A Message From Derek Morris

Derek Morris, a 6-foot-6, 342 pound, offensive lineman from North Carolina has a message for next years blue chip prospects.

Derek Morris, a 6-foot-6, 342 pound, offensive lineman from Huntersville, (NC) North Mecklenburg has eliminated two schools from his short list.

Morris, arguably the finest offensive line prospect in the nation said he’s no longer interested in Florida or Tennessee.

The Gators were suppose to get a visit from Morris but that changed with the departure of Steve Spurrier.

The Vols have been eliminated for personal reasons that Derek Morris Sr. wished to keep private and we’ll respect those wishes.

“Right now it’s Georgia and Ohio State.” Morris said. “Those two schools are out in front right now. If I had to pick one, I’d say that Georgia has a slight lead.

Coach (Mike) Bobo (Georgia) is a great guy. He’s genuine and I consider him a friend. If I decide to go to Ohio State, coach Bobo will always be a friend of mine and I’ll continue to keep in touch with him.

Coach Bobo has to be one of the best recruiters in the nation.

I really like Ohio State and (Head) coach (Jim) Tressel as well. Coach Tressel reminds me a lot of my head coach right now.”

I’ve had the chance to see Morris in action and he’s as good as advertised. He’s mature beyond his years and he’s going to be an instant impact player at the next level.

He should start as a true freshman. Morris compares favorably to former Buckeye great, Orlando Pace.

The Buckeye’s and Bulldogs aren’t the only schools still in the hunt.

“I’m also looking at North Carolina State (1-18) and I’ll either visit Oklahoma or Boston College with my last official visit.

I’ll probably go down to Chapel Hill (North Carolina) as well. If I visit Oklahoma on an official, I may go to Boston College on an unofficial visit.”

Derek Morris has a message for all the underclassmen that will be highly recruited next season.

“Don’t commit early. Wait and go through the recruiting process. I thank God everyday that I went through the recruiting process.

Look what happened to me. Georgia Tech was my first offer. I loved Georgia Tech and they were high on my list. Next thing I know, coach (George) O’Leary left and went to Notre Dame.

I loved Notre Dame. I grew up a Notre Dame fan, just ask my Dad. I watched Notre Dame every Saturday. I loved Lou Holtz and I always wanted to go to school there. They were recruiting me and the next thing I know, Bob Davie was fired.

I was going to visit Florida and the next thing I knew, coach Spurrier resigned.

I was talking to my coach the other day. We were both talking about how lucky I was that I didn’t commit early.”

Morris says that he’s actually had an enjoyable recruitment experience.

“I talk to a lot of other guys on official visits and I ask them why they committed early. Most tell me because they didn’t want all the phone calls or whatever.

I have no problem with it. I’d rather go through the process and be 100% sure about my decision.

Like I said before, I thank God everyday that I didn’t commit early. My grandmother always tells me not to rush things and that I should be patient.” Morris will make his verbal commitment on signing day.

I’m going to announce my decision at school and after that I’m going to fly to Atlanta to tell the rest of the county my decision on “Countdown to Signing Day”.

Countdown to Signing Day is hosted by nationally recognized and respected recruiting/analyst, Jamie Newberg.

Jamie Newberg covers Southeast Recruiting for theInsiders.com Network.