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Huskies Working Arizona DB Pipeline Hard in Pursuit of Benjamin Morrison

The much sought-after Phoenix cornerback has the UW among his 10 finalists.
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The University of Washington is furiously working that Arizona defensive-back connection once more, showing up in the top 10 choices for Benjamin Morrison, a 4-star cornerback from Phoenix.

In this case, the Huskies have made significant inroads with him because of the family history involved — Morrison's sister Faith was a UW gymnast from 2014-16.

The 6-foot, 172-pound Morrison, who's the son of former University of Arizona and NFL safety Darryl Morrison, describes himself as a homebody. Yet he says the Huskies have recruited him the hardest so far and they easily fit within his geographic comfort zone.

"Washington is another home school to me," he told Sports360AZ. "My sister went there. We know the area. We know people up there. They know that, and they know if they can win my mom over, they can win me over."

Catch the rest of that interview right here.

This week, Morrison narrowed his choices to the following: Florida State, Michigan, Michigan state, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, UCLA and Washington.

Like most DB recruits, the 6-foot, 172-pound cornerback from Brophy College Preparatory is well-versed in the UW secondary success for developing players and making them ready for the NFL. 

Arizona defensive backs who have come to Seattle include Byron Murphy (Saguaro High School), Dominique Hampton (Centennial) and Jacobe Covington (Saguaro). 

"I remember watching Jacobe Covington in 7-on-7 and he was this tall, skinny kid," Morrison said. "He's really developed, looking at him on Instagram. That could be me one day."

Morrison's family, which includes four siblings, is heavily involved in athletics. Besides his older sister and father — with the latter spending four seasons (1993-96) with the now unnamed Washington NFL team — his brother Sam played football for Arizona and San Diego State; his sister Grace is a volleyball player for Appalachian State, and his youngest sister Naomi is a gymnast at Michigan.

As a Brophy sophomore, Benjamin Morrison appeared in 10 games and came up with the following stat line: 42 tackles, including 32 solo; 2 interceptions, 7 defended passes and a blocked punt. He also returned 4 kickoffs for 141 yards.

In a pandemic-shortened junior season, he played in 7 games and picked up 36 tackles, including 3 for loss, and blocked 2 field goals. 

As part of the class of 2022, Morrison is considered an unselfish team leader on the field with a knack for anticipating plays.

"In mid-game, he will yell the play to me and tell me exactly where the ball is going," Brophy teammate Matthew Diaz told Sports360AZ, "and it's always right."

The UW offered Morrison a scholarship last May, a development that his former Husky gymnast sister Faith weighed in on immediately.

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven

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