Meet ‘The Gulf of Mexico’: Alabama Football's Next Big-Time Playmaker Is Already Turning Heads

(© Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Every spring, there’s always that guy.

The one you keep hearing about before you ever really see it for yourself. The one teammates start talking up. The one who keeps showing up in highlights when nobody expected him to, at least not this early.

This year for Alabama? That name is Cederian Morgan.

And after A-Day, it’s not just talk anymore.

It’s real.

The 6-foot-4 freshman didn’t just have a good day in Tuscaloosa, he made people stop and pay attention. A touchdown grab near the corner of the end zone that felt like a veteran play, followed by a 40 yard catch and run that turned into the longest play of the day.

Smooth.

Confident.

Explosive.

But maybe the most telling part of it all wasn’t the stat sheet, it was how his teammates are already talking about him.

“Man, that’s my dog,” Ryan Williams Coleman-Williams said after the scrimmage. “Really just seeing him, he’s stacking days early on. He’s still learning and stuff because he’s only been here 24 seconds.”

That right there tells you everything you need to know.

He’s new. He’s learning. And he’s still making plays.

That’s dangerous.

And then came the nickname, the kind you don’t just hand out unless it’s earned.

“Just to see him continue to stack days and stack days, we call him the Gulf of Mexico,” Coleman-Williams said. “You throw it in there, he’s going to catch it. He’s got plenty of space. I’m just super proud of my guy, we’ve got two more practices and we’re ready to continue to work.”

“The Gulf of Mexico.”

Think about that for a second.

Big.

Wide.

Impossible to miss.

That’s how Morgan is already being viewed inside that receiver room.

And if you’ve followed Alabama long enough, you know that room doesn’t throw around praise lightly.

Especially when it comes to a number like No. 8.

That jersey carries weight because of guys like Julio Jones, players who didn’t just wear it, they defined it. Physical, dominant, reliable in the biggest moments.

Morgan isn’t there just yet.

Nobody’s saying he is.

But you can see the early pieces starting to come together.

He’s got the size. He’s got the hands. And clearly, he’s got the trust of his teammates, something that’s earned long before Saturdays in the fall.

Coming out of Alexander City, Alabama, Morgan wasn’t exactly flying under the radar. He arrived at the University of Alabama as one of the top prospects in the country, ranked No. 15 nationally, the No. 2 wide receiver, and the top player in the state.

So yeah… the expectations were already there.

But there’s a difference between having hype and backing it up the moment you step on campus.

That’s what makes this different.

And it’s also what makes this exciting.

Because if this is what Morgan looks like just a few practices in, “24 seconds,” as his teammate joked, then what does he look like by midseason?

What does he look like when the lights come on for real?

It’s early.

There’s still a long way to go, and nothing is guaranteed in a program like Alabama.

But one thing is becoming pretty clear: Cederian Morgan isn’t waiting his turn to be noticed.

He’s taking it.

And if A-Day was any kind of preview, Alabama fans might want to get used to hearing that nickname.

Because “The Gulf of Mexico” is already making waves, and he’s just getting started.