Morant was a huge recruit:
Per USA Today:
High school: Attended Parsippany (N.J.) Hills High, playing football for coach Phil Longo...Parade All-American and rated the best receiver in the East and third best in the nation by Prep Star... Rated the No. 3 receiver and No. 24 recruit overall by Tom Lemming...Listed as the third-best receiver in the nation by Super Prep...
Per Tom Lemming:
At No. 3 (wide receivers nationally) is the most physical-looking wide-receiver prospect I've ever seen, --Johnnie Morant from Parsippany Hills, N.J. The son of a competitive body builder, this 6-5, 223-pounder looks like an NFL tight end. However, Morant brings more than just size and muscle to the table -- he's an extremely quick, agile and competitive receiver with exceptional pass-catching skills. Defenses have one heck of a time staying with this huge wide receiver with 4.4 speed. He is very tough over the middle and shows terrific separation speed. If he qualifies academically, he should be an impact player as a freshman. He's already visited Ohio State and Purdue and is also looking to visit South Carolina, Clemson, Florida State and Syracuse.
Tom Lemming
Pre-Season Top 100, #1 WR New Jersey, #1 overall prospect in New Jersey, #24 Overall
Tom Lemming Pre-Season “Super Team” Member
SuperPrep Pre-Season All-American, #3 WR, #1 New Jersey
SuperPrep Pre-Season Fifty
PrepStar Pre-Season Dream Team
USA Today Second Team All-American
SuperPrep Post-Season All-American, #4 WR, #1 New Jersey, #27 overall
Tom Lemming Post-Season All-American, #2 Northeast, #23 overall
PrepStar Post-Season Dream Team, #1 WR Northeast
PRESEASON
SuperPrep:
“He looks like a can’t-miss wideout with his speed, size and athletic ability. “Morant is the best WR I have ever seen,’ said one RC. He’s also a standout basketball player, which is evident when he’s stopping short and leaping over overmatched corners on his fade patterns. Favors SYRA, SO CAR and FSU, all tied at the top over a horde of other big-time programs. Johnnie made 39 catches last season, despite being targeted immediately as the team’s top downfield threat. 2.4/1030.”
Tom Lemming:
“One of the most impressive looking WR prospects I’ve seen over the past 20 years. This young man is also not bad on film, showing great size, explosive speed, terrific hands and outstanding leaping ability. In ‘98 he caught 38 passes for 899 yds and 14 TDs. I’ve seen every one of the nation’s top WR prospects in person and I rank Johnnie with Charlie Rogers. He is a freak of nature with a TE body and WR speed. Johnnie is a very tough receiver who is not afraid to go over the middle and take a hit. Known for his big play capabilities. He shows terrific separation speed after the catch and outstanding leaping ability. He is a pro-football player waiting to happen. On defense he totaled 68 tackles and 8 picks returning 3 of the picks back for scores. He also returned 2 kick-offs back for TDs. Just a phenomenal athlete and difference maker type of player who ranks as the #1 prospect in the state of New Jersey. The only drawback right now is that Johnnie’s GPA is around a 2.0 and he has not made his test score. In basketball he averages 16 points and 11 rebounds a game as a PFW. He has already been offered by OH STATE, NE, SYRACUSE, WV, NC, VA TECH and NC STATE just to name a few. A true prep superstar.”
Rivalnet:
"Yes. The first thing you probably asked was whether or not that size and speed combination is accurate. The answer is yes. Morant has a huge frame with gamebreaking speed, enabling him to dominate the opposition. As a junior, Morant hauled in 34 passes for 890 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also returned three kickoff returns for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Rushing the ball, Morant gained 161 yards on just four carries. He was a first-team all-everything selection last year. Morant, who carries a 2.3 GPA, is the most talented wide receiver prospect in the entire region. Over 60 schools have offered, but he syas Syracuse, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio State and Purdue are the finalists."
POSTSEASN:
SuperPrep:
“Double and triple coverage kept Johnnie's numbers down relative to last year (30 catches for 784 yds and 11 TDs), but he was still the best receiver in New Jersey. One of the best it's seen in years, in fact. Johnnie is quickly gaining thick muscle to his body, which is going to make him hard to bring down in the open field. And he's too fast to consider playing him at TE. He visited OHIO ST, PUR, SYRA and SO CAR in December and CLEM Jan. 7. He has already ruled out OHIO ST because of its size. 'It's just a little too big a school. I'm used to things a little smaller,' he says. He had received small-time interest for hoops. Sounds as though he wants a big time program with low student-to-teacher ratio. PUR was in the lead when we last spoke with Johnnie. 2.4/1030.”
PrepStar:
“The rangy youngster, who has been filling out tremendously in recent months, caught 28 passes for 784 yds and 10 TDs last fall, despite constant double and triple coverage. He is NJ’s best receiver and quite possibly its top overall recruit. He hopes to have things squared away by mid-Jan, but he hasn’t been able to fully devote himself to the process because of basketball season. He’s one of the top power forwards in his area. Morant showed speed on his kick returns, averaging 31 yds on 11 attempts. He visited Ohio St on 10-8, but ruled them out.”
Tom Lemming:
"One of the most impressive looking WR prospects I've seen over the last twenty years, this young man is also not bad on film showing great size, explosive speed and terrific hands. Johnnie is a very tough receiver who is not afraid to go over the middle and take a hit. This season he caught over 30 passes for 450 yds and 12 TDs. On defense he picked off 5 passes and tipped 9 at FS."
