Is it fair to say Larry Johnson owns the state of Maryland? Penn State landed their ninth verbal commitment, and fourth from Maryland, when Greenbelt defensive back Stephon Morris committed to LJ Sr during his unofficial visit to State College this weekend. Morris is teammates with fellow Nittany Lion verbal commit Derrick Thomas. Both players attend Eleanor Roosevelt High School which is the alma mater of Derrick WIlliams.
Morris stands 5'9" 175 lbs but runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and is projected to play cornerback for the Nittany Lions. He's the fifth defensive back to commit for the class of 2009. Morris passed up other offers from Illinois, Louisville, and Rutgers. Once again, so much for settling for Rutgers' leftovers. Psssh.
Recently Morris has really begun to make a name for himself on the camp scene. He attended the BigTime Showcase camp at Rutgers University and took home the Defensive Back MVP as well as the Overall Defensive MVP. He also attended the State College Nike Camp and was in the running for the MVP award there as well. He may be small, but he isn't afraid to mix it up with taller wide receivers. He has all the appearances of a very fundamentally sound cornerback as this YouTube highlight video demonstrates.
I love watching those wide receivers with six inches and 30 pounds on him get tossed aside after thinking they have an easy blocking assignment. I'm also impressed with how he uses his body to block his man. His short center of gravity gives him the ability to change direction and control his speed. His size will probably limit him to three stars on the recruiting sites, but personally I think we got a great one here. Welcome to the family, Stephon.