Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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92 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW guard Quenton Nelson were the crown jewels of Notre Dame's 2014 recruiting class. Nelson received the highest ranking among the Fighting Irish recruits from Rivals (No. 29), while Morgan — a USA Today first-team All- America selection — was second (No. 72). In fact, Morgan was a rare consensus top-100 recruit by all the major recruiting services, including No. 34 by Scout, where he was awarded the fifth star. So why couldn't Morgan get on the field in 2015? The elementary response from the coaching staff was two-fold: Schmidt was still the better and more knowledgeable football player, and he was a leader who could elevate teammates. "It was more of a product of his intelligence and he was going to be in the right spot," Notre Dame linebackers coach Mike Elston said this spring when asked why Schmidt was the starter. "Athletically he struggled at times in space to make plays and everybody saw it, but the tradeoff was he was going to be in the right spot and get other guys around him in the right spot." From what Morgan demonstrated this spring, he will not be a liability in those aspects in 2016. "His communication is much improved," Elston said. "He's playing very physical. His leadership is much improved. He's going to be a really good cover linebacker. I don't see Nyles leaving the field on third down either, unless a guy like James [Onwualu] develops into that role, or a guy like Greer [Martini]. "Nyles is a good penetrating rusher, too, where Joe wasn't. When you bring him, you're going to feel something. And so we've got that going on third down, too." Competition within is what often brings out the best in an athlete, but for Morgan his confidence and development have soared because he now knows the position is all his. "Now he needs to bring other people with him," Elston said. "… He understands what other guys around him are supposed to do now, whereas before he was just learning what the Mike linebacker was supposed to do. So his communication wasn't at the level it needed to be. "Now he knows what the D-linemen in front of him are supposed to do; he knows what the secondary is supposed to do." The Defense's New 'Old Soul' Even as a freshman in 2012, future Notre Dame two-time captain Sheldon Day was described by Diaco as an "old soul" because of the perspective and wisdom he displayed beyond his years. Now that Day is moving on to the NFL, his "old soul" successor could well be Morgan. In recent years back in his Crete, Ill., home, Morgan and his father, Thomas — a former linebacker for the Western Illinois Leathernecks — have gone to area shelters to help folks in need, from helping prepare food to mopping floors or other tasks. The purpose is to understand daily blessings, appreciate humility and receive through giving. So when VanGorder has vociferously been on Morgan the past two years to elevate his game and football knowledge, the staff admired — and was even amazed at — how well Morgan could take "hard coaching." Kelly described Morgan as one of the more thick-skinned young players he's seen and a relentless bull when it comes to never backing down. "I feel like the things I've been through or seen in my life are a lot worse than someone yelling at me," said Morgan, opting not to share the hardships he's seen. "That didn't faze me because I could see through his yelling … I get the whole thing why. I always stayed strong and always learned from him every time I did something wrong. "It comes from how I was raised. Thank God for my mother and father. Things I had to go through in my past — the world is a lot colder than football. I'd rather deal with the stresses of this than the things I've seen in my life. I can take all this. I know how cold things can really get." During the freshman Morgan's time in the starting lineup, the makeshift and ravaged defense faltered in consecutive losses to Arizona State (55-31), Northwestern (43-40 in overtime), Louisville (31-28) and USC (49-14) before upending LSU in the Music City Bowl (31-28). With Schmidt in the lineup, Notre Dame was 7-1 and much more of a force defensively. Minus Schmidt, it finished 1-4. That's how Schmidt became the recipient of the Team MVP award, despite playing in only seven and a half games. It is Morgan's turn in 2016 to combine Schmidt's leadership and knowledge with his own physical prowess. "Impressive," replied VanGorder halfway through this spring when asked about Morgan's growth. "How he's persevered, how he's shown toughness, went through some hard times. This is his time. He's done a really good job. "I think he's a much different middle linebacker right now relative to the other players' trust. His communication has been solid." At 245 pounds, Morgan also is 20 pounds heavier than when he enrolled, further enhancing his ultra-physical nature. "[He's] bringing that physicality to Manti Te'o (left) and Jaylon Smith (right) both went from being Freshman All-Americans to Butkus Award winners as the nation's top linebacker, a feat Morgan is capable of duplicating. TE'O PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA/SMITH PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Morgan was a crown jewel in Notre Dame's 2014 recruiting class because of the program's huge need at linebacker. COVER PHOTO COURTESY TIMES OF NORTHWEST INDIANA