Grant Morgan: Path To The NFL Draft

By Callum Squires

The Arkansas Razorbacks have always, quite randomly, been a team I liked to cheer for. I have zero ties to that state, or that university, but I’ve always found have a large feral pig as a mascot to be both humorous and endearing. They’re also in the best College Football conference in the country, which makes their games usually of high quality – not to mention with significant stakes on the line.

Arkansas’ superstar in this year’s draft is without doubt WR Treylon Burks, who is himself drawing attention as a potential top 15 pick, and is predicted to have a fantastic career as an offensive weapon in the NFL. But don’t let the hype around Burks distract you from some of their other prospects; in particular, linebacker Grant Morgan.

Morgan has been a standout on the Razorbacks’ defense, and capped a historic career with an incredible 2021 season – his second consecutive year with 100+ tackles. Morgan’s senior season was a good one for the Razorbacks as a team, with a 9-4 record, including victories over #15 (at the time) Texas and #7 Texas A&M, plus victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl. But, listing his accolades is only scratching the surface of his story…

An un-fancied prospect coming out of high school, Morgan has transformed himself from a preferred walk-an at Arkansas into a name that is known and respected nationwide. Morgan’s achievements enabled him to win the prestigious Burlsworth trophy, awarded annually to the best FBS player who began his career as a walk-on. Multiple former winners of this trophy are now NFL stalwarts.

As Morgan now sets his sights on the NFL draft, he sat down with me to discuss his journey to this point, and what makes him who he is.

Childhood Dreams

Grant starring for Greenwood High School in Arkansas

Grant Morgan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but told me that Fayetteville, Arkansas became what he deems as “home” after more than 20 relocations during his childhood. Having bounced around so much, I suggested to Morgan that it might have been difficult to hone his skills going from place to place with no consistency of coaching, but he brushed that idea aside. Arriving in Arkansas towards the end of high school, Morgan was determined to make himself the best player in the state, and take advantage of the opportunities that would come alongside that: 

“It was never really a challenge to play it (football). It made me outgoing, it made me have to be able to say: ‘Listen, if this is my only year of football here in (for example) Wichita, Kansas, then I need to make sure I’m the best one here.” 

Aside from sports, Morgan had an interesting second desire for what he wanted to do with his life: “I played every sport growing up, but my biggest passion besides football was that I wanted to be a doctor.” Morgan’s intelligence off the field should not be underestimated. Having majored in Pre-Med Kinesiology at the Undergraduate level, and completed a Masters in Operations Management, Morgan applied and got into numerous Medical Schools in the US, but instead decided the NFL opportunity was too good to turn down: “That’s what I wanted to do. I know school’s always gonna be there, but this is my time for football.” Perhaps Morgan can team up with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif in the future.

Familial Ties

Grant with his brother Drew. Credit: @grantmorgan15 (Twitter)

Morgan’s older brother Drew, himself a 4 year NFL veteran, played at Arkansas and set up the opportunity for Grant to follow in his footsteps: “I liked Arkansas growing up, and whenever I got an offer to be a preferred walk-on I wanted to prove that I could play in the best conference in the nation. So I felt like that was my best option, because I knew what I was capable of.” Morgan could have easily felt a sense of trepidation following in Drew’s successful footprints, but instead the challenge motivated Grant: 

“It wasn’t really that I wanted to follow in my brother’s footsteps. I always said: ‘If that’s where I go, I wanna be better than him;’ I wanted to be the best version of us that we can be. I wanted to make my own name. Everyone knew me as ‘Drew Morgan’s little brother.’ I wanted to be my own guy. Grant: The guy, who everyone looks at as THE Morgan.”

Nothing like some sibling rivalry to motivate yourself, aye? And yet, Grant acknowledges that Drew’s legacy actually contributed positively to his prospects, creating the opportunity for the younger Morgan to get a chance at Arkansas: “Definitely, him playing here (at Arkansas) helped me get in the door, because he was so aggressive, and so outgoing. Coach (Bret) Bielema who was head coach at the time said: ‘Listen, if we can get another Morgan here that’ll definitely help us.’ But once I got here, I took over and did it all for me.”

The "Walk-On" Label

Credit: 24/7 Sports

Being a walk-on is not the most glamorous way to enter the world of college football, with no scholarship and just a dream of even making that team, let alone carrying on to play the game at the professional level. But it CAN be done, as evidenced by the careers had by players like Stephen Gostkowski, Ziggy Ansah, Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, & Hunter Renfrow who were all former walk-ons. Hey, even JJ Watt technically walked on at Wisconsin… and perhaps most famously everyone’s favourite polarising QB Baker Mayfield (who, for the record, WILL bounce back and you can save these words for the end of next season).

Anyway, Morgan’s “walk-on” status definitely created a chip on his shoulder, but served as a huge motivating factor in pushing him to be the best version of himself possible, and realise his potential. 

“It really did bother me, being called a walk-on, when I was younger. I thought it was a negative term, because that’s what everyone described it as. I don’t think walk-on is a negative aspect anymore, it’s so positive to me now. So now looking back at it I’m glad I walked on; I’m glad I decided to prove everybody wrong.” And Morgan did just that, amassing 313 career total tackles across 58 games for the Razorbacks. 

“I was majorly pissed off that nobody else wanted me to be on their team. They’d say ‘Hey we’ll offer you a spot…’ but that was about it. That’s why I’m not real worried about what’s in the future because if you give me a spot, I’m gonna take it and run with it. That’s what I’ve done in the past, and that’s what I expect to do.”

The Scholarship Surprise

At Arkansas, ‘run with it’ he did. Morgan went all the way from not on the depth chart, to a key part of the defense, to picking up the captaincy (as voted by his teammates) for the last two years of his career, having become a full scholarship athlete in just his sophomore season.

One of my top 5 things in all of sports is seeing walk-on’s being surprised with the announcement that they’re being put on scholarship. It sits right alongside watching veterans returning home from war surprising their families as things that are GUARANTEED to make me at minimum tear up, or more than likely burst out into tears. Morgan himself was part of one such moment, with fellow teammates Conner Limpert & D’Vone McClure, and there was not a dry eye on my face. Arkansas’ Head Coach at the time, Chad Morris, asked for Limpert, McClure and Morgan to complete a snap, hold and field goal try, by way of showing to the team they had to be “ready for anything.” Let’s just say, the outcome was magical:

“When I go back and watch that video, my wife tears up everytime too. It’s funny because that day was probably the first time any of my teammates ever saw me cry. I’m not an emotional guy; I just felt like a weight was lifted off my chest that day. It was lifted off my family’s chest, because they didn’t have to worry about me any more. It’s a big difference with what scholarship kids get every month money-wise. I felt like I had accomplished something, with all the odds defying me. I was so excited to be able to have that.”

The video itself is jubilation encapsulated in the reaction of Morgan’s teammates, who go absolutely ballistic with cheering once the announcement is made. For a sport where fierce, aggressive competition – even between those on the same depth chart – is a requirement, it’s a beautiful moment of unity from that family of an Arkansas football team.

“It was great, the way he (Coach Morris) did it. I’ll forever be thankful for what he did, putting me on scholarship.”

N-I-L

The feather in Morgan’s “walk-on” cap? For me, it was the absolutely genius move to sign an NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal with the aptly named “Walk On’s” Restaurant. Synergy! You gotta love it. Morgan is a fan of the new rules which finally allow student-athletes to profit financially off their own likeness and successes, and equally be able to openly support causes they’re passionate about – using their name to generate awareness.

“One of the best things that NIL did for me was the networking and connections I was able to make. I think the biggest thing people don’t realise (is that)… student-athletes are able to have their name back. For instance, our kicker (Cam Little) is doing a huge donation fundraiser for Down Syndrome Connection – he wouldn’t be able to do that 3 years ago because he couldn’t have his name connected to anything like that. It all had to go through compliance and if it wasn’t approved according to Arkansas’ stuff then we wouldn’t be able to do it. Now, you’re seeing a lot more kids give back and using their name for good; this is something that should’ve been done a long time ago.”

Morgan’s selflessness in highlighting ways the NIL has given student-athletes the ability to help others, rather than line his own pockets, speaks volumes about the kind of man he is.

Burlsworth, Pro Day & The Journey

Grant Morgan with his wife Sydnie and The Burlsworth Trophy

Morgan was a two-time finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded annually to the best FBS Football player who began his career as a walk-on. He finished as a runner up in 2020, alongside a plethora of other accolades, including 1st Team All-SEC, and 2nd Team All-America recognition. In 2021, however, he wouldn’t be denied the trophy, winning it and also being named a finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award.

Morgan’s Pro Day at Arkansas received almost universal plaudits from experts and analysts alike, leaving scouts and NFL staffers impressed by the young man on the field, but even more so by how he carries himself off it. However, Morgan understandably refuses to get swept up by his own hype train:

“Pro Day was amazing, I trained, I had a great senior season, I’m a two-time captain. But I don’t wanna be that guy who gets so high on himself that when you do have something that doesn’t go your way, you’re heartbroken.” Morgan points to not winning the Burlsworth trophy the first time around as a motivational factor in keeping himself ground, before saying he redeemed himself by picking up that accolade the second time around. Don’t let the successes Morgan has enjoyed fool you into thinking that he’s forgotten where he came from, or those who helped him along the road:

“All the people that’ve had a hand in what I’ve done, the success that I’ve had, they should feel accomplished too, because I didn’t do this alone. I’m not a guy who’s gonna ever say ‘this is all because of me, I’m the reason I got here, no-one else.’ I’ve had a tremendous amount of luck, I’ve had a tremendous amount of help, I’ve had a tremendous amount of people in my life saying: ‘Listen, if you wanna be good, this is what you’ve gotta do’. All I did was listen, and give as hard as I could.”

Morgan’s humility is touching and sincere; he has a laid-back vibe whilst talking, which is a humorous juxtaposition to the hard-hitting, fearsome defender he is between the sidelines.

"From Undesirable, to Undeniable"

Morgan’s journey from unheralded Walk-On to serious NFL Draft prospect is a Cinderella story in some ways, but to pigeon-hole it into the “fairytale” category feels almost disrespectful to the work ethic, the grind, the effort that it took for Grant to make it to this point:

“There’s no secret formula as to how I got there; I just worked hard. I just tried to work harder than everyone else in the nation. I think it’s definitely like a badge of honour for me; just to be able to say what I’ve done in my career. No matter if I get drafted or if I get picked up – wherever I go, I’m gonna be excited.”

Leaving behind Arkansas (where, of course, there is no NFL team in the state), feels to me like it will be an emotional moment for Morgan, but not one that will be a permanent separation: “I definitely will cherish Arkansas, and Fayetteville specifically. This is the longest I’ve ever been anywhere in my life. This is home to me, this is home to my wife (Sydnie, Morgan’s high-school sweetheart), and wherever we end up, we’re always gonna say that Fayetteville holds a special place in our hearts.”

Morgan now awaits his fate over the draft and free agency period. I’ll be cheering hard hoping to hear his name called by Commissioner Goodell (or one of his minions) in Las Vegas next week. Morgan is an amazing example of what a student-athlete can be: truly elite at their sport, whilst graduating with both an undergraduate AND a masters degree – and being universally praised as a great human by all around them.

But – whatever happens – the Grant Morgan story will live on as proof to all  the under-recruited, seemingly second-thought student-athletes that with the right attitude, drive, and desire, you can prove the doubters wrong and reach the pinnacle of your chosen sport.

If you happen to be a WWE fan, you’ll have heard this line recently, but it fits Grant Morgan too perfectly for me not to borrow it right here:

“From undesirable, to undeniable.” – The Grant Morgan story.

Hollywood, start writing your scripts now, but don’t finalise them just yet. Grant has a few more chapters left to write…

CALLUM SQUIRES

NFL ANALYST

CALLUM IS FROM LONDON, BUT PLAYED COLLEGE SOCCER AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, WHERE HE LEARNED NEVER TO CHEER FOR THE COWBOYS. NOW RESIDING STATESIDE, CALLUM IS A LONG-SUFFERING DOLPHINS FAN WHO BELIEVES THE TUA HYPE. FIND HIM ON TWITTER @CALLUMJDSQUIRES

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A huge thank you to Grant for taking the time to talk to us. Everyone at The Touchdown wishes him well in his future career.