The Cal athletic department announced that defensive back and general athlete Jordan Morgan faxed in his letter of intent at approximately 9:50am. The incoming freshman comes from Blue Ridge High School in Lakeside, Arizona.
Tom Lemming ranked Morgan as the number 24 athlete and number 56 safety. He received four stars from Lemming, three stars from Rivals and Scout.com and two stars from ESPNU. Each site has their own criteria, which can lead to varying grades from each service. There’s a fairly shared idea of who the top recruits are, but when you get down to the two and three star recruits it’s a bit more of a gray area. This area is significant because the two and three star recruits can be the guys who add considerable depth to a recruiting class. You might sign three 4-star recruits, but if you don’t have the necessary depth around them, they can’t really succeed at an optimal level.
Morgan spent time as both a quarterback and defensive back but is expected to play in the defensive backfield at Cal. On the defensive side of the ball, Morgan had 47 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and two interceptions in his 2010 senior season. As is the case with many high school stars, he played all over the field. We mentioned QB above, but he also served as his team’s punter. According to his now official Cal bio, ESPN says “Morgan is a savvy defensive back prospect with good instincts and athleticism.”
California Golden Blogs currently has some in depth comments about their recruiting class in their open thread. Expect much more from them in the coming days on the newest Golden Bears. In the meantime, check out some video Cal Athletics recently posted.