GREAT article on ESPN on Alec Morris...

Alabama correct choice for Morris
Alec Morris, Alabama's lone QB signee in 2012, sought tips from former Tide player

By Alex Scarborough
TideNation
Archive

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Before Alec Morris ever committed to the University of Alabama, he had a conversation with another Texas quarterback who took a similar path years earlier.

It was early August and Morris, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound signal caller from Allen, Texas, had a choice to make. He had just received an unexpected offer from the Tide and, although already committed to Wake Forest, he wrestled with the idea of playing for coach Nick Saban. Alabama seemed the way to go, but he had to be certain. So before he called Saban to give him the good news, he dialed up former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy for direction.

What was it like playing at Alabama? What was it like playing for Saban? No one would know the answers better than McElroy, the former two-year starter and national championship quarterback for the Tide.

"We talked a little bit before I committed," Morris said of the conversation. "He just asked if I was committed to Wake Forest and said you need to do what's right for you, and if that's at Wake Forest then that's where you need to go. Then he said if Alabama's right for you, then you need to take the necessary steps to become a part of that.

"I really heard what he had to say. It was some great advice, and it helped me out a ton."

Morris bears a striking resemblance to McElroy that goes beyond a shared position on the football field. They're mirror images of one another with their fair skin and short copper hair. They're both big-time Texas quarterbacks who stand tall in the pocket and have good raw ability. And both were committed to other schools -- Morris to Wake Forest and McElroy to Texas Tech -- before the lure of the crimson-soaked tradition of Alabama took hold.

"I had gone down there and worked out for the coaches at the camp, and I could already tell the basics of what was going on down there," Morris said of his first visit to the Tuscaloosa campus. "Athletics wise, it's very intense. Obviously it's a storied program that's serious about winning football games. (McElroy) just told me that it was awesome and that he thoroughly enjoyed himself there and he made a great decision going to play there."

About a week after talking it over with McElroy, Morris committed to play for the Crimson Tide. He ended up the only quarterback in the 2012 signing class.

While Morris understands his career inevitably will be juxtaposed with McElroy's, he said he'd like to earn being in the same breath with a championship quarterback.

"I'm not sure if I would necessarily compare myself to him now," Morris said. "I've got a lot to prove before I get that comparison thrown around."

Allen High offensive coordinator Jeff Fleener acknowledged that Morris' decision to go to Alabama was a relatively easy one even without the telephone conversation with McElroy, noting that Morris is a great fit for the Tide. Allen describes Morris as an "extremely coachable" quarterback who puts the time in the film room to get better. Fleener added that Morris has the right mindset to do well in a Saban inspired offense.

"He's not a kid that has any issues being coached hard," Fleener said. "He understands the number one priority is to take care of the football."

Like McElroy in 2007, Morris comes out of high school as a low-profile prospect, a three-star quarterback with only a handful of college offers. Morris has average mobility, the tendency to get lost in his mechanics and lock in on receivers -- the same knocks that plagued McElroy out of Southlake High. But unlike McElroy, Morris has a top-tier arm. His intelligence attracted the Alabama coaching staff at first, but his strength throwing the ball sealed the deal. Fleener told the story of Morris attending an Alabama camp over the summer and wowing the coaching staff with one final heave.

"As the day went on, he started to take more and more reps," Fleener said. "At the end of the day Coach Saban asked him to get on his knees and throw the ball as far as he could. He threw it 55 yards, which I believe was a camp record."

Said Fleener: "More than 50 coaches have come here to see Alec and the only issue that anyone could ever tell me was that they couldn't understand why he didn't have an offer. ... Fundamentally he's as sound as you can find. I think he's a great steal for Alabama."

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