Morgan surprised at UK scholarship offer
Published 8:03 am Monday, June 7, 2021
Grayson Morgan said a Kentucky football scholarship offer truly did “come out of the blue” for him.
“We were in the state semifinals for basketball. (Kentucky line) Coach (Eric) Wolford reached out and said it would only take a minute for what he needed. I thought it would be a good chance to get my mind off things, so I called him. We talked and then he offered me (a UK scholarship).”
That was part of a zany period when he was helping Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.) win the Division II Class AA state championship in basketball and Division I football offers were rolling in much faster than he anticipated.
The 6-5, 270-pound offensive tackle now has 25 scholarship offers that include Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Memphis, Mississippi State, Central Florida, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
He will be taking his first official visit to Kentucky June 25th — no other official visits are yet scheduled.
“Honestly, I don’t know a great deal about Kentucky but I am excited to see them this summer,” Morgan said. “Mainly me and Coach (Wolford) have talked about personal things but I know he’s a very successful coach.
“I noticed last year when I was watching SEC games that week in, week out, they had a dominant offensive line and a dominant defensive line, too. Definitely the toughness and physicality stand out. They would just hit you in the mouth.”
That certainly fits what Morgan likes. He says his athleticism and ability to move are his greatest attributes.
“I was a lot lighter than most players last year but I can move and play physical and I think I really disrupted defenses,” Morgan said. “I have put on about 30-35 pounds since basketball ended. Even during basketball I put on about 10 pounds because I was lifting (weights) with my dad four days a week.”
Morgan was a 220-pound tight end his sophomore season in 2019 before his coach suggested he moved to tackle because the team had two senior tight ends ahead of him.
“There was an opening at left tackle and I just made the move,” Morgan said. “It was a little more difficult because of COVID. Practices were limited and on the offensive line you are hitting every play and it was hard to work and learn without being able to hit anybody.”
He believes getting his film out to coaches after the season opened the door for the Power-Five offers he got.
“I just don’t think many people knew who I was. It was the first time for a lot of coaches to see me when they got my film. It was just a matter of them getting a chance to see me play,” he said.
That’s why he is in no hurry to make a college choice. He originally thought he might make his choice by mid-summer but that was before his college options dramatically increased.
“Now I am saying it will probably be sometime during my season because I have so many things to think about,” Morgan said.
“Academics are a priority with me and I want a school that has a great culture. Of course how I fit with the coaches and how they can make me better on and off the field to prepare me for life will be a big part of it, too.”