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Morrison Chooses Notre Dame over Huskies, Alabama

The Arizona cornerback decides not to follow his gymnast sister to the UW.
Dan Raley|
Morrison Chooses Notre Dame over Huskies, Alabama
Morrison Chooses Notre Dame over Huskies, Alabama

Benjamin Morrison, another one of those Arizona defensive backs that the University of Washington so covets, decided on Thursday he would not become another Byron Murphy, Dom Hampton or Jacobe Covington.

The cornerback from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix chose Notre Dame over Alabama and the Huskies. 

While recruiting setbacks are part of the process for every program -- note the Crimson Tide didn't win this one either -- Morrison's commitment to the Fighting Irish was particularly painful for Jimmy Lake's team. 

Morrison, a 4-star recruit, hit all the check marks for what the Huskies desire in a defensive back. 

He's the son of a former NFL safety Darryl Morrison.

At 6-foot and 172 pounds, he has ideal size for a corner.

He's mature for his age, driven to succeed in everything he does.

And there was a previous family connection, with his sister Faith a Husky gymnast from 2014-16.

Notre Dame, however, made the biggest impression on a player who could have taken a scholarship from nearly any major program nationwide.

Morrison was so highly regarded, Sports Illustrated All-American had him rated among the nation's best corners and even nickel backs. The SI assessment, also found here with other candidates, on the young Arizonan went as follows:

Also under strong nickel consideration, Morrison is a complete secondary prospect. His frame and athleticism can handle work on the outside, he has some ball skills and is also plenty willing to play physical as needed. The build combines with the fluidity to show off the potential of him to line up in more places throughout a college secondary than perhaps any other on this list. It doesn't take much imagination to see Morrison over the slot, in the boundary or as a field corner working against the opponent's top threat. 

The Huskies had every chance to land Morrison, hosting him in Seattle on his final visit at the end of June before the recruiting dead period set in. He even retweeted an inspirational UW video that featured Trent McDuffie describing the program approach.

Yet Notre Dame won this battle for a desired recruit.

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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