K.J. Morton felt like he was cramming for final exams all of last season.
After finishing classes at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., Morton arrived at Baylor in late August, less than two weeks before the season opener against TCU.
By the third game, Morton was starting at cornerback and getting ready to face some of the best quarterbacks and receivers in the country in the pass-heavy Big 12.
“I got here two days before school started,” Morton said. “I was behind the 8-ball and they threw me into the fire and I had to compete. But I wanted to play against the best, and the Big 12 has the best receivers. That’s why I came to Baylor.”
Morton emerged as one of Baylor’s best defensive players; he came up with a team-high four interceptions while collecting 75 tackles. Morton displayed good speed and an aggressive style of play. Now, he has the experience to be one of the better cornerbacks in the Big 12.
“I know the defense like the back of my hand,” Morton said.
“Coming in for my first season, I missed everything before the season. But now I feel a lot more comfortable. This isn’t junior college anymore, so I have to be on top of my game.”
Morton believes his learning curve was sped up considerably by facing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III and a corps of talented receivers like Kendall Wright, Terrance Williams and Tevin Reese in practice last season.
When he got into games, gifted receivers like Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon and Texas A&M’s Jeff Fuller weren’t a big step up in competition. Morton always brought considerable confidence to the field, regardless of the opponent on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
“You’ve got to have swag,” Morton said. “You’ve got to prepare for greatness and be determined that this man will not catch the ball, no matter what.”
Though Baylor should have a full corps of healthy cornerbacks for August workouts, Morton and Joe Williams, a fellow junior college transfer cornerback last season, will lead the way.
“They bailed us out and both ended up playing really well,” coach Art Briles said. “K.J. and Joe have looked real good. Both of those guys are night and day ahead of where they were when they came here.”