"That was my first trip to Ole Miss since I was a sophomore," Morris said.
"I wanted to see how their offensive line was coached in the game, see how
their line played overall, and just get a better feel for their campus."
The Army All-American expanded on the Rebels' offensive line coach and their
performance.
"Coach (Matt) Luke is a real intense guy. He pushes you to do better but
he's not the type that bashes you to motivate you. He encouraged his guys to
inspire them to keep going. I liked that. I don't like it when a coach is constantly
tearing me down but I understand it comes with the territory. I don't mind
if they do it a little but just not all of the time. Their offensive line played
really well against Auburn. They have a couple of first round draft picks on
their defensive line and they held their own against them. I feel like I could
go in there and contribute at the same time though. Every time I see a team
play I feel like I could do better at times, no matter how well the line played.
That's just the confidence I have with myself."
What did he learn about the campus?
"I learned that 90 percent of their students are frat oriented. I did the Walk
of Champions and all of their fans were going crazy. I had never been to the
Grove and that was a great experience. That was probably the highlight of my
trip, that and the intensity of the game from the players and coaches. They
get real into the game down there."
Morris spoke to some of the Memphis players on Ole Miss' roster during the visit.
"All of the Memphis players down there say it's a great environment to
be in. They told me that I'm going to have fun, but at the same time I was
going to work hard. Coach Freeze told me that he considers Memphis and just
the state of Tennessee as in-state for him. He's trying to get a lot of guys
to come over from my area."
One of Morris' teammates, Herbert Moore, is committed to the Rebels.
"Big Herbert is recruiting me hard (laugh). Mark Dodson is too, but Herbert
is staying on me like every day. He's a great teammate and a real good guy.
I've been going up against him for three years in practice and just going
against him every day has made me a much better player. He's a big reason why
I came on that visit last weekend. Herbert has been bugging me every day, him
and coach (Maurice) Harris, so I decided to go down there and check it out."
Did this visit help Ole Miss' chances to get in the recruiting game?
"Yes, they've been feeding me a lot of information for their offense.
I like their offensive system. That's what stands out about them to me.
It looks like a real fun system to play in. I still feel strong about my commitment
to UCLA but I'm keeping an open mind at the same time."
What did the staff at Ole Miss tell Morris before he went back home?
"Coach Freeze said that if I'm willing to compete I could have a chance
to come in there and start. He said as long as I'm willing to really compete,
I have a good chance to come right in and start."
What makes UCLA so attractive for Scout.com's #24 rated offensive tackle?
"Their program is rebuilding and they have a lot of good coaches that are
willing to give it their all to get them where they need to be. It's also in
a great location and the weather is so nice in LA. They also have my major in
Respiratory Therapy too."
Is distance going to play a factor when the name has to be signed on the dotted
line?
"It doesn't play a huge role in my decision because at some point you have
to be a man and start spreading your wings."
Yancy Porter is the Mississippi Scout for Scout.com and he can be reached at yporter@scout.com