ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It seems every year that Michigan football brings in some high-end skill position players, there’s offseason hype that they’ll see the field early and often, making an instant impact. Most often, that doesn’t happen, but when a player is unheralded as a recruit? It seems like you see those players being more likely to be an instant impact-type.
It’s too early, through two games, with only two catches for 18 yards to his name, to tell whether or not freshman wide receiver Fredrick Moore is one of those players, but he has seen more snaps than some of his older counterparts. With 20 snaps under his belt in key times during the first two games, Moore clearly has the trust of the coaching staff enough to have an opportunity to be an instant impact player.
Another such player who had a similar opportunity, Mike Sainristil got rave reviews at wide receiver when he arrived in Ann Arbor in 2019. Though his production wasn’t quite as anticipated following incredible showings in the April open practice and subsequent spring game, Sainristil did end up being an impact player, both on and off the field. Now he’s on the defensive side of the ball, but as he’s seen Moore in practice, he’s not surprised that the freshman is making the most of his opportunity.
“(He’s) just going out there and doing the thing that he’s been blessed to do,” Sainristil said. “Fred’s a really good receiver. He’s came in and he got to work right away, straight in his playbook. And the sooner you learn it, the sooner you’re able to go out there and impact. The game comes a lot slower to you when you do know what you’re doing. And Fred is the guy that knows what he’s doing when he’s out there. So it allows him to go out there and be comfortable and play his best game.”
Of course, there are also some injuries to key players that have precluded them from perhaps seeing as much playing time as expected — which also helps the freshman get on the field. Both Tyler Morris and Darrius Clemons have been listed as questionable on the weekly injury reports. But Moore is still being called upon where other available players are not.
We’ll see if Moore gets even more of an opportunity on Saturday when Michigan hosts Bowling Green at 7:30 p.m. EDT at The Big House. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.