2021 commitment: Texas CB Jakelyn Morgan flips to Arizona

Recruiting can move quickly at times and it was a busy Thursday evening for Tyler, Texas cornerback Jakelyn Morgan who decommitted from UNLV only to commit to Arizona about an hour later. The 6-foot-2 prospect had nearly 20 offers to choose from, but UA is the most notable program on his list.

Morgan cited the opportunity to play at a more prominent program and attend a more prominent school as part of his reason for flipping from the Rebels to the Wildcats.

"Football has opened doors for me to play the game and use football for a bigger purpose academically as a student-athlete," he said in a post made to Twitter announcing his decision. "I am very blessed to announce I am committing to The University of Arizona to further my education and football career. I want to thank my family for always supporting me and being a big part of this process along the way and always being there for me."

Decommitments could be more frequent as the cycle plays out as recruits have not been able to take visits since early in the year because of NCAA restrictions due to the coronavirus. Morgan made it clear that his decision factored in more than just the football aspect of the process.

"I watched my family, past teammates and friends go through the recruiting process and this year has been a really different time with COVID," he said. "No school visits, no in person visits at all. This decision is bigger than just football. Football is a big time part of my story but not my whole story.

"... This is a process that involves football decisions and life decisions. The same way coaches in football gotta make decisions for what's best for them and their family, players have to make the same hard decisions. This recruiting process is a blessing but is also a very serious decision because it effects future long after football is done."

Morgan committed to the Rebels back in early August, but Arizona had become involved with the Texas-based standout in the spring after the Wildcats offered him in late May. He is the first cornerback commit in the class for Arizona and that is a position that has been in focus for Kevin Sumlin's staff as of late.

The Wildcats now have 22 commitments overall for 2021 with 14 of those recruits expected to play defense when they arrive in Tucson. Morgan is the sixth commit in Arizona's class from Texas, an area the program continues to target heavily under Sumlin.

UA's new pledge finished his junior season with 37 tackles plus two interceptions including one that he returned for a touchdown.

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