But last month, paloaltoonline.com quoted Mornhinweg as telling scout.com that the decision was "pretty easy."
"I grew up in California, and Stanford was always one of the places that I wanted to go to school," Mornhinweg told scout.com, paloaltoonline.com reported. "I have great respect for coach Jim Harbaugh, and I've known the Harbaughs for a long time. It made my decision pretty easy."
Prep coach Gil Brooks said it's "kind of odd" that a high school player would receive a Division I offer so early, "but Skyler went to Stanford's [football] camp. They've seen film of him, and they really like him," Brooks said.
Mornhinweg, who started at safety as a freshman, played in 11 games before suffering a separated shoulder.
He is expected to battle junior-to-be Paul McGann for the starting quarterback position.
As a quarterback, Brooks said that Mornhinweg, a South Philadelphia resident, is "still a work in progress, but he's going to be great."
Marty Mornhinweg was a four-year starter at quarterback at Montana, where he established 15 passing records, and was a reserve for the Denver Dynamite in the Arena Football League in 1987.
The Mornhinweg family has strong ties to the Bay Area. Marty Mornhinweg was an all-state quarterback at Oak Grove High in San Jose. From 1997 to 2000, he served as offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.
Contact staff writer Rick O'Brien at 610-313-8019
or robrien@phillynews.com.
