done, and they should consider making room for a couple MLB's of their choosing.

Motown20

October 28th, 2010 at 8:58 AM ^

This kid is exactly what we need on defense.  Smart, tough and motivated.  You can feel the appreciation in his answers.  We need more guys like this who want to play for Michigan because of all the opportunities it presents.  Hopefully he will be a 5 year guy.  Come in, be able to red shirt, and develop into an outstanding LB. 

profitgoblue

October 28th, 2010 at 9:42 AM ^

I'm most impressed by the kid's GPA.  In my opinion, a linebacker has to play smart on the football field.  Football smarts are different from book smarts, but still.  Also, with grades like that, I'm thinking a Cincinnati isn't really a good fit . . . (no offense)

Hoken's Heroes

October 28th, 2010 at 9:31 AM ^

....could be he just didn't camp much. And what about the program he plays for? Does it get a lot of interest from major schools? Does the school routinely put kids into top tier college football programs? If not, then there's your answer(s).

And here's the key quote from 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.

dankbrogoblue

October 28th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^

West Ottawa Grad here, and I can say that our program has not put many players into D-1 football, especially considering how big it is. You may remember a certain nose tackle from a certain 97 defense named Rob Renes who went there, but other than him, a current Illinois  lineman, and a few others, the program hasn't put out much.  

My years at that high school (03-07) the team was a constant disappointment hovering around .500 every year, but it does play in arguably the toughest conference in the state (Muskegon, Rockford, Grandville, Hudsonville, Grand Haven, East Kentwood).

I was excited to hear we finally had a good team this year, and a marquee player, and I'm ecstatic about this offer.

switch26

October 28th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^

What current ILL player is from WO?  The only one i know of was Ryan Mcdonald and he graduated a few years ago, then playd for the chargers practice squad a bit

mlGOBLUE

October 28th, 2010 at 11:11 AM ^

West Ottawa has been largely under the radar until recently - just occasional D1 placements.  Their teams have traditionally been so-so in a very tough conference. Their QB from two years ago is RS freshman QB at Western Mich - 2nd on depth chart.  Renes of course was years back but a great player.  The whole Holland area has just recently been getting more recruiting attention - including Holland Christian with MSU Cousins, Westendorp frosh QB at CMU, and Rooks -TE at Northwestern.  Morgan is a true beast and a great, smart kid.  Holland high '12 LB Ricketts is also getting lots of attention and visited at UM.

MMBbones

October 28th, 2010 at 9:45 AM ^

Thanks, Tom.  Done with class as always.  You get the info we all crave without badgering these kids or in any way hurting our chances with them, which is something most of us would probably not be able to do.

Much appreciated.  Desmond looks like a great fit.

beenplumb

October 28th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^

My girlfriend's step-dad, Greg Hoogland, is the defensive coordinator for Zeeland West and he has nothing but good things to say about this kid. He'd be a great addition to our recruiting class if we brought him in.

Interestingly enough, Greg also coached East Kentwood against Inkster at the state finals a few years back when Devin Gardner was the QB. Lots of great talent here in Michigan

modaddy21

October 28th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^

He'll commit during his visit.  He obviously is a fan, as is his family, they just wanna check out the campus, can't fault them for that.  This kid could end up being a real beast in the middle.

jabberwock

October 28th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^

High GPA? . . . check.

UM lifelong fan? . . . check.

"Gritty"? . . . check.

Good "Pad Level"? . . . check.

I like this kid; once we get the results back from the inseam test he should be good to go!

BigCat14

October 28th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^

This young man looks to have a bright future both in the classroom and the gridiron!  a definite must pick up imho because of the family values, guts, grit and dertimination!  Go Blue Desmond!  Go Blue beat psu!

The Harbaughnger

October 28th, 2010 at 2:36 PM ^

He's clearly got the size, talent, speed, mindset, etc.  But so do lots of players playing in the SEC.

What really excites me is that this kid is articulate (at least it appears that way reading his exchanges with Tom).  I know we don't all see "articulate" and think "that guy's gonna be good", but to me this is an indication of his critical thinking skills.  Good grades can be a sign of critical thinking skills, but I know plenty of people who got excellent grades and were terrible at problem solving.

To me, that's what makes Desmond stand out from just being a good/athletic/aggressive player.

If you can think critically, you can problem solve.  If you can problem solve, you can play LB.  If you can problem solve well, you can eat up an offense all day (see video).

I love how in one of the plays in the highlight video he gets hit hard by an O-lineman because he's already got the ball in his sights- most kids would engage him and try to win a shoving battle.  Desmond sheds the block like it's the most irrelevant thing on the field and makes a beeline to the ball.

mlGOBLUE

October 28th, 2010 at 11:07 PM ^

tomorrow night - playoff game at Grand Haven HS, 7 PM.  you'll see more of what's on that awesome highlight film.  He's on the field almost all of the time - and almost always around the ball!