Brennan Carroll, Arizona’s offensive coordinator and O-line coach, put it bluntly:
“We need him to be great.”
Carroll was talking about Jordan Morgan, a big, talented local product who has everything you could want in a tackle on this level or the next one. Expectations for Morgan this season are as massive as the player himself; he’s listed at 6 feet 5 inches and 320 pounds.
Now all Morgan has to do is live up to them.
Morgan has positioned himself to do just that. He’s had an exceptional offseason in the weight room and strength-and-conditioning program. His body and mind are in a good place. That wasn’t always the case last season.
Morgan suffered a high-ankle sprain during training camp last year. He said in spring that it bothered him throughout and even after the season.
“I came back a little hesitant,” Morgan said this week. “My pass set was kind of messed up. I was opening up. I wasn’t trying to apply a lot of pressure on it.”
The injury occurred to Morgan’s left ankle. As a left tackle, he must be able to move to his left to thwart the outside pass rush.
Morgan missed only one full game last season (the opener vs. BYU) but was never quite right physically. He missed substantial practice time, saying Friday “there was a long period of time where I couldn’t do anything really.”
An erratic practice schedule and a banged-up leg impacted Morgan’s performance. He graded out near the bottom among starting tackles in the Pac-12, according to Pro Football Focus. Morgan yielded five sacks, fourth most among league tackles, per PFF. He also allowed 27 pressures, tied for fifth most.
Unsatisfied with his play, Morgan went to work. He put in extra hours in the weight and film rooms.
“I just had to lock in,” Morgan said. “The coaches wanted me to be the best player I could be, and I took that personally.”
Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan shows his new tattoos to a media member. Morgan, who loves horror movies, has tattoos of Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Pennywise and others.
The best version of Morgan is an NFL prospect. He’s a naturally gifted athlete who began his football career at Marana High School as a quarterback. He also played tight end. A growth spurt during his sophomore year — Morgan said he sprouted 3-4 inches and gained 100 pounds — made offensive tackle a logical landing spot.
He has started 15 games at left tackle at Arizona, and there’s no place Morgan would rather be.
“It’s a big responsibility. It’s an eye-opener,” he said. “Getting to know Jayden de Laura and Jordan McCloud (two of the Wildcats’ top three quarterbacks), you want to protect those guys. You want to be in that position – be the one to protect them and know that you got their back.”
UA coach Jedd Fisch described Morgan as a “very special player” who “has a lot of potential to continue on his career.” It’s up to the coaches — and Morgan — to maximize that potential. If he can do so, the fourth-year junior will put himself in position to be drafted.
Carroll, who spent six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before coming to Arizona, knows what’s required of a lineman to make it in the NFL.
“Size, strength, ability and attitude. You need to have it all to play on the next level,” Carroll said. ‘It can’t just be one of them. You’ve got to be a well-rounded ballplayer. You’ve got to have knowledge of the game. You’ve got to be able to have just the basic athletic traits to hang up there. And then you’ve got to have some luck – keeping healthy and taking care of your body. He knows how to do that.”
Morgan also possesses the type of character NFL teams covet. Carroll called him a “fantastic role model” and a “beacon in the weight room.”
“Guys follow him,” Carroll said. “Guys are ready to go to war with him.”
Morgan was named to the preseason watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which, according to the award’s website, is presented to the FBS player who “best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.” Morgan was one of 115 players to make the initial list.
Morgan feels the same way about helping his community as he does protecting his quarterback: He views both as essential duties.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “Being born and raised here, I get to help out kids that used to be in the same position as me.”
OL ‘light-years’ ahead
Carroll said the offensive line — maybe the biggest question mark on the team — is “light-years past where we were last year.”
Arizona didn’t add any plug-and-play starters from the transfer portal, instead banking on growth from returnees. Four of the five projected regulars have at least seven career starts.
Last year’s line allowed 35 sacks, the most in the Pac-12. When Carroll was reminded of that figure, he shuddered.
“There is no acceptable number,” Carroll said. “I’ll take zero.
“It’s not just the sacks. We want to keep the quarterbacks clean; we don’t want them to get hit. So it’s quarterback touches too. (And) don’t put our running backs in conflict where they gotta do more than they need to.”
Arizona’s quarterbacks, led by Jayden de Laura (7), run a drill during Friday’s practice on campus. The UA will take Saturday off.
Extra points
The Wildcats worked in shoulder pads for the first time Friday and held their longest workout of camp, lasting a little over two hours. The offense and defense matched up in 7-on-7 and “team” (11-on-11) sessions for the first time, with most of that work taking place inside the 20-yard line.
Players who scored touchdowns included tight end Keyan Burnett, receiver Jacob Cowing and running back Michael Wiley. Defensive standouts included cornerbacks Christian Roland-Wallace and Treydan Stukes.
Defensive end Jason Harris returned after being out because of an illness. He did not participate in 11-on-11.
Freshman Russell Davis II worked with the second team at defensive end behind Jalen Harris and recorded a sack. Davis then cramped up, ending the final full period of practice.
Junior-college transfer Joseph Borjon is working primarily at right tackle. Freshman Jacob Reece is getting looks at left guard.
Davis, who’s listed at 6-3, 210, was able to bull-rush Reece (6-5, 300) during one-on-ones.
Freshman edge rusher Sterling Lane II got the better of Borjon during one-on-ones. In their second matchup, Lane darted inside, forcing Borjon to hold him.
Tailback D.J. Williams, who just arrived on campus after transferring from Florida State, looks a little rusty, especially in his route running. But he displayed good body lean and pad level when carrying the ball in drills.
Tailback Jalen John was not spotted at practice. He appeared to be in some distress toward the end of Thursday’s session.
Arizona concluded practice with a brief scrimmage featuring freshmen and other young players.
The team has the day off Saturday. Practice No. 4 is slated for 10 a.m. Sunday.
