Tag: Semaj Morgan

Sherrone Moore updates Michigan football growing injury list before Washington

Well, this is positive news. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It didn’t take long, but Michigan football went from being an extremely healthy team to one that’s extremely banged up.

The Wolverines were pretty much at full strength against USC in Week 4, but entering and leaving Week 5 against Minnesota was a different story entirely.

Will Johnson and Josaiah Stewart were injured against the Trojans. Myles Hinton, the starting left tackle, was injured this past weekend against the Gophers. Head coach Sherrone Moore was confident, however, that they, along with wide receiver Semaj Morgan, will all be back this week for the trip to Seattle to face Washington.

“Yeah, they’re all working through something,” Moore said. “Myles (is) working through something, came out of the game, probably could have went back in, but held them out. And Josaiah and Will look like they’ll be in good shape for this week.”

Another player who left last week’s game against Minnesota was safety Makari Paige. Given that Rod Moore, Wesley Walker, and Jaden Mangham were all unavailable, that meant that the Wolverines were really starting to dig into the bench at the safety position. Though second-year safety Brandyn Hillman came in and played well with Paige out, behind him, there’s little that’s good to go on at the position.

However, Moore expects that Paige will be fine to make the trip to Seattle and play against the Huskies.

“He’ll be good,” Moore said. “I think he’s just working through something, and he’ll be in good shape to go.”

Moore did clarify on some of the others who haven’t played. He says that cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows may be a little more long-term but Walker should be back soon and that Mangham isn’t injured, he’s dealing with something off the field.

“McBurrows will be out,” Moore said. “Mangham, he’s working through something off the field. He could possibly come back. (Walker is) working through something, but he’s not long-term, no.”

Michigan and Washington are set to kick off at Husky Stadium at 4:30 p.m. PDT with the game nationally broadcast on NBC.

Tyler Morris ‘way crazier’ than his scoring play vs. Alabama in the Rose Bowl

Will WR1 show out in 2024? #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the big question marks entering Saturday’s season opener against Fresno State is how Michigan football’s wide receiving corps will be.

Though there are some solid players — Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, Amorion Walker — they’ve been role players to this point. But everyone inside Schembechler Hall insists that Morris, in particular, is much more viable than being a role player.

Morris showed that off in his first (and only) touchdown of his two-year career, when he took a short pass the distance in the Rose Bowl against Alabama. Outrunning the entirety of the Crimson Tide secondary, Morris showcased just how explosive he can be.

And his teammates say that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I feel like T. Mo., he really stepped into his leader role — he’s been here for a few, three years,” sophomore WR Semaj Morgan said. “This is his third year coming up, I feel like he’s really stepping into that leader (role). That playoff scene against Alabama last year, I’m telling you, he’s way crazier than that. And I’m just real happy for T. Mo., going into this year knowing the type of camp that he is having. Any type of spring ball that he had. I’m just looking forward to seeing what he’s gonna do.”

What does it mean that he’s ‘way crazier’ than that play? WolverinesWire asked Morris on Tuesday what he’s been doing in fall camp that’s given Morgan that impression, and while he humbly didn’t jump to a handful of plays he’s made in practice, he shared more about his versatility and what he feels like he’s capable of.

“I don’t know, I guess it could be a little bit of everything,” Morris said. “I guess sometimes people don’t necessarily see me as somebody that could stretch the field or somebody that’s necessarily fast, but I feel like I can do it all. And that’s what I want to bring to the team this year is just somebody that, whatever role we need, I can step up and make a play.”

Michigan will need Morris to step up if it is to defend its national championship or go on any kind of College Football Playoff run. It all starts on Saturday when the Wolverines hold their season opener at The Big House.

Michigan football QB competition in fall camp ‘is actually a true battle’

It doesn’t sound like it’s any closer to a winner being named. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the first time in a long time, Michigan football has a true quarterback battle in fall camp. Since former head coach Jim Harbaugh arrived in 2015, that hasn’t always been the case.

Perhaps in his first year it was a battle. Jake Rudock beat out Shane Morris and Alex Malzone that year. But in 2016 and 2017, Wilton Speight essentially had the job won in spring (though there was the illusion that John O’Korn and Brandon Peters were in the running). In 2018, Shea Patterson had the job won early and continued to hold it entering 2019. Joe Milton was his heir apparent and started in 2020, but he departed prior to 2021 when Cade McNamara took over the job at the tail end of the COVID-19 year. 2022 was perhaps the last real battle. McNamara attempted to retain command, but upstart J.J. McCarthy won the job in a live audition in Week 2 against Hawaii.

On Monday, junior defensive tackle Kenneth Grant gave his perspective as Michigan looks to decide between a slew of candidates. Alex Orji is the expected winner, but Jack Tuttle (who is banged up), Davis Warren, Jayden Denegal and freshman Jadyn Davis are having their say.

“All the quarterbacks are doing a pretty good job,” Grant said. “I wouldn’t say a quarterback has given us a tough time, but I mean, Alex Orji, is he’s doing a pretty good job. Tuttle and Davis Warren — Davis threw a beautiful deep ball yesterday, that was pretty good. Jayden Denegal — they’re all doing pretty good. It’s all about getting reps, just trying to get better every day.”

There’s no one who has more stake in the game here than the wide receivers, and as far as sophomore Semaj Morgan sees it, it’s far too close to call with just under three weeks until the season opener against Fresno State.

Morgan doesn’t discriminate. Whoever can get the ball to him is a winner in his book. Thus far, that means the battle is essentially even. All have shown command of the offense.

“Our quarterback room is actually like a true battle,” Morgan said. “Last year, we had J.J. going into camp. He played the year before. But this year, we actually have a true battle. It’s so pure and it’s so good to watch.

“I caught great balls from 16 (Warren), 10 (Orji), 13 (Tuttle), 2 (Davis), 4 (Denegal) — everybody. Each as a quarterback — every quarterback always brings something different to the table. With our quarterbacks, man, I feel like they are ready, whichever one they throw in that position Aug. 31. Whoever they throw in that position on Aug. 31 I feel like they can be ready. And I feel like they get prepared to go in the fire. And whoever we go in the fire with me I trust and I’m truly behind them.

“We got a young cat in there. We got some older guys in there, which is … it don’t matter who it is, whatever number’s called. That’s what I love about our quarterbacks.”

But is there a difference between each? Of course, we know Orji is the dual-threat, Tuttle is the seasoned vet with a high floor, Warren has the big arm and deep ball, and so on. But as Morgan puts it, none of them lob the ball in there to the receivers. All throw with purpose and velocity, but what’s more, they all have remained close teammates, despite them battling it out against each other in fall camp.

No matter who wins, Morgan is confident that the Michigan football quarterback of the future will enjoy similar success on the field to that of their predecessor in national champion and first-round NFL draft pick J.J. McCarthy.

“They all got that fastball,” Morgan said. “That got that (woosh sound). Every time I catch it (woosh sound). Orji, Davis, Denny, Davis — the younger Davis — man, they all be throwing at me, zipping it — I’m telling you! Whoever we got, it’s just gonna be great to watch. It’s a true, pure battle. And they’re really battling it out right now.

“I love them guys because they all come in here every day with the same great attitude, same great footballs they throw, they all got that quarterback moxie about them, that aura about them. I’ll be ready to follow any one of them into the fight, just like we did J.J. last year.”

Semaj Morgan realizes importance of blocking in effort to become more complete receiver

This kid is gonna ball out in 2024! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Most often, first-year wide receivers don’t see the field much if at all, but Michigan football wideout Semaj Morgan saw the field early and often in his freshman season.

He may not have set the world on fire, but he did showcase that he’s ready to make a big contribution in 2023 in terms of production (Morgan finished with 22 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns), but it allowed him to get acclimated to the college game. Now Morgan is expected to be a starter, and despite his diminutive size at 5-foot-10, 174 pounds, he’s been spoken of this offseason as being a more complete receiver and not just a gadget player.

So what has gone into that? Morgan says he’s been fueled by a hunger he’s had since he was young, but also he’s been dedicated to not only improving upon that which he wasn’t good at, but also that where he was already thriving.

“I’ve really just been attacking it the same way because my foot has always been on the gas since I was six years old, anyways,” Morgan said. “I just feel like going into this season it is a different role. I feel like the guy that I work out with, man, he is gonna have me in the right position to go, to be ready to go. Then also, when I get to Michigan, my coaches, I feel like they’re gonna put me in the best position to succeed. As a complete receiver, I feel like I can run routes pretty good, I feel like I got pretty well hands. I just feel like I work on everything that I feel like I’m good at too, not just what I feel like I’m not good at.”

One of those areas that Morgan feels like he’s improved the most is blocking.

Michigan is obviously a run-heavy team and though there’s some speculation that the offensive playbook could open up a bit in 2024, it will likely continue to run the football more often than not. With that in mind, Morgan has set his mind to making sure he can’t be taken off the field during run plays, understanding the importance of blocking has in the Wolverine offense.

“I feel like you not a complete receiver until you can consistently be in the game blocking,” Morgan said. “And receiver is not just about getting open and catching the ball. That’s really the main part about it, that’s the description of the position, but a complete receiver, blocking — just like alignment and being at Michigan, it really just give you that will factor to really want to do something for your team.

“I wouldn’t feel right if I got the ball and Colston (Loveland) was blocking for me and I scored, and he got the ball like the next drive, and I missed a block and he don’t score. You feel me? That wouldn’t be good. So you feel me like, I feel like becoming a complete receiver really happened to me at Michigan and it started with blocking.”

Morgan is aware that if he doesn’t get adept at blocking, the likelihood that he’ll have the increased playing time he’s looking for goes down significantly.

However, even though he’s aware that Michigan has often been branded as a run-heavy team, he feels like it’s more balanced than often advertised. Which means he needs to block to make sure he also gets those receiver reps. In 2023, the Wolverines ran the ball 563 times for 2,536 yards and passed 361 times for 3,205 yards. It’s not perfectly balanced, but given how much the rushing offense can open up things in the passing game, becoming more well-rounded behooves Morgan to step up areas of his game that he wasn’t previously adept at.

“No block, no rock? That’s what Coach Bell always say, and I want the ball,” Morgan said. “So being a complete receiver means learning how to block. A lot of receivers forget about that art. But it’s really important, very important because that’s how our running backs get to spring big plays, explosives. Michigan — we run the ball.

“We a pretty even offense. People got our opinion about our offense. We even, we a balanced offense. We got some great backs back there. You feel me so like, we want to get the one-on-ones with corners, but if we can get them in open space and nobody in the area, then we good. That’s how I feel about our work this offseason. Becoming a complete receiver. Just tuned in on that blocking.”

J.B. Brown thinks Semaj Morgan ‘could be one of the best in the league’ as returner

He’s absolutely electric at the position. #GoBlue

In just his first year of college football, Michigan football fans got to see the truly excellent in Semaj Morgan as a returner. And in the very next game, the potentially catastrophic.

Against Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, Morgan nearly housed a punt, going almost the whole distance from the 10-yard line. But the very next game, on the biggest stage, the Rose Bowl against Alabama, Morgan muffed his first return, giving the ball back to the Crimson Tide.

Michigan still went on to win the game, but his new special teams coordinator, J.B. Brown, wants to see more of the former and less of the latter.

He spoke with Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast on Wednesday, and noted where Morgan has an opportunity to improve and just how good he might be in the future.

“The next step for him is just consistency, right?” Brown said. “We saw the flash that can happen, good and bad. But also the consistency of when he learns how to catch consistently. He’s going to be one of the best in the league, I think he’s gonna have a real shot. So for him, it’s just catching, seeing the ball, getting different situations and us doing a better job as coaches of putting him in those situations before we get to the game.”

Morgan won’t be the only player who will return kicks and punts, of course. So who are the others that Brown is looking at?

One we’ve seen before, quite a bit, but he mentioned two others that should be in play this season. Ultimately, he notes, he’d like seven total return men, but the ones he mentions are tantalizing options.

“Tyler Morris is the guy that’s done it for us, who can also do it for us,” Brown said. “We’re going to try to build up to try to create seven different guys. Fred Mo, he’s gonna be able to do it — Fredrick Moore. Brandyn Hillman — all those type of guys that had the skill set in the past and our high school tape, we’re going to try to work out this summer to make sure that they could do it.”

Michigan football WR Semaj Morgan changes jersey number

Absolutely fitting. #GoBlue

You could have predicted this the moment the previous owner of the jersey transferred out of Ann Arbor.

Michigan football sophomore wide receiver Semaj Morgan is full of personality and has quickly become a fan favorite. Having arrived from West Bloomfield (Michigan) as an early enrollee during the Wolverines’ preparation for the 2022 College Football Playoff, Morgan initially donned No. 12 before switching to No. 82 during the season. But with former No. 0 Darrius Clemons transferring to Oregon State this offseason, Morgan had the opportunity to claim that number for himself.

Morgan made the announcement on Saturday during his now-annual Father’s Day camp.

It’s only been a few years since the No. 0 has been allowed in the college football ranks. Giles Jackson was the first to wear it in 2020, but he transferred to Washington shortly after. Clemons was the last wide receiver to wear it. On the defensive side, Mike Sainristil was the first to truly popularize the number in maize and blue.

Semaj Morgan hears pundits saying Michigan will take a step back, using it as fuel

The media expects Ohio State and Oregon to be ahead of Michigan football in 2024. Wolverines WR Semaj Morgan doesn’t believe they will.

DETROIT — Usually when a team wins big, the expectations go through the roof. It doesn’t take a team winning a national championship for pundits and plaudits across college football to suddenly crown a new media darling.

Take Penn State in 2016. After winning the Big Ten — despite losing 49-10 to Michigan earlier in the year — the Nittany Lions became perennially ‘on the verge’ according to many in the media. Yet, they haven’t won the Big Ten again since and have yet to make it to the College Football Playoff.

So, when Michigan football won the national championship this past year, the media jumped on board and started to expect the Wolverines to repeat, right?

Wrong.

The excuse is that Michigan has to replace a lot, but Georgia lost the bulk of its team after winning back-to-back championships, and the Bulldogs were the favorites last year and will likely be the favorite again this year. Ohio State hasn’t won the conference since 2020, but it’s the favorite to win this year — much like it’s been the past three years.

Yes, Michigan has a new head coach in Sherrone Moore, but the expectation is that he’ll run the team like Jim Harbaugh and make the same decisions. However, the Wolverines have not gotten that same respect entering 2024, as many put them on the same level as the aforementioned Penn State Nittany Lions.

And if you think that has gone unnoticed within Schembechler Hall, think again.

“We feel it, but I don’t care for it. I ain’t never care what nobody says,” sophomore wide receiver Semaj Morgan told WolverinesWire. “But I really feel that we use it as fuel because we know everything that’s happening on the outside really don’t matter. Everything we do, everything we do every day, everything we put in, is what we gonna get out of it. So whatever they saying, they can keep saying it because we’re the ones actually there, doing the work, putting it in. believing in ourselves. That’s all it really takes — us believing in ourselves.”

There are two knocks on these Wolverines entering 2024, besides Sherrone Moore taking over for Jim Harbaugh — the unknowns at quarterback and wide receiver.

Though there is a lot of optimism surrounding Alex Orji as the potential starter this upcoming season, with Jack Tuttle and Davis Warren also being in the mix, there are more unknowns at wide receiver with Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson gone. But Morgan is confident in what he, Tyler Morris, Fred Moore, Amorion Walker, and C.J. Charleston bring to the table.

Fans might not be able to see it, nor the media, because they don’t get to see practice. But Morgan is sure that once the season comes, the passing game will be sure to impress.

“I believe in us, man. Everybody in the room is hungry, we all want to get better, we all want to win,” Morgan said. “We all got one goal, we all on one track. There’s nowhere else for us to go but up. I feel like it’s going to be special seeing what we can do this year and I love our room because we all hungry.”

It does make sense to doubt in the face of uncertainty, as the national media has. But Michigan was doubted all three years that it won the Big Ten and made the College Football Playoff. And while there may be faces who weren’t starters previously, they were (mostly) a part of the team that did end up just winning a national championship. And that does count for something.

Second-year receivers stepping up for Michigan football in spring

These guys are gonna need to really step up in 2024. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While most eyes in Ann Arbor are set on the quarterback room in spring practice, perhaps the biggest question should be: who is the quarterback going to be throwing to?

Michigan football has very little experience at the wide receiver position. Though tight end Colston Loveland could (and should) be a primary target, there are only four touchdowns in the careers of those who remain at pass catcher. Sophomore Semaj Morgan (2), junior Tyler Morris (1), and senior Peyton O’Leary (1) are the only ones who have experience of getting into the end zone.

For Morris, as someone who’s seen more time on task than the others with the starting offense, he’s emerging as a leader this spring. And he’s seeing some of the second-year players stepping up to the plate, and calling on all — himself, included — to take their games to the next level in 2024.

“I would say Fred and Semaj — really it’s everybody,” Morris said. “Fred and Semaj, I feel like just being like young guys — they were the freshmen last year — and this year they’ve shown that they can they can step up.

“And Semaj I feel like last year had a lot of the quick game stuff. And this year, I mean — I’ve told him that was nice, but we need you to do more. And that’s kind of and that’s just kind of the expectation. We’re going to need everybody to step up.

“Fred — we’re gonna need him to really be one of those deep-ball receivers. Peyton — I mean, he ain’t played a lot — we talked about it, too. We just we need everybody to step up and just give it everything.”

While Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore are young, we usually see second-year receivers take a big step forward from year one to year two. Why is that?

The same could be said for Morris, though he was just the seventh-most prolific receiver in 2023. Still, it’s a trend we see, especially in the pro-style system that Michigan runs. Why do receivers tend to make that jump once they become sophomores?

“Honestly, I think it’s just there’s a lot of stuff that you learn with playing football at the receiver position,” Morris said. “So, sometimes it can be hard just to come in right away and just really understand football. So I feel like the more reps they get against the starting defense and just in practice, and more opportunities are given, everybody’s gonna step up and make more plays than they did.”

Michigan is about midway through spring ball with the annual spring game taking place on April 20 at The Big House at noon.

Never recruited by Alabama, Semaj Morgan ready to show out against his childhood favorite team

This is an absolute must watch from a national treasure. #GoBlue

PASADENA, Calif. — Semaj Morgan became a Michigan football fan favorite just about as quickly as someone pointed a camera at him. It elevated the first time the freshman from West Bloomfield got the ball in his hands.

The first-year wide receiver went viral after his postgame interview with Fox following the Big Ten Championship Game, but he’s hoping to have a much bigger moment when facing the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl on Monday.

WolverinesWire caught up with Morgan at Rose Bowl media day and he divulged a little secret: Alabama was his favorite team growing up.

“I ain’t gonna lie to you, growing up, Alabama, me and my dad, that was our favorite team,” Morgan said. “But when the time came, the time came. Michigan they a great team. But we gotta respect them, they gotta respect us. To be able to play this in my freshman year is just a blessing. It’s a dream come true. I feel like my team is ready. Come game time, we’re gonna be ready.”

Alabama did not recruit Morgan, and while that could be added motivation for the enigmatic freshman, he says that it doesn’t really matter, because he’s got plenty of motivation to go around, regardless of opponent.

“I had a chip on my shoulder anyway,” Morgan said. “I don’t really care about that. I have a chip on my shoulder anyway. Anybody out there.”

See the rest of the interview which features Morgan discussing his outspoken nature, why he’s a superior route runner than anyone knows about, and more.

Semaj Morgan recounts B1G Championship punt return, postgame interview

PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS!!! #GoBlue

TROY, Mich. — Michigan football fans had become familiar with freshman wide receiver Semaj Morgan over the course of the season, starting with his electric 18-yard touchdown against Rutgers, his first career score at the college level. But fans across college football came to know the former West Bloomfield (Mich.) standout in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Morgan hadn’t returned punts all year, with Tyler Morris and Jake Thaw each getting their turns throughout the season. But Jim Harbaugh made a gambit in the championship game, inserting the first-year player deep, and it paid off. Morgan nearly housed the punt, taking it 84 yards, just shy of the end zone.

In the aftermath, Morgan has found himself going from an obscure fan favorite to a full-on celebrity overnight, with everyone wanting to know about that one play.

“It’s intense, a lot of face-to-face people, people asking me about it, a lot of things like that,” Morgan said. “It was a pretty good play though! Pretty good play, pretty good play. I wish I would’ve scored, for sure — you know, made it easier for Blake! Made it easier for our offense!

“So I liked it, helped my team out, best way. Contribute! And that’s the best part — being able to contribute as a young guy!”

The reason that Morgan didn’t score was Iowa safety Koen Entringer, who went to Walled Lake (Mich.) Western before ending up in Iowa City. Entringer whiffed on the initial tackle of Morgan but got back up and hustled to make the touchdown-saving play.

Morgan is well familiar with Entringer’s game, and while he wasn’t surprised that he made the play in the aftermath, he was shocked he was run down in the moment.

“I played with Koen at SoundMind SoundBody,” Morgan said. “I was like, ‘Whoa!’ He really was always there, though. You look at the film, I’m still making cuts, he’s still running!”

It’s not just the play that’s made Morgan an instant sensation.

Known for being outspoken in his early Michigan tenure, the freshman was thrust into the national spotlight in the aftermath of the Big Ten Championship Game when head coach Jim Harbaugh did his usual bait-and-switch with the sideline reporter in the postgame interview. Morgan’s eccentricity didn’t quite catch Jenny Taft off-guard, but his interview did fully cement his newfound status as a fan favorite in a video that went viral after the game.

On Saturday, WolverinesWire asked Morgan about that moment and while it wasn’t his first time doing a live postgame interview, it was easily his biggest moment in the spotlight.

“I’d say probably my third or second time — but that was way bigger though! That was way bigger than high school!” Morgan said. “I was prepared but I didn’t know he was going to bring me up there. But I was prepared. I know I can talk, know what I’m saying? Questions (were) easy, so I just answered them and then kept it moving!”