Wonder no longer where Alabama turns next at quarterback in the aftermath of Gunner Kiel and Jameis Winston. Per the Allen American:
Just three days before embarking on the start of fall practice and his final high school season, Allen senior quarterback Alec Morris has changed his collegiate plans.
Morris had verbally committed two weeks ago to Wake Forest, the first team to offer him a scholarship, but changed that commitment to Alabama on Friday.
"Alabama offered after Alec committed to Wake Forest," said Tom Westerberg, Allen head football coach. "He was out of town last week, got back and decided to make the switch today."
Interesting pick-up here for 'Bama. The easy initial impression is that Morris is a long-term developmental project because of the Wake Forest background, but upon further inspection he actually looks like a pretty impressive player. At roughly 6'4 and 225 pounds, he has the raw size you look for at the position, the arm is solid, as is the mobility, and he has been productive against a high level of competition.
Perhaps this is just a case of a player falling through the cracks a bit and being a bit of a late discovery? It's hard to fathom why otherwise this kid didn't have a single offer until last week, and it would also explain in large part why 'Bama jumped in on him so quickly. Morris played well at a camp in Tuscaloosa and after that many thought he was high on UA's board, but nevertheless this one comes as a bit of a surprise.
Far from this one being a consolation prize, this kid seemingly gives reason for outright excitement. Many are still subdued over the Jameis Winston news, but while I'm a big believer in Winston -- to be frank, I think he has legitimate superstar-type potential -- the odds of him ever playing a down in college football look to be relatively slim, and realistically if 'Bama were ever going to land a true difference-maker at quarterback in this class it was always going to have to be someone other than Winston simply because of those baseball concerns. Gunner Kiel was obviously the first choice of the staff, but he went elsewhere and frankly I'm still a bit unconvinced about how he will transition to the next level -- always be suspicious of the prep quarterbacks running the zone read against bottom-tier competition.
For now be glad that Morris has entered the fold. Moving forward, though, don't be surprised if we ultimately have a fight on our hands to retain this kid's services. For now it's a no-brainer to commit to 'Bama over Wake Forest, but what happens if programs that traditionally recruit the Metroplex goes hard after the Lone Star product? That may be another story entirely.
Morris becomes the 16th commitment of the 2012 recruiting class.
Addendum: The obligatory YouTube:
Music warning. Don't know who it is, but Creedence it ain't.