'A lot of schools missed out': Kentucky native Tanner Morgan winning big for Gophers

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BleedGopher

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per the Louisville Courier Journal:

Over four years as a starter at both Hazard High and then Ryle, Morgan racked up ridiculous passing statistics — over 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns — but other numbers had a greater influence on his college recruitment process: 247 Sports listed him at 6-foot-1, not a dazzling height for a quarterback, especially one clocked at 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

“Coach said there were a lot of coaches that told him I was a little bit short, but it is what it is,” Morgan told The Courier Journal. “And I’m very thankful that it happened because it all led to me being here and being at the elite University of Minnesota.”

Power 5 coaches and even some in the Mid-American Conference told Ryle coach Michael Engler that Morgan was too short to play for them. Kentucky never offered Morgan, for example, and while Louisville did offer, it did not heavily pursue him.

“I bet you some of the other schools around here that didn’t recruit him that need quarterbacks are probably shooting themselves in the foot now for not recruiting him,” Engler said.

https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...tucky-native-tanner-morgan-excels/2569089001/

Go Gophers!!
 

5.1? I mean TM is slow, but he doesn't look that slow to me.
 

Jeshurun said:
5.1? I mean TM is slow, but he doesn't look that slow to me.
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5.1 sounds a bit slower than I'd have guessed, but I wouldn't expect him to be faster than 4.8. He does not have quick feet when he takes off.
 

Keep proving them wrong Tanner. Best MN QB since....

Just a sophomore.
 

Is Drew Brees significantly taller and/or faster than Tanner Morgan?

If not, I'm thinking that means that maybe... just maybe... 'measurables' can be a bit overrated when it comes to judging QBs.
 



I kind of get the metrics at the NFL level but I don't understand schools using height as a reason not to recruit a college QB. You can find so many examples of shorter guys doing well at QB in college. Far fewer examples to draw from in the NFL.

Good news for us is that his height and speed will keep him from being a top NFL target and probably ensures he will be here through his senior season.
 

Tanner is no burner, but I’ll bet he’s a little faster than 5.1.

Anyway, he’s already learning to do what Brees didn’t learn until a few years into his NFL career....get the ball out your hands quickly. I can’t remember the last time I felt like he held on to the ball too long. The other thing he doesn’t do very often is throw the ball away. His receivers are either open, or he tries to get it to them in tight coverage.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Brees' combine results.

http://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Drew&l=Brees&i=5788
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So... Brees is/was slightly shorter and slightly faster than Morgan.

Then again, Morgan's 40 time wasn't timed at the combine; maybe it was from his high school days? Chances are he's developed physically since then, and, if invited to the combine he (like Brees) would have an opportunity to train specifically for it.

My point: there's not much difference — negligible difference, really — in height and in speed. Those numbers haven't held Brees back. He's a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

I don't know if Morgan will play in the NFL, but his relative lack of height and foot speed shouldn't be enough, by themselves, to disqualify him from playing pro ball. And they obviously have not been an impediment to him becoming an excellent Big Ten QB.
 



I would guess it's pretty difficult to notice the difference between guys running speeds on the field, with pads and helmet on and carrying the ball, unless it's a pretty significant difference (like half a second or more).
 

PitinoFan said:
Tanner is no burner, but I’ll bet he’s a little faster than 5.1.

Anyway, he’s already learning to do what Brees didn’t learn until a few years into his NFL career....get the ball out your hands quickly. I can’t remember the last time I felt like he held on to the ball too long. The other thing he doesn’t do very often is throw the ball away. His receivers are either open, or he tries to get it to them in tight coverage.
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True, but the thing I have liked most about Morgan is that he rarely seems to make super risky throws. He will definitely try to fit into some tight windows but it usually seems to be in a way that either our guy is catching it or nobody is. With a young QB this is huge because those guys tend to be the ones that will make the risky throw that leads to a bad INT.
 


MNVCGUY said:
True, but the thing I have liked most about Morgan is that he rarely seems to make super risky throws. He will definitely try to fit into some tight windows but it usually seems to be in a way that either our guy is catching it or nobody is. With a young QB this is huge because those guys tend to be the ones that will make the risky throw that leads to a bad INT.
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That’s exactly right. Since we’re talking about Brees, he was an interception machine much of the time in college. Brees carried that team on his back, but he wasn’t nearly as efficient as Morgan has been.
 



PitinoFan said:
That’s exactly right. Since we’re talking about Brees, he was an interception machine much of the time in college. Brees carried that team on his back, but he wasn’t nearly as efficient as Morgan has been.
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Good QBs in general have gotten significantly more efficient in the 10-15 years.
 

MnplsGopher said:
I would guess it's pretty difficult to notice the difference between guys running speeds on the field, with pads and helmet on and carrying the ball, unless it's a pretty significant difference (like half a second or more).
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You'd be surprised how much of a difference .2 seconds makes in on field speed. Though there are some exceptions who play faster/slower than their 40 time would indicate.
 


BeerFueledFF said:
Good QBs in general have gotten significantly more efficient in the 10-15 years.
Click to expand...

Less severe than but somewhat similar to the NFL the officiating war on defenses has taken a toll. The advent of the spread and RPO and their eventual schematic adoption by the blue chip teams with elite athletes has helped to fuel the video game numbers. Baylor for example was an absolute run and pass machine while Briles was in charge despite pretty average talent. There are many other examples.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Less severe than but somewhat similar to the NFL the officiating war on defenses has taken a toll. The advent of the spread and RPO and their eventual schematic adoption by the blue chip teams with elite athletes has helped to fuel the video game numbers. Baylor for example was an absolute run and pass machine while Briles was in charge despite pretty average talent. There are many other examples.
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Those are all significant factors, plus there is a growing trend where coaches seem to be asking for less risky throws in general.
 

BeerFueledFF said:
Probably not, a lot of players are shorter than their HS/College lists them at.
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I think PMwinST and I pegged him between 6 foot to 6 foot 1. I’d guess 6 1/2 inch having stood near him. He argued 6 foot flat IIRC.
 

RememberMurray said:
So... Brees is/was slightly shorter and slightly faster than Morgan.

Then again, Morgan's 40 time wasn't timed at the combine; maybe it was from his high school days? Chances are he's developed physically since then, and, if invited to the combine he (like Brees) would have an opportunity to train specifically for it.

My point: there's not much difference — negligible difference, really — in height and in speed. Those numbers haven't held Brees back. He's a future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

I don't know if Morgan will play in the NFL, but his relative lack of height and foot speed shouldn't be enough, by themselves, to disqualify him from playing pro ball. And they obviously have not been an impediment to him becoming an excellent Big Ten QB.
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Agree with everything you say. IMHO there is a distinction between quickness and speed. Everything about Tanner impresses me as being quick - quick reads, quick feet, quick release. Quickness and fast 40 times do not always go hand-in-hand. If I could only choose either speed or quickness for a qb, would go quickness every time. Has Tanner even run for 20 yards on a given play, much less 40? (As I now post a "quick" reply)
 

cemba99 said:
Agree with everything you say. IMHO there is a distinction between quickness and speed. Everything about Tanner impresses me as being quick - quick reads, quick feet, quick release. Quickness and fast 40 times do not always go hand-in-hand. If I could only choose either speed or quickness for a qb, would go quickness every time. Has Tanner even run for 20 yards on a given play, much less 40? (As I now post a "quick" reply)
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His career long is 17 yards against GSU
 

Even if TM would've end up at another school, they wouldn't have Fleck's way of developing him. TM may have the innate ability and tangeables, but they needed to be brought out, taught, made aware of, and developed. Other coaches most likely would not be as successful as Fleck in developing TM.
 

Yah-E said:
Even if TM would've end up at another school, they wouldn't have Fleck's way of developing him. TM may have the innate ability and tangeables, but they needed to be brought out, taught, made aware of, and developed. Other coaches most likely would not be as successful as Fleck in developing TM.
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This is an interesting comment. I tend to agree with you. The guy I always felt sorry for was Adam Weber. I think Weber really could have used a coach like Fleck to bring him to the next level and I think he would have been much more successful. (Of course having Eric Decker as a WR didn't hurt!!) Weber played under a head coach who did not know what he was doing and had to play under different offensive coordinators that changed the offense completely around each year. Can u imagine how much time this kid spent studying new playbooks every year? I don't know any QB that had to play under that type of circus every year.....I bet Weber would have thrived under this coaching staff!
 

Yah-E said:
Even if TM would've end up at another school, they wouldn't have Fleck's way of developing him. TM may have the innate ability and tangeables, but they needed to be brought out, taught, made aware of, and developed. Other coaches most likely would not be as successful as Fleck in developing TM.
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We have absolutely no way of knowing that for sure. Perhaps it's another moo point?
 

Totally random thought: has anyone else ever noticed that the O’Brien award depicts a poor throwing motion?
 

The big question is his spiral spin rate.
 

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