Morris is a Swift Riser for '09

[Bernini]

Morris is a Swift Riser for '09

Eric Bernard
Recruiting Planet


For '09 Defensive Back prospect Wali Morris, from Cincinnati's Indian Hill High School, time has been at a premium to showcase his immense football talents to college recruiters.


Photo from Ohio Varsity

In 2005, Morris was sidelined the entire year with an injury.

In 2006, after being fully recovered from his injury, Morris was forced to sit out due to academic ineligibility. However, Morris had a unique situation which may have hindered his performance in the classroom. "I was adopted around that time", Morris said. "I was going through problems with the adoption and didn't learn to accept it until I found out it would only help me. Now everything with my adoptive family is great and my grades are good." Morris overcoming culture shock and his new found perspective has helped him boost his GPA to a more comfortable, albeit still somewhat tenuous 2.5 mark. He's continually working diligently to improve his standing.

In 2007, Morris was finally able to suit up and play the sport he loved since he was 7 years old. He capitalized with a solid performance during the season. He accumulated 3 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, and 44 tackles; from the cornerback position. Quickly, Morris earned the reputation around the Cincinnati Hills League of being a cornerback to fear.

In spite of only being able to play one full year of high school football, Morris has already begun to garner substantial attention from several BCS programs. Purdue, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisville, and Indiana have been among those in contact with the athletic defensive back prospect. Morris shared his current impressions of each school with Recruiting Planet:

Purdue: "They've been sending me mail almost every week. They are a great school, and seem to have a connection with both their players and recruits, so they are one of my top schools."

Louisville: "Louisville is also a great school. I like them as well."

Wisconsin: "I like Wisconsin a lot. They seem to do well in athletics. They might be my #1 school right now."

Indiana: "Indiana was the first school to show interest. They are a great school and a great program."

Illinois: "Illinois is also a good school, but they haven't shown too much interest. I won't lose hope."

In addition to those five, Morris has two schools in mind especially, by whom he'd like to be recruited. "I've always been interested in Colorado and Ohio State", Morris said. "Colorado has a great program and team. I've seen them play a game and their coaches coach well. Ohio State also has a great team. I went to their camp a summer ago and liked everything about it and their campus." Also working in OSU's favor is the enrollment of Wali's brother at the school, as well as the play of current star cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, whose athletic style Morris admires.

This spring/summer, Morris plans on attending several camps/combines to increase exposure and get a better feel for the schools vying for his services. On the itinerary are trips to Louisville, Wisconsin, Indiana, and the Nike Combine. Combines are a situation where Morris projects to stand out. Previously, he's recorded measureables like an eye-popping near 40 inch vertical, long jump of almost 21 feet, 4.5 second 40-yard dash, and 220 pound bench maximum; at 6'0, 185 pounds. The explosion Morris generates off the ground is applied to the field by allowing him to make up ground when need be, as well as battle bigger receivers in the air for the football.

For his senior season, Morris has lofty goals for his team. "I want us to go to state", Morris said. "This is the year we can do it. Last year we had a chance, but made mistakes. This year our goal is to get that ring." Morris and some of his teammates draw added inspiration from their relationships with God. Before individual games he participates in prayer circles with his coaches, which exhilarates him and unites the entire team. Morris also has high hopes individually for his senior season. "My senior season is going to be big", Morris said. "I want to be a defensive captain. Also, I want to have at least 7 interceptions and 50 tackles. "

With opposing quarterbacks already figuring out to stay away from Morris' side of the field, numbers like those might be difficult to attain. But if he comes anywhere close, Wali Morris will have gone from not playing high school football to major division 1 football player in just two short years.