Notre Dame Signs Cornerback Benjamin Morrison
Notre Dame has signed 2022 Arizona cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
BENJAMIN MORRISON PROFILE
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
High School: Brophy Prep
Height: 6-1
Weight: 175
2021 Stats: 53 tackles, 2 interceptions
IB Grade: 4.0 (Top 100 caliber prospect)
Upside Grade: 5.0
Offers: Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, Washington, UCOA, Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Indiana, Iowa State, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, Washington State
Recruited By: Mike Mickens
Player Comp: Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
RECRUITING RANKINGS
Rivals: 4-star - No. 28 cornerback
247Sports: 4-star - No. 35 cornerback
ESPN: 4-star - No. 45 cornerback
On3: 3-star - No. 43 cornerback
Composite: 4-star - No. 330 overall - No. 35 cornerback
FILM ANALYSIS
There isn't a more underrated player in the defensive class than Morrison. I really don't know what I'm missing, or what others are missing. Morrison grades out as a Top 100 recruit on the IB Board, yet he's not even a Top 300 player according to others. I've watched his film over and over, and it's the same story every time, this is a big time cornerback.
Morrison is a very smooth and impressively fluid athlete. He possesses impressive foot quickness, fluid hips and his transitions are clean and quick. Morrison can change direction with ease, both when asked to plant and drive downhill and when asked to open up and run. His ability to quickly flip his hips, both with the initial stem and when handling double moves down the field is outstanding.
You will see Morrison playing off man, press man and zone coverage for Brophy Prep, and he thrives in each area. His length, athleticism, range (long speed) and instincts all fit extremely well to the field cornerback position. Morrison's instincts and tackling ability in space make his field cornerback fit even better, but the Brophy Prep star has the combination of size, athleticism and strength potential to play the boundary and in the slot as well.
The Brophy Prep standout is listed at 6-1 and 175 pounds, but he is long and he plays bigger than that. He's a strong tackler both from a pop standpoint and a technique standpoint. Morrison is thin and has room to add a lot of strength, but he already arrives at the football with force, and he does a great job going low and driving through the legs of ball carriers. You don't find many cornerbacks that can cover as well as he does but also be as forceful in the run game as he is.
Morrison has a good feel for the position, and his instincts in coverage are top-notch. There are some footwork and technical aspects of the position he'll need to continue improving and cleaning up, but his feel for the game stands out.
NOTRE DAME FIT
Morrison is the ideal Notre Dame cornerback. He's long, he can play man coverage at a high level and he's physical on the perimeter as both a run defender and against the screen game. As I mentioned above, Morrison has all the tools to be a strong boundary cornerback, where he can be a legit one-on-one player. He also has the range, football IQ, coverage skills and tackling ability to thrive as a field cornerback.
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