Morrison follows his dream to Iowa
Waukee linebacker Jake Morrison dreamed of playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes and that had a large role in this senior accepting an opportunity to walk-on in Iowa City. We caught up with the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Morrison to discuss his decision.
Q: Why did you commit to Iowa?
MORRISON: A lot of schools were playing the waiting game with me in the recruiting process and Iowa was very straightforward with me and what I could become. They have coaches there who believe in their players and that's why I want to play football there. Plus, it's my dream school and I've always wanted to be a Hawkeye.
Q: Did you grow up a Hawkeye fan? Did they factor in?
MORRISON: I grew up liking the Hawks and have been to a bunch of games at Kinnick. That did impact my decision a bit, but the coaching staff, especially Coach Morgan was the thing that made me believe that was the right place for me.
Q: How important were the coaches in your final decision?
MORRISON: Coach Morgan is a very straightforward, honest guy. He has more experience than anybody I've met with and he's very easy to talk to. Coach Doyle has shown in the past that he can transform athletes and Coach Morgan believes I can be a big-time player if I stick to their system. He said he sees a little Josey Jewell in me and I believe I can get to that level with the help of these coaches.
Q: Do they know what specifically where u will start your career at?
MORRISON: They see me starting as a linebacker but say I could be changing my position to where they need me based on how I develop my body.
Q: What other schools did you consider?
MORRISON: Iowa State, who has one of the best coaching staffs in college football, and UNI because they have great coaches too. Yale was also in contact with me, but I chose to take a different path. Plus, there were multiple DII offers.
Q: What stood out at Iowa over those other programs?
MORRISON: The coaches mainly. Iowa State had great coaches as well and their program is going to blow up in the next couple years, but like I said, I grew up a Hawkeye and I wanted to follow that dream.
Q: What was the hardest part of recruiting?
MORRISON: Dealing with the mind games a lot of recruiters played. The recruiting process is fun, but it can be hard at times with certain coaches. Again, Iowa and Coach Morgan were straight forward with me and I respect them for that.
Q: Waukee has a few other soon to be Hawkeyes in this class. Did you talk to them about college and did that affect your decision at all?
MORRISON: We all made our own decisions. We all had other options but chose the Hawks. I am pumped up for sure to play with my teammates and am very happy they chose Iowa.
Q: How long has Iowa been recruiting you?
MORRISON: Iowa has been in contact with me since the beginning of my senior season. I went to camps there over the summer and got some attention there as well.
As a senior, Morrison led Waukee with 50 tackles, 15.5 TFL, and 10.5 sacks this past season.
See highlights from Morrison's senior year in the video below.
Iowa's Class of 2018 walk-ons:
Colton Dinsdale- 6-foot-0, 212-pound LB from Reinbeck, IA (Iowa Western)
Nick Anderson- 6-foot-3, 230-pound LB from Waukee, IA (Iowa Western)
Matt Fagan- 6-foot-5, 265-pound OL from Council Bluffs, IA (St. Albert)
Turner Pallissard- 6-foot-2, 220-pound FB from Frankfort, IL (Lincoln-Way East)
Blair Brooks- 6-foot-3, 190-pound WR from Marion, IA (Marion)
Connor Ruth- 6-foot-0, 215-pound FB from Seward, NE (Seward)
Kordell Stillmunkes- 5-foot-9, 180-pound WR from Cuba City, WI (Cuba City)
Luke Empen- 6-foot-7, 230-pound TE from Goose Lake, IA (Northeast)
Mitchell Riggs- 6-foot-2, 215-pound LB from West Des Moines, IA (Dowling)
Kyle Sorensen- 6-foot-6, 250-pound OL from Waukee, IA (Waukee)
Nathan Nelson- 6-foot-4, 230-pound DE from Waukee, IA (Waukee)
Mike Timm- 6-foot-1, 220-pound LB from Wales, WI (Kettle Moraine)
John Carlson- 6-foot-4, 190-pound LB from Bondurant, IA (Bondurant-Farrar)
Joe Evans- 6-foot-3, 210-pound LB from Ames, IA (Ames)
Brian Sadler- 6-foot-2, 280-pound OL from Jesup, IA (Jesup)
Jake Morrison- 6-foot-3, 215-pound LB from Waukee, IA (Waukee)