New Michigan Crystal Balls/Futurecasts: Joshua Conerly, Kenneth Grant, Semaj Morgan

Submitted by mwolverine1 on September 7th, 2021 at 7:57 PM

Michigan has received not one, not two, but three predictions in the last day for top targets. In the 2022 cycle, 5* OL Joshua Conerly and 3* DT Kenneth Grant have both received Rivals FutureCasts to Michigan courtesy EJ Holland. In the 2023 cycle, 3* WR Semaj Morgan received a 247 Crystal Ball to Michigan from Allen Trieu.

All three prospects will be visiting this weekend for the Washington game, with Conerly and Grant on official visits and Morgan on an unofficial visit. Could it be time to buckle up?

Conerly is a Washington native who has previously visited for the BBQ at the Big House, and Jim Harbaugh flew out to see him at a satellite camp in Washington. Conerly is an athletic, true 5* prospect who is probably best at RT, though he can play anywhere on the line. Conerly is thought to have a Top 3 of Oregon, Washington, and Michigan, with the key factor being whether he wants to stay close to home. EJ Holland believes Conerly may be leaning towards going away for college, which may explain his pick for Michigan. 

Grant is a mammoth 335 lb true nose tackle who is still plenty athletic. Grant has a Top 3 of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, and also was on campus for the BBQ. Michigan and Ohio State are thought to be ahead, and Michigan is pushing much harder than Ohio State at the moment. Grant recently received a bump to 4* status on 247, so he appears to be a riser.

Meanwhile, Morgan is a true blue prospect from West Bloomfield. He is a productive slot receiver in the mold of a Mike Sainristil, with potentially more upside depending on how his speed develops. Morgan has also previously received FutureCast picks to Michigan. Rivals also has Morgan rated a little higher than the composite as a 4* at #238 overall.

This is a big weekend for Michigan on the recruiting trail, with a plethora of top targets expected to be in attendance, including multiple 5*. A strong performance on the field could lead to some significant recruiting momentum.

MEZman

September 7th, 2021 at 8:28 PM ^

Yeah, to flesh it out a bit. Rivals reported that he was coming and the 247 confirmed. Guess 247 guy said his injury was about the best you could hope for with a season ending injury too... whatever that means.

NeverPunt

September 7th, 2021 at 8:39 PM ^

I hope we can continue to land top linemen like Conerly. I fear there may be some attrition next year from the past few classes as guys look for playing time. Only hurts depth but would like to see us keep recruiting o- line like we did under Ed.

gustave ferbert

September 7th, 2021 at 8:51 PM ^

Semaj Morgan.  Backwards spelling of James.

I knew of a girl in high school who named her son Semaj because it was the backward spelling of the father.  

No real substance to the post. It just made me chuckle.  

mwolverine1

September 7th, 2021 at 9:23 PM ^

Yes, he will be there with his mom and 2 younger brothers.

Top prospects expected:

  • 5* Walter Nolen
  • 5* Domani Jackson
  • 5* Josh Conerly
  • 5* Dante Moore (2023)
  • 5* Jalen Brown (2023)
  • 4* Deone Walker
  • 4* Lander Barton
  • 4* Tackett Curtis (2023)
  • 4* Caleb Presley (2023)
  • 4* Amir Herring (2023)
  • 4* Preston Zinter (2023)
  • 4* Jalen Thompson (2023)
  • 3* Kenneth Grant
  • 3* Joshua Josephs
  • 3* Semaj Morgan (2023)

And of course many of our commits including 5* Will Johnson and 4* Tyler Morris and many other prospects we are recruiting. Huge opportunity here

mwolverine1

September 7th, 2021 at 10:22 PM ^

He tends to focus on being first more than 247 does, which has burned his overall accuracy, but he has been pretty good as of late. These picks came as a bit of a surprise (the Conerly one in particular), and they may more reflect where he expects Michigan to stand after a strong visit, and not necessarily as of today. My characterization of the Grant and Conerly recruitments is that Michigan will be at least tied for the lead after this weekend, but there is still work to be done before it’s a done deal.