Ex Hogs Star Drew Morgan Seeks Help In “Coach For Hire” Plea

Drew Morgan

Drew Morgan has never feared the grind.

It’s always been his m.o., whether growing up on a farm milking cows in 10 degree weather or helping lead Greenwood to two undefeated seasons as a 5’9″, 165 pound receiver. Then, he defied the belief of everybody outside of Greenwood by making an all-SEC team (while playing eight games with a broken shoulder) before spending more than a year with the Miami Dolphins.

Now, the former Razorback is at it again — this time on social media. 

After retiring from football in 2019, Morgan’s next goal is to become a college football coach. He’s already volunteer coached for Greenwood High, and trained high-level performers like current Razorback Mike Woods.

Recently, Morgan sent out the following Tweets to help speed up the process:

Morgan is only 25 but it appear he senses that in order to one day become a head college football coach, he’ll need to start the long climb soon – perhaps as a graduate assistant somewhere. He’ll get married in March to Megan Ezell, and works as a tech salesman. Moving to pursue dreams only becomes harder as kids and mortgages arrive on the scene. 

Fortunately for Morgan, he has a lot of people rooting in his corner. 

Former Razorback great Anthony Lucas, also a receiver, Tweeted: “Good luck Drew! It will happen for you. Just keep in mind that you’re on Gods time and not Drew’s time. You will do well when you get your opportunity brother!!! #staypatient”

Mike Woods, whom Morgan has apparently helped train, added: 

Finally, longtime Razorback analyst Mike Irwin chimed in: 

“I’ve seen Drew work with receivers & tight ends on route running and catching techniques. He was very impressive. Patient but very detail oriented. He’s will be an outstanding addition to the coaching profession. Just needs that first break as a grad assistant”

-Pig Trail Nation’s Mike Irwin

In terms of willpower and work ethic, Morgan has all the tools to one day develop into a top-notch college coach. It’s just a matter of harnessing the same traits that allowed him to finish his career with the Hogs in 2016 as:

-7th on the school’s all-time receptions list (138)

-15th in receiving yards (1,763) 

-13th in receiving touchdowns (14) 

-Two-time All-SEC second team selection

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“With every opportunity that I’ve had, I ran with it,” he said in a 2019 interview. “I’ve done great things. I know how to basically win. I’m a fighter. I’m a competitor. I don’t like losing.”

This was abundantly clear in high school, as Morgan transitioned from running back to receiver to rack up two state championships in different classifications, while being named MVP of both championship games. 

Tim Horton, the former Hogs assistant and son of Razorback O.G. Harold Horton, originally recruited Morgan to the UA in 2012 when John L. Smith was head coach. But a couple days after Smith was fired, and before Bret Bielema arrived to take over, Horton knew his days on the Hill were likely numbered.

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Tim Horton and Drew Morgan 

Morgan recalls Horton telling him: “It’s 50/50 for me right now [to stay], but Arkansas needs you to play for the Razorbacks. The university needs you to play for the Razorbacks. I know this is weird. We don’t have a head coach, but I can promise you one thing — I’m going to give you a scholarship. I can also promise you another thing — I’m probably not going to be here tomorrow.”

“And I was like, ‘Wow. I’m really not committing to a coaching staff at all. I’m committing to a school, I’m committing to this state, I’m committing to these teammates that I’m about to play with and eventually lead to multiple ballgame victories. And it was an easy decision, honestly. I jumped all over it.”

“Then the next day, he got hired at Auburn. That same day he was hired, he offered me a scholarship. I was like, ‘Wow.’”

Tim [now an assistant at Vanderbilt] and I are really close.I still talk to him to this day, we text back and forth. He’s just a good guy. He’s really the only reason why I’m in the shoes that I am right now and the position I’m in. Because he’s the one that at first gave me the opportunity to play at Arkansas. But Coach B did honor my scholarship, and he’s another big reason I’m the person I am today.”

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All over Arkansas

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Drew Morgan in the NFL 

In an interview with Garrett Wilmoth, Morgan went into details about his time in the NFL. He played on the Dolphins’ practice squad in 2017 and was waived in September 2018. “I felt like I was kicked to the curb. I felt like they just threw me under the bus. No other team wanted to pick me up. Everybody was like ‘We don’t have enough film on him.’” 

Then, he tried out for the Tennessee Titans.

“I balled out, man. I tore everything up. I did great on the drills, ran every route clean, didn’t slip, caught every ball, caught two one-handed balls that were like, ‘Oh my gosh, That was insane.’”

“I ended up sitting in the film room with their head coach Mike Vrabel, talked to him for about 45 minutes. And then he was like, ‘We appreciate everything you’ve given us. You know, at this point in time we don’t need you. But later in the road we might.’”

“I was like, ‘Dang, darn it. Like I did everything for this guy. I even sat down and talked to him for 45 minutes,’ Morgan added, chuckling. “It was hard. It’s tough for me, but in the end I learned from it and grew from it. I know how to conduct myself in a meeting. It was a hard, long year because after that I didn’t get a single workout.”

“I was back home in Arkansas, living at my parents’ house with my fiancee, and it was a tough deal. It was really tough on me as a man. I grew from it though. We’re living in Arkansas now on Fayetteville, and so we got our little house. I definitely didn’t regress. I definitely progressed and transitioned into something greater.”

Drew Morgan Helps a Young Buck

Since August, Morgan has worked in the Bentonville area as a director of sales for Technology Solutions Consulting, MSP based out of Tulsa. Whether he transitions to full-time coaching in the future is unclear, but what is obvious is that Morgan has a heart for working with young people. 

In fact, Morgan encouraged his teenage interviewer during the interview. He told Garrett Wilmoth, a class of 2019 Bentonville High alum, to pursue his dream of sports journalism no matter what. 

Even if Wilmoth gets stiff-armed by the athletes he wants to interview.

“There’s going to be a lot of guys like, ‘Nah, I’m good. I appreciate your time.’ Or they’re not even gonna open your messages. They’re just going to delete them,” Morgan said. “Don’t let that affect you, bro. Go get your dream.” 

“You got me, I got your back. I’m your credibility and anything you need, like for future references, bro. I’m here for you because the drive that you have, whether it be in sports or in broadcasting, it doesn’t matter what you do. Just bring the juice and own the do. You got to do it, and you got to own it.”

“It’s about just being yourself, man. People are going to love you. People are going to hate you. But you know you do to haters? You love them. You love them back.”

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Below, Morgan talks about his favorite memory in high school, a “bloodbath” between Northside and Greenwood, at the 1:00 mark. He then talks about his favorite Hogs memory, a 4OT game against Auburn, at 6:10:

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