For the second time in less than a month, Houston and former Tulane coach Willie Fritz dipped back into The Boot for a talented wide receiver emerging as one of Louisiana’s best.
Ruston standout Josiah Morgan announced his commitment Saturday to the Cougars out of a list of options that exploded this offseason with 16 new offers.
“It’s a blessing, a dream turned to reality,” he said. “It’s just something that growing up as a kid you always dream of, and it being here right now, being my reality, is just great. Coming into this past season, my junior season, I didn’t have offers, really no interest at all… I really feel like I had something to prove coming into this, my first year starting, and I really just turned up the switch. And so with the offers rolling in, it was definitely a great feeling to experience.
“Growing up, you always dream of that and you always see other people having it, so when you actually get to experience it for yourself, it’s just a surreal feeling. And the thing is with all the other offers coming in from everybody, when I went to Houston, it just really stood out. It was a place that really felt like home, a place that I could go there, and they could pour into me, and I could give back to the program.”
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound pass-catcher said he kept a patient mentality while awaiting his opportunities to “stay your own course and run your own race” and control what he could control.
“Sometimes it’s like running on the track, you know?” he said. ” You stay in your own lane, you focus on you. So that was just my mentality going into this season. I was focusing on me and how I can better myself on the football field and of course off the field as well, and it all just relayed, and it paid off.”
Both in production and colleges recognizing his potential.
Morgan earned all-district first-team honors in a loaded District 2-5A widely considered the state’s best league this fall and was a major contributor for a Bearcats team that made its fourth straight run to a title game in Caesars Superdome.
And the offers began to roll in on the heels of his breakout campaign, as well, including Arkansas, Southern, South Alabama, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, Houston, Louisiana (Lafayette), Arkansas State, McNeese State, Texas A&M, Tulane, Memphis, Texas Southern, Baylor, East Carolina and Oklahoma State.
He made a slew of trips to programs throughout the spring and was in the process of setting up official visits to return to some of his top options, but said he felt the Cougars continuing to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
“When I went there, after the spring practice, they had set up somewhere where I talked to the school academics, I got a tour of the campus, I got a one-on-one meeting with (wide receivers) coach (Brian) Bell,” he said. “And they showed me that I was a top priority. They really made me feel that. And actually when I was on my visit, they made it known how much they really do want me, and they continued to show that. It just continued to grow, that relationship with coach Bell, and it’s just been great. Nothing but great things coming from Houston, and I’m blessed to be a part of the family now.”
Morgan joins Central wide receiver Marcus Watson Jr., who committed April 3 to Bell, Fritz and company as another fast-rising wide receiver prospect from one of Louisiana’s top Class 5A programs.
[ READ MORE: “UNBREAKABLE” MARCUS WATSON JR. MATURED THROUGH SPORTS, GALVANIZED THROUGH LOSS ]
He said he doesn’t know Watson yet, but looks forward to building that relationship and to “put on for The Boot and … go to Houston and do great things.”
Morgan has reported 4.5-second 40-yard speed, enough to be a threat to every level of the field, but particularly excels as a physical receiver with strong hands who can out-battle defenders for any ball thrown in his catch radius, including acrobatic leaping catches and tough plays through contact.
“I watch a lot of Jeremiah Smith, Ja’Marr Chase and Julio Jones,” he said. “The thing with those receivers is whenever the ball is in the air, it’s them and it’s nobody else, you know? So I kind of model my game after that. When a ball’s in the air or when I’m running a route, it’s just me. So I had a lot of confidence coming into this football season. I put in a lot of work, and I am now continuing to stack days, and that’s where it comes from is putting in that work. That’s where I get that confidence from that whenever the ball’s in the air or whenever I’ve got a DB lined up in front of me and they’re in man coverage, I just see an opportunity to go out and kill. So that’s just been my mentality, and those are some people that I look up to and I model my game after.”
With a college decision now in place, Morgan can continue to focus more fully on Ruston’s push to clear the final hurdle and claim its first state championship since 2023.
Ruston wide receiver runs into the end zone for a touchdown Friday, Oct., 24, 2025, against Alexandria. (Photo: Bret H. McCormick, One T Photography)
And he and a star-studded cast of offensive weapons — including tight end Ahmad Hudson, wide receiver KeShun Malcolm and running back Dalen Powell — at the disposal of rising senior quarterback Sam Hartwell, a second-year starter, figure to be among the highlights as the Bearcats aim to complete that mission.
“Going back-to-back in the state championship and losing, some people might get discouraged, but it’s honestly been fuel to us,” he said. “So coming into this year, we just it’s a continuously get better each day and work harder to get to the end and finish this time. So that’s been our mentality is just to finish. And we’re excited getting, you know, (Mississippi transfer) Shamar Evans coming in at linebacker and everybody going up in the rankings, it’s definitely a good look, and we’r super excited and we’re ready to show everybody that Ruston, we’re the best football.
“Having weapons like myself, Ahmad, KeShun and of course Dalen can come in at receiver as well, it’s definitely a great thing to be able to say that we’re not just a running team anymore, you know? That we have options to pass the ball as well. And this year I feel like it’s definitely going to be a great thing for everybody to watch the ball in the air. Sam does a great job of doing that, and it’s gonna be fun to watch. It’s gonna be amazing. And this year is gonna be a different year for Ruston as far as the passing game and the running game. We’re just evolving.”