Jackson Morse (Lowell) phone interview: Committing to Illinois
2x MI state champ
Jackson Morse, class of 2010 and already 2x Michigan state champ, verbally committed to the University of Illinois over this past weekend, which offered him a scholarship. Morse is currently ranked 5th in the nation at 152 lbs. by Rev Wrestling and is ranked by InterMat as the #21 senior recruit in the country heading into the 2009-10 season.
I got a chance to speak with the Michigan standout today in a phone interview. I asked him a few questions regarding why he had chosen to commit to the University of Illinois.
Wrestling Addix: What were you looking for in a school?
Morse stated that distance from home was one of his largest concerns. He said that he definitely wanted to stay in the Midwest so that his family would be able to come and watch him wrestle. Illinois fit that category because it is only about 2 hours from his home. Another interest was academics, which Jackson currently carries a GPA of 3.8 going into his senior year.
Wrestling Addix: What schools were you considering?
Originally, Morse was only seriously considering the University of Michigan and Northwestern University, not thinking to much about Illinois. Out of the blue, Jackson’s father set up an unofficial visit to the University of Illinois to check out the campus and keep all of his options open. Morse stated that the trip is what made all the difference.
Wrestling Addix: What was the main reason you committed to Illinois?
Jackson said that the coaches and members of the team made him feel really comfortable while he was visiting. That was the clincher…obviously U of M and Northwestern are within his distance and are very well known for academics, but he just felt a little more comfortable with the coaches and athletes in Illinois. I asked him if he had a bad experience with the coaches or wrestlers at either of the other two schools and he said no, not at all. Morse said he had very good experiences at both schools, but there was just a something a little more comforting about at Illinois. He was picking between three great schools and he just had to make a decision of what would be the best fit.
Jackson says that his friends and family are being very supportive of his decision, although he did mention that a couple people had told him they were a little disappointed that he didn’t stay in state.
It would have been great to see one of Michigan’s finest stick around, but ultimately it sounded like Jackson made the wise decision to go where he feels most comfortable. I wish him good luck and can’t wait to see him on the big ten stage competing with the nations best!
-Ryan Henderson
