3-star safety Red Morgan commits to Florida State

Florida State first got involved in the recruitment of Phenix City (Ala.) Central three-star safety Red Morgan on March 10. Morgan visited Tuscaloosa with his 7-on-7 team, picked up an offer and immediately built a bond with the Seminoles coaching staff.

That bond has lasted and been built upon as Morgan announced his pledge to Florida State on Tuesday choosing the Seminoles over Alabama.

“In the end, what made Florida State different was the coaching staff, the energy, the defense and the feeling I had around the people,” Morgan told On3. “Coach (Mike) Norvell was a big factor too. He is taking Florida State back up and doing something different.

“We are going for the ACC championship this year and we are going to win a lot of games when I get there.”

The decision to commit to Florida State isn’t one that Morgan has been pledged to for awhile. For a long period of his recruitment, it was Alabama that led the way in his recruitment.

It wasn’t until he took an official visit on June 2 that Florida State took that top spot from the Crimson Tide. According to Morgan, that visit had everything he wanted to see.

“Being around the coaches and the players gave me that feeling,” said Morgan, the No. 503 player in the country. “The energy there was great and there was something about that feeling that was different. The coaches kept it real, they didn’t cut any corners and that stood out to me down there too.”

Seminoles coaching staff sealed the deal for Morgan

Arguably the biggest selling point for Morgan was spending the day with Norvell during his official. Morgan noted that Norvell’s energy was something he immediately picked up on and loved to see.

“He is positive, he is full of energy and he is always going hard,” Morgan said. “I like him as a person, he is a great coach and he is going to push and care for his players. I know I can come in and feed off his energy. Coach Norvell is going to be a great coach to play for.”

Norvell wasn’t the only coach that made a positive impression on Morgan.

Since they offered him, Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. stayed after Morgan hard. That made a lasting impression in his mind.

“They made sure I was good every day,” Morgan said. “They were always checking on me. On the visit, they made sure I felt at home, that I was comfortable and they always were just checking on me. They did a really good job recruiting me.”