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Gerry Hamilton, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

100 days, 100 players: No. 70 Michael Morgan

In the 100 days leading up to signing day 2015, RecruitingNation will be looking back at our ESPN recruiting rankings from 2006 to the present and counting down the best player of the past 10 years at each ranking position, No. 100 to No. 1.

Michael Morgan, No. 70 in 2006 class

Morgan came out of talent rich Skyline High in Dallas, Texas as one of the nation's most heavily sought linebacker prospects. Some figured he could end up at UCLA where his brother Steve Morgan played, but Morgan’s recruitment came down to USC, Florida State and Texas A&M, with the Trojans winning out in large part because of the strong relationship developed between Morgan and then USC linebackers coach Ken Norton, who currently coaches Morgan with the Seattle Seahawks.

Morgan’s career at USC was one built on patience and physical development. After redshirting as a freshman in 2006, Morgan was a reserve linebacker and special teams player for the Trojans in 2007, appearing in 12 games with nine tackles.

Morgan was again a backup outside linebacker in 2008, playing 12 games with one start vs. Oregon. He tallied 22 tackles and five tackles-for-loss in what were the first true glimpses of the player he would become.

The 2009 season was Morgan’s first as a full-time starter. In nine starts and 13 games played, Morgan posted 50 tackles, 13 tackles-for-loss and four sacks.

Morgan capped his career in Los Angeles in 2010 playing in 13 games, recording 57 tackles and three tackles-for-loss as a near 220-pounder after leaving Skyline High just shy of 190-pounds.

Morgan went undrafted in the 2011 NFL draft. He signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks, where he is in his fourth season playing for Pete Carroll, the same coach that recruited him to USC.

Honorable mention: Jalen Hurd, No. 70 in class of 2014. Hurd battled shoulder injuries in high school, but managed to set the single-season record in the state of Tennessee as a junior before missing his entire senior season following shoulder surgery. He picked Tennessee over Florida and Ohio State in a recruitment that was never close after the hiring of Butch Jones in Knoxville. Hurd has been an impact player for the Vols in 2014 with more than 700 yards rushing, as well as over 900 all-purpose yards. He posted 100 yards or more rushing in wins against Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky.

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