QB Chandler Morris lands at Oklahoma
CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
THE SITUATION
Chandler Morris privately signed with a team during the Early Signing Period, and on Thursday he revealed his decision to the world.
The three-star Highland Park (Texas) quarterback revealed that he'll be a Sooner in 2020.
"I love Coach (Lincoln) Riley and his staff," Morris told Rivals before Thanksgiving. "They do things the right way and they have success on the field. The players love playing for him. They have a lot of heart, and when you have a lot of heart, your players like playing for you. ... I love that staff and I love Coach Riley. ... He's been really respectful and he knows this whole thing blindsided me, at a busy time of the year, so he's really respecting my time and I thank him for that."
HOW IT UNFOLDED
Oklahoma was among the favorites for Morris early on in his recruitment, but with his dad being the Head Hog at the start of the year, there was no other team that could surpass the opportunity to play for and be coached by Chad Morris.
Of course, things fell through when Morris was fired by Arkansas and Chandler quickly backed off his commitment. Oklahoma, Auburn, Southern Cal and Virginia Tech emerged as the favorites right away, but his longstanding relationship with Riley was critical.
Morris made visits to Auburn and Virginia Tech, and the fact that the Tigers hired his father as the offensive coordinator was certainly a reason why they were immersed as a finalist. The Hokies have been hitting the Lone Star State hard and were able to get a visit from Morris, but the late push wasn't enough. It's a similar tale for Texas native Graham Harrell and USC, which offered late but never even got a visit after Morris decommitted from the Razorbacks.
In the end, it was the Sooners and Tigers going head-to-head for Morris, who trusted in his relationship with Oklahoma and Riley's offense, which has seen a bevy of first-round picks and Heisman Trophy candidates emerge recently. Additionally, Oklahoma's 2020 class was still without a quarterback for much of the cycle and the need was there.
RIVALS REACTION
Morris is undersized, and that's naturally the biggest knock on the future Sooner. However, the success of shorter Oklahoma quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray should inspire confidence that Morris can also have success operating in Riley's spread-out offense, which bears a ton of similarities to the system at Highland Park.
The best part of Morris' game is his accuracy. He has a case as the most accurate passer in the state, and when he's in rhythm it's difficult to slow him down. Morris throws with excellent anticipation and usually can hit his receivers in stride. He doesn't have the strongest arm, but he has the ability to make every throw with the right amount of zip or touch, which speaks volumes about his ceiling at Oklahoma.
Morris is also very effective as a runner, and in two different games watched this past season he made a ton of noise with his mobility and ability to take off if a play breaks down.