Jedd Fisch announced just before Christmas that offensive lineman Jordan Morgan would be returning to the Wildcats for a fifth season.

An ACL injury suffered in November surely played a part in that decision from Morgan. Had he elected to put his name in the draft, he would have been unable to go through on-field drills for scouts. Fisch told reporters Wednesday he still felt like he would have been a third-round pick even with the injury.

Fully healthy? Fisch thinks the Wildcats have a future first-round NFL Draft pick.

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Morgan started the first 10 games of 2022 at left tackle before suffering the knee injury.

In four years with the program, he has 25 career starts. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection by the Associated Press, Morgan was Arizona’s highest-graded lineman this past fall. He earned an 82.8 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. That was a top-20 grade among all qualified linemen in the FBS, top-15 among Power Five linemen, and fourth among Pac-12 linemen.

Morgan is returning to man the left tackle spot for an Arizona team that has dreams of big things in 2023. The Wildcats went from 1-11 to 5-7 last season. Another step forward would surely give Morgan more of a national platform and a chance to move up draft boards.