Sports
A Seminole Choice: PCA's Morgan commits to Florida State
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
Prestonwood Christian Academy senior Christian Morgan had four calls to make Tuesday morning.
In the end, only Florida State received good news regarding the Lions' nationally-touted tight end. That news was relayed to family and friends at Gleneagles Country Club Tuesday evening when Morgan announced his intent to play football for the Seminoles.
"In my heart, I knew I'd go somewhere," he said. "I went to Florida State and told myself that I was going to commit after that, whether I liked it or not. I was going to decide after that visit and I liked it there; I got back and discussed it with everybody around me and I knew I wanted to be a Seminole."
Four hats decorated the table from which Morgan addressed the crowd, with the other three finalists being Arkansas, Baylor and Ole Miss.
It was fitting, given that Morgan said he envisioned committing to all four schools at one point.
All the more fitting given that at some points along the recruiting trail, the Seminoles seemed the least likely to gain Morgan's commitment, given the school's proximity.
A weekend visit in mid-June changed all that.
"The distance really bothered me at first and then I got out there and I felt like it was home," Morgan said. "No matter how far it was, I was comfortable and I was happy with the environment personally and spiritually."
It was the high point in a venture that began to flourish in the early spring, when after some initial winter recruiting, Florida State fully graced Morgan's radar.
"They came down and saw me in person, videotaped me and sent it off to [Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher] and [offensive coordinator James Coley]," Morgan said. "The next day, they offered me and let me know that I was their top guy at the tight end position."
Coley showed the program's commitment to that offer by visiting Morgan two days later. The senior Lion said that gesture meant a lot, especially considering his ever-growing bond with Coley, Fisher and defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot was one of the seminal reasons in shooting Florida State up the list.
The atmosphere, tradition and profile surrounding the Tallahassee-based campus didn't hurt either.
"It's beautiful," Morgan said. "I like the environment and it has a very southern-type feel to it. I had a great time hanging out with the chapel and their quarterback (Clint Trickett). I just got a true feel for what was going on there and wanted to be a part of it.
"I want to be able to compete for national championships and I think I can do that at Florida State."
He'll look to do so while operating as a tight end, a position Morgan has been yearning to play since his infant years in the Prestonwood program.
Fulfilling that hope was a bit trickier, though.
"When I started coaching here, Christian was an eighth grader," said Chris Cunningham, Prestonwood head coach. "He was coming up and I remember him saying that he was a tight end and that's when I had to break the bad news to him that in our offense, we didn't have a tight end."
Morgan adjusted though, helping block up front and starting every game as a freshman -- a trend that continued into his sophomore year when he shifted to the other side of the line to protect quarterback Parker Ash's blindside.
Entering Morgan's junior year, Cunningham acknowledged the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder's skill set needed to be maximized.
"At that point, I went to our offensive coach and said that we have a tight end in our offense," Cunningham said. "It's about time that we started using him that way and we've done a much better job with that over the past year."
Continuing to hone his skills as a blocker, Morgan expanded his repertoire to become an option in the Lions' high-volume passing attack last season as he hauled in 16 catches for 226 yards and one touchdown.
He hopes those same attributes come in handy over the next four years in college.
"I think I can be a true pro-style tight end," Morgan said. "I want to be able to block and catch. Obviously I'm going to work my butt off to get ready for college, but I think I can bring something to the tight end position that [Florida State] hasn't had in a while."
Morgan will get a head start in the process when he graduates in December. Florida State has accommodated him, setting up the prospective business major for the long haul.
But before focusing on his final season with the Lions and his eventual journey to Tallahassee, Morgan took Tuesday to enjoy a few moments of his own in the limelight.
"It's special," he said. "I definitely didn't expect all these people to be here. I was thinking of more of a small deal, but it's an awesome environment and I'm glad everybody could make it."
In the end, only Florida State received good news regarding the Lions' nationally-touted tight end. That news was relayed to family and friends at Gleneagles Country Club Tuesday evening when Morgan announced his intent to play football for the Seminoles.
"In my heart, I knew I'd go somewhere," he said. "I went to Florida State and told myself that I was going to commit after that, whether I liked it or not. I was going to decide after that visit and I liked it there; I got back and discussed it with everybody around me and I knew I wanted to be a Seminole."
Four hats decorated the table from which Morgan addressed the crowd, with the other three finalists being Arkansas, Baylor and Ole Miss.
It was fitting, given that Morgan said he envisioned committing to all four schools at one point.
All the more fitting given that at some points along the recruiting trail, the Seminoles seemed the least likely to gain Morgan's commitment, given the school's proximity.
A weekend visit in mid-June changed all that.
"The distance really bothered me at first and then I got out there and I felt like it was home," Morgan said. "No matter how far it was, I was comfortable and I was happy with the environment personally and spiritually."
It was the high point in a venture that began to flourish in the early spring, when after some initial winter recruiting, Florida State fully graced Morgan's radar.
"They came down and saw me in person, videotaped me and sent it off to [Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher] and [offensive coordinator James Coley]," Morgan said. "The next day, they offered me and let me know that I was their top guy at the tight end position."
Coley showed the program's commitment to that offer by visiting Morgan two days later. The senior Lion said that gesture meant a lot, especially considering his ever-growing bond with Coley, Fisher and defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot was one of the seminal reasons in shooting Florida State up the list.
The atmosphere, tradition and profile surrounding the Tallahassee-based campus didn't hurt either.
"It's beautiful," Morgan said. "I like the environment and it has a very southern-type feel to it. I had a great time hanging out with the chapel and their quarterback (Clint Trickett). I just got a true feel for what was going on there and wanted to be a part of it.
"I want to be able to compete for national championships and I think I can do that at Florida State."
He'll look to do so while operating as a tight end, a position Morgan has been yearning to play since his infant years in the Prestonwood program.
Fulfilling that hope was a bit trickier, though.
"When I started coaching here, Christian was an eighth grader," said Chris Cunningham, Prestonwood head coach. "He was coming up and I remember him saying that he was a tight end and that's when I had to break the bad news to him that in our offense, we didn't have a tight end."
Morgan adjusted though, helping block up front and starting every game as a freshman -- a trend that continued into his sophomore year when he shifted to the other side of the line to protect quarterback Parker Ash's blindside.
Entering Morgan's junior year, Cunningham acknowledged the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder's skill set needed to be maximized.
"At that point, I went to our offensive coach and said that we have a tight end in our offense," Cunningham said. "It's about time that we started using him that way and we've done a much better job with that over the past year."
Continuing to hone his skills as a blocker, Morgan expanded his repertoire to become an option in the Lions' high-volume passing attack last season as he hauled in 16 catches for 226 yards and one touchdown.
He hopes those same attributes come in handy over the next four years in college.
"I think I can be a true pro-style tight end," Morgan said. "I want to be able to block and catch. Obviously I'm going to work my butt off to get ready for college, but I think I can bring something to the tight end position that [Florida State] hasn't had in a while."
Morgan will get a head start in the process when he graduates in December. Florida State has accommodated him, setting up the prospective business major for the long haul.
But before focusing on his final season with the Lions and his eventual journey to Tallahassee, Morgan took Tuesday to enjoy a few moments of his own in the limelight.
"It's special," he said. "I definitely didn't expect all these people to be here. I was thinking of more of a small deal, but it's an awesome environment and I'm glad everybody could make it."
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