Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts recently completed his second tour of duty as a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy. For David Morris, founder of qbcountry.com and longtime friend of the first family of quarterback play, the trip to Thibodaux, La., marked his 11th as an MPA instructor.

"I would say in the time I've been there it's been pretty consistent as far as number of campers, number of college quarterbacks that are also on the staff and overall schedule," Morris said. "It's a grind out there. It's always hot. Always long days and always good food. It's always a unique experience for the campers. Archie always does a great job of creating a hard working environment that is also fun. There's an environment where you're always meeting people. It's also more laid back than typical camp structure that's a little more over the top serious. Archie and the other Mannings offer great balance."

On the heels of his latest MPA residency, I caught up with Morris, whose resume as a developer of signal callers includes the likes of A.J. McCarron, Jake Coker and Jake Fromm, to get his thoughts on Hurts and some other Power 5 quarterbacks who caught his eye over the weekend.

Reier: Obviously, when you talk about the likes of Fromm, Drew Lock, Jarrett Stidham, Jake Browning, Trace McSorley and Jalen Hurts among others, a star-studded roster of college quarterbacks at MPA over the weekend. That said, was there a guy or two who caught your eye that perhaps you didn't know as much about going into it?

Morris: I would say of the guys that are going to be juniors and seniors, I'll take one in the ACC and one in the SEC. The biggest buzz was around Drew Lock of Missouri and Daniel Jones of Duke. I would say those were the two names you heard the most about. They seemed to generate the most buzz and feedback. Lock had huge numbers last year and he's a little stronger than I thought he was and just a cool kid. He fits in, not a hotshot. And then Daniel Jones, who is coached up by Coach [David Cutcliffe] and Zac Roper and those guys at Duke. I've actually trained him since ninth grade, but he's a big ol' kid. He's 6'5, probably 220. I think most people are expecting him to have a breakout year. I'd say those were the two guys who generated the most buzz.

Reier: Hurts made his second straight trip to MPA. Obviously, a lot has happened since his last visit to the camp. One thing we've grown to expect from him is a steadiness and demeanor that doesn't seem to get affected by things going on around him. Did you notice any difference in Jalen from last year to this year in that regard?

Morris: I think you nailed it; just a really steady kid. Kind of laid back, really comfortable in his own skin and really outgoing with the high school and middle school campers. I don't think anyone had more fun with those kids than he did. We were kind of close to each other during roll call every day and we were able to have some good conversations and obviously I got to coach him up during several workouts. I think he knows he wants to get better and be more consistent and he's working on that. He looked good down there. Physically, he's a guy that in that environment is impressive to watch.

Reier: With what you've seen from Jalen the last two years, do you believe he's fit specific or can he thrive in just about any offensive approach?

Morris: It's kind of hard for me to say. He's got the ability to make all the throws. He can do it. I guess it comes down to confidence and where his head is right now. It's tough; he's had three coordinators in three years. Not many people are in that situation and that's a tough environment. Physically, he reminds me a lot of Dak Prescott. Just the way he looks, the athleticism and strength. I think Dak has some of the best touch out there and Jalen probably needs to grow there. As far as looking the part and being able to make the throws, he can do it. Now, can you do it in an environment where bullets are flying and all that? He's had moments when he's shown that he can and then he's had moments when I think he's struggled. Is the struggle there because of a lack of confidence or a lack of reaction skills? I don't know, but I think if he's the starter I could see him having a monster year. It's hard to say what will happen because there are a lot variables, but he's capable.

Reier: What stood out to you most about Stidham?

Morris: To me, he may have been the most pure passer down there. Just as far as mechanics, just a beautiful motion. Looks a lot like a Josh Allen- type motion. Looks a little like Matt Ryan. Real pure, real smooth, nothing violent about it. He's got a big arm and he likes to throw it. The ball is spinning and he likes to compete out there. He's just a really sound passer.

Reier: Given how he performed after Shea Patterson went down with a knee injury last season, are people making the mistake of sleeping on Ole Miss quarterback Jordan Ta'amu?

Morris: I think I was, too. Obviously, last year my eyes were opened. When you see him in person, he may have had the strongest arm down there [at MPA]. The kid from Colorado [Steven Montez] has a really strong arm too and there were multiple other ones. Jordan can flat throw it and he has some weapons to work with in D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown, who were also down there. Both those guys are future top 10 picks and Jordan can just throw the heck out of it. He's athletic, he's got a good demeanor, he's tough, he's humble, but he believes he can get it done. I think he can work on his touch, but that's the case with most big arm guys. Very likable kid.

Reier: Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald certainly has the size, athleticism and toughness teams like at the position. As a passer, though, is his skill set translatable to the National Football League?

Morris: I think he's got a future in the NFL. I don't like projecting where he might end up going in the draft, but he's tough, he's competitive and he's going to be under Joe Moorhead this year who is going to take more down the field shots. I think Nick is excited about that. To me, he's almost like a poor man's Jay Cutler in that regard. He's not as strong as a Jay Cutler, but as far as makeup and competitiveness goes, he's got all that stuff. I think the SEC this year is going to have the best crop of quarterbacks that I can remember. It's loaded and all the guys who were [at MPA] were super impressive.

Reier: You mentioned Joe Moorhead taking over at Mississippi State after serving as Penn State's offensive coordinator. With that, is my man crush on McSorley justified?

Morris: It really is. He can really throw the ball around. If there was a top four down there, he was one of those guys who everyone said, "Wow, he can really throw it." I think someone like Baker Mayfield really helps him as an undersized kid. I think he's probably more athletic than Baker. He's not going to have the stats Baker had throwing the ball, but he was super impressive and I really liked the kid. I like to see how these guys fit in with other guys and he's one of those guys that is really likable, listens a lot and wants to be coached.

Reier: Seeing as how he took over the Georgia offense in such impressive fashion early on in his true freshman season, Fromm obviously had a high floor when he arrived in Athens. But what about his growth potential as a quarterback?

Morris: I think what you saw last year is what makes him special. He's clutch, he's prepared, he's confident, he's tough, he's a leader and people like to follow him. All those attributes are things that make up really good ones. Other than that, he just really loves ball. Guys that are special just love it. It's what they want to do and there's nothing else competing with their love for the game. I know some people who think he'll be the No. 1 pick in the Draft in a couple of years. He's that good. Physically, he's got to continue to get stronger and quicker, all those things you have to do in college from year to year.

Reier: Similar question in regards to Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. He's got competition coming in the form of Stanford grad transfer Keller Chryst. We saw some good things from Guarantano a year ago. How good can he be?

Morris: It's hard to project, but not knowing much about him before seeing him down there, he looked as good as anybody. He's a little bit like Stidham in that just on pure throwing mechanics, I'd put him up there with the top three or four guys in the whole camp. Just a pretty motion. It's quick, it's compact, he's strong and he can throw the heck out of it. He's a big kid, probably 6'3. Was very impressed with him physically. It's one of those things where we need to see if he can grow in his second year. Can he get it out on time and will they put him in a position to have early success?