Last year, CollegeLevelAthletes.com was on the sidelines in a Taft loss to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) when Morgan dazzled spectators as he ran for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns on 19 carries. This was definitely Morgan's best performance of the 2009 season. On a 69 yard touchdown run, Morgan was nearly tackled behind the line of scrimmage, but he made two players miss with a few ankle-breaking moves and instantaneously hit top gear on his way to pay dirt. Morgan, like USC freshman Dillon Baxter who enrolled at Southern Cal in the spring, is one of the most explosive high school players in the class of 2010, but his top-end speed is what makes him so electric when he gets the ball in his hands.
As a junior, Morgan compiled 1,841 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns, along with 583 yards receiving and 7 TDs. Morgan, a three-year varsity player, amassed 4,479 yards on the ground, with 56 touchdowns in his prep career, in addition to 1,069 yards receiving and 12 touchdown receptions. With numbers like these, it's not hard to see why Morgan was regarded as one of the nation's top recruits last year. Unfortunately, Morgan's football season was ended prematurely in his senior year as a result of a knee injury that required surgery.
In 2010, the USC incoming freshman is working extremely hard to regain his swagger. Morgan was heralded as one of the top all-purpose student-athletes in the class of 2010 last season before he suffered a torn ligament in his knee and a partial tear of the meniscus during a first round playoff game against Garfield High School. Morgan is six months out of his knee injury and says he wants nothing more but to be on the field and contribute for the Trojans this Fall. In regards to whether or not he'll redshirt as a freshman, Morgan said, "I don't know yet, they don't know yet. They're just going to see how I am there… If I'm doing well, and if they're planning on playing me I probably won't redshirt… I'm pretty sure they're gonna have the last say."
For many USC recruits, the recent NCAA sanctions have resulted in a reaction of mixed emotions. An article from the Bleacher Report suggests that Morgan could be a potential transfer possibility as a result of the uproar caused by the NCAA sanctions, however, Morgan clearly states otherwise. "I actually go up to the school very often and check on my financial aid and all of my other stuff that I need to be cleared to start there," said the Taft senior running back. "I believe that… you know, we're still gonna be probably one of the best teams, if not the best, but you know, we just lose out on that last game. I'm not really worried cuz a bowl game is just one game and we have the rest of our whole season to prove who we are," Morgan told CollegeLevelAthletes.com yesterday.
Morgan acknowledged that a few recruits he's spoken with from the incoming class of 2010 were caught off guard by the NCAA sanctions, and said, "I talked to somebody last night at like one (o'clock) in the morning, he called me… He was sayin' like… 'It sucks, but you know we already signed and we might as well continue on with what we're doing," Morgan said. Once Morgan makes a complete recovery from his knee surgery, look for the 2009 U.S. Army All-American to captivate stadiums across the country with his abilities on the gridiron. "I'm tryin' to do my best to get back to 100%… I just plan on going and rehabbing day and night up at USC and liftin' weights to get bigger and stronger for the college competition," he says. Look for more recruiting news, stories and exclusive interviews from CollegeLevelAthletes.com & CLA Sports.
D.J. Morgan 69 yard touchdown vs. Notre Dame
D.J. Morgan Interview (6/17/2010)
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