Bobby Hauck has been to Max Morris’ house plenty of times before. Sunday morning’s visit came under much different circumstances.
Hauck has a place on Flathead Lake that he frequents throughout the year even during his last eight years living in Las Vegas then San Diego. Now Hauck is back at Montana as the head football coach after initially leaving in 2009. And he’s back on the recruiting trail.
On Sunday morning, less than 48 hours after UM athletic director Kent Haslam named him the 37th head football coach in school history, Hauck went to the Flathead Valley. He visited Drew Turner, Kalispell Glacier’s bruising Class AA all-state running back who committed to the Griz in the fall.
Then Hauck stopped by Morris’ grandparents house in Whitefish where Morris lives to seal the deal with the 6-foot-4, 225-pound tight end. Montana State’s staff visited Glacier High earlier this year and extended a preferred walk-on offer to Morris. He held offers from NAIA schools Dickinson State and Montana Tech. But when Hauck extended a partial scholarship offer, Morris jumped at the chance to continue his football career playing for a team he’s rooted for his whole life.
“It was honestly a really surreal experience this morning,” Morris said on Sunday afternoon. “I wasn’t sure what to expect given the fact that I hadn’t been recruited very heavily in the past.
“Coach Hauck goes way back with my family. Him and my dad (Brian Morris) were friends growing up. I see him in the summer sometimes. When he came to my house, it was nothing new to me seeing him but it was kind of crazy being on the side where I was actually getting recruited by him right now.”
Brian Morris is from Butte, which is where Hauck, who was born in Missoula and went to high school in Big Timber, also traces his roots. Max Morris remembers following Hauck’s teams closely during his first tenure in Missoula between 2003 and 2009. On Sunday, Hauck sold Morris on similar pillars of the program he hopes to establish upon his return to his alma mater.
“He talked a lot about the priorities he has with the program with graduating and succeeding academically,” Morris said. “We talked about how structured things are and how I’m going to have a great football family. We talked about a lot of the expectations.
“I come in August ready to work and he promised me if I love the game of football, I will love the experience I will have at the University of Montana. I’ve been watching him ever since I was a little boy and now I get go play for him.”
Morris spent his first three prep years at Helena High. He transferred to Glacier in January of 2017 to play for a team that earned Class AA runner-up honors after losing to two-time defending state champion Billings Senior in the 2016 state title game.
Because of Glacier head coach Grady Bennett’s spread offense, Morris essentially played inside receiver and H-back for the Wolfpack. He earned honorable mention all-state recognition at tight end. He will play traditional in-line tight end at Montana. According to MaxPreps, Morris played in seven games and caught 16 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He credits Bennett, a former Montana quarterback who currently has nine former players playing football at either UM or MSU, for his development into a Division I prospect.
“I have to shout out and thank Coach Grady Bennett and (offensive coordinator) Coach Arron Deck with helping me with my transition into becoming a man and being better at football,” Morris said. “Coach Bennett is the reason I am where I am right now.”
Fellow Glacier products Turner and wide receiver/safety Jackson Pepe are already committed to Montana. Mark Estes, who spent his first three years of high school at Drummond before transferring to Glacier for his senior year like Morris, is committed to Montana State.
Despite the collection of talent, Glacier struggled this past season. Because of the intense Motnana fire season, the Wolfpack had to play their first two games in Columbia Falls. Later in the first month of the season, Glacier had a game cancelled because of cyber threats that shut down all Flathead Valley schools. The Wolfpack started out 0-4 before surging down the stretch, winning four of their last five. But it wasn’t enough to get back to the Class AA playoffs.
“We didn’t get to play our first two home games in Kalispell and then our game in Week 4 got cancelled because of the terrorist cyber threats,” Morris said. “Then we had some changes at quarterback and we had a few injuries so we faced a lot of adversity. Coming into the season, we had a lot of new guys. Our team wasn’t completely bonded but through the season, our team grew closer together. As that happened, the results in our games went better. “
Morris said he had already spoken with Pepe and Turner about their futures with the Griz on Sunday. He said he had heard from almost all of Montana’s other 14 verbally committed players — three-star quarterback Matt Robinson de-committed from UM on Sunday morning — so the bond of UM’s 2018 recruiting class is already being solidified.
Morris plans on studying biology while he’s competing for a longtime idol at Montana.
“It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid and getting the opportunity to fulfil that means everything to me,” Morris said. “I’m looking forward to making the most of all the chances I get.”
Photos courtesy of Morris family. All Rights Reserved.
