For the extremely online: The Michigan community has carved out a couple of spots on Reddit's r/place. M's the only school to have its own presence, which means rivals have nothing to do but vandalize it. I think it ends tonight at 8PM. I've been told you should go here if you want to help, and/or understand why there's bread next to Wolverbear.

Previously: Last year’s profiles, K Adam Samaha, K James Turner (Tr), S Brandyn Hillman, CB DJ Waller, CB Cameron Calhoun, CB Jyaire Hill, HSP/LB Jason Hewlett, LB Hayden Moore, LB Semaj Bridgeman, LB Ernest Hausmann (Tr), OLB Breeon Ishmail, DE Aymeric Koumba, DE Enow Etta, DE Josaiah Stewart (Tr), DT Brooks Bahr, DT Cameron Brandt, DT Trey Pierce, OT Evan Link, OT Myles Hinton (Tr), OT LaDarius Henderson (Tr), OG Nathan Efobi, IOL Amir Herring, OC Drake Nugent (Tr), TE Deakon Tonielli, TE Zack Marshall, TE AJ Barner (Tr)

West Bloomfield, MI – 5'10"/180
		247: 5'10/175                             3.86*	3*, 89, NR overall #64 WR, #7 MI
		On3: 5'9.5/185                             3.57*	3*, 87, NR overall #141 WR, #12 MI
		Rivals: 5'10/181                             3.87*	4*, 5.8, NR overall #64 WR, #10 MI
		ESPN: 6'4/215                             3.70*	3*, 78, #58 Midwest #92 WR, #12 MI
		Composites                 3.87*/3.83*	3*, #501/#522 Ovr #70/76 WR, #11/12 MI
		MGoAverage                             3.77*	3.5*, #557/798 Ovr #68/85 WRs since '90
		YMRMFSPA	Mike Sainristil
Other Suitors	MSU, Mizzou, WVU, Ole Miss
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello from the Future by Alex Drain
Notes	SMSB. Army Bowl. Nickname "Jukebox."
Film:
Senior Highlights:Junior Highlights. Hudl. 7v7. Edwards to Wilson. Rivals camp. Game clips more.

Welcome to Receiver Week. Our first of Ron Bellamy's three recruits (and the second Semaj) of the class, Semaj J. Morgan was one of the first guys join it, and the first expected to. Since his dad was an assistant coach under Bellamy on all of those Laker teams, this recruitment had considerably less drama than those of his old West Bloomfield backfield mates Donovan Edwards and Dillon Tatum.

Semaj was also a regular top performer among underclassmen at various camps, and a 7-on-7 star with Sound Mind Sound Body. In course, Morgan became what Will Johnson was for the 2022s and JJ McCarthy had been for the 2021s: an early commit who's well known around the elite college football camps who committed to Michigan early and tried to get others to join him.

Unfortunately Morgan was not a strapping 6'3" five-star. He was a low 4-star when he committed shortly after 42-27, and fell to the high threes or below. While Big Ten championships and NFL flirtations came and went, Morgan went from one of the first names in 2023 Michigan recruiting to the back of the class. That is, until spring practice arrived, and Morgan began generating way more hype than a guy with his profile should.

[After THE JUMP: What if Sainristil stayed a receiver?]

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7v7 and Camp Star

The little scamp receivers are the ones who tend to stand out in camp or 7-on-7 situations where there aren't zone defenders to take away two-way go routes. This was especially important for Morgan, who had to share the spotlight with Donovan Edwards and Dillon Tatum in fall, but shined each summer. Already in August 2021, 247's Allen Trieu was calling Morgan arguably the toughest receiver to cover at several camps and 7-on-7s, and noted that "camp season really highlighted his ability to create separation with his explosiveness and suddenness." This was after Morgan was beating all the best Midwest CBs at 247's Ohio camp in April. National recruiting director Steve Wiltfong agreed Morgan "exploded on the camp circuit."

Morgan was Rivals' #10 performer of the whole Midwest camp in 2021 despite going against guys one and two years older than him. IU writer Paul Gable described it:

…showed great hands and explosive speed in the cold and the rain in Indianapolis en route to earning an Underclassmen Challenge invite. He consistently gave defensive backs fit on a very wet turf due to his explosiveness and ability to get open and run past defenders.

At that point only Bowling Green and Ole Miss had offered. Morgan would pick up many more, traveling the country with Detroit-based Sound Mind Sound Body's team along along with guys like Dante Moore and Will Johnson. Morgan earned a mention from Charles Power at Overtime's 7-on-7 tournament.

Wiltfong called Morgan "one of the more dynamic players at that event, and a "touchdown machine."

…easily creating separation from defensive backs, a confident player that hit on a bevy of big gains over the course of the Overtime OT7 competition.

..and 247's Andrew Ivins included Morgan in his next five (#3 after camp MVP Bryson Rodgers, an OSU receiver commit, and Reuben Owens).

Morgan was runner-up to Rodgers for the top performer in Rivals' Las Vegas series, and #1 at making his QB look good.

SMSB was one of the teams that showed the most chemistry over the weekend, and the connection between Michigan commit Semaj Morgan and his two quarterbacks was a prime example. Morgan creates separation with ease across the middle of the field and possessed some of the strongest hands on Championship Sunday. Morgan proved to be easily the strongest offensive weapon for SMSB.

After another offseason of this On3's EJ Holland named Morgan the #1 recruit he saw on the road over last summer, noting performances at OT7 and Pylon, two big 7v7 events.

No, he doesn’t have the size or the verified track times, but the dude is an absolute dog.

Others on that list include Boo Carter, 5-star DT Justin Scott, top-100 CB Javien Toviano, and Jadyn Davis. Amir Herring was #4, fwiw. Holland chatted up Will Johnson's dad at the Ford Field event SMSB hosted:

Overall, Morgan was arguably the most impressive wide receiver at the event. I was actually talking to ex-Wolverine Deon Johnson on the sideline, and he was quick to say that Morgan was a standout while also noting that ‘Semaj is a feisty guy.’ And that’s definitely true.

Sounds Like a Slot (or a Gallon)

The book on Morgan is he's a compact short guy who turns on a dime. New teammate Darrius Clemons already has a distinct impression.

Semaj is just twitchy, like I said about Tyler [Morris]. Tyler still has a bit better vertical speed. Semaj when you see him he doesn't look very big; he looks small. But he plays a lot bigger. Semaj is really strong, especially on the field. And he's super, super twitchy—lateral quickness. And he has really really good hands. Like he'll be at practice—no gloves—just catching everything.

247's Allen Trieu called Morgan "sudden, explosive and skilled," "one of the state's most dangerous offensive weapons" and a "dynamic, lightning in a bottle type of player"

… can be a threat on jet sweeps, as a return man, and on screens with his open-field ability. Not a big guy, but has shown the catch radius and other tools to make up for that. Fits well in most of today's wide open offenses.

Trieu's comp was Brandin Cooks, a just-under 5'10"/189 Biletnikoff-winning slot for Oregon State who went in the 1st round after posting a 4.33 forty, 36 vertical, and a 3.81 shuttle in the combine. NFL.com described him as a "Short, speedy, nifty-footed receiver" who was good at generating YAC but lacked size and strength and was poor at blocking. I assume by Cooks Trieu means "productive slot receiver who doesn't block."

Rivals called him a shorter, powerfully built player who looks best suited for the slot position in college."  Morgan spent time last year with NFL sports Trainer Nate Collins, who called his protégé "gifted with cutting and breaking." On3's Anthony Broome mentioned Morgan's nickname is "Jukebox" because he "runs crisp and precise routes and also has a knack for making plays on the ball."

Holland claimed Morgan "is continuing to add muscle to his compact frame."

While he is on the short side, Morgan has a really thick lower half and a cut up upper half. He kind of reminds me of AJ Henning … he can line up in the backfield and make plays on jet sweeps/end arounds.

We did see an end-around in spring. I think I would +1 it too.

ESPN's Craig Haubert called this "a compact build and a strong lower body to break tackles," and Maize 'n Blue Review's Lucas Reimink thought the ability to generate YAC was Morgan's best trait, but cautioned Morgan is just a slot, not a Rich Rodriguez mountain goat (emphasis mine).

In the run game, Semaj is a marginal blocker due to a lack of effort and a lack of physical strength. Because he is slight in size, his lack of blocking effort is especially noticeable. He needs to embrace blocking before he will get on the field consistently at the next level. Even when he does decide to block, he will likely never be above a solid blocker because he lacks the physical strength to really drive a defender backwards and create additional space for the ball carrier.

Whatever Reimink saw in September 2022, it wasn't evident in the spring game. (Morgan is #12 in the slot).

Morgan was the starting slot for Blue and spent the first 75% of that game blocking. He wasn't any good at it, (nor was he the worst at it) but I didn't think he lacked for effort—just size and technique.

Receiver Skills

The other common take is Morgan is Not Just a Slot, with those familiar with the career of Jeremy Gallon using that as their comp "because of his ability to play bigger than his height." Wiltfong on Morgan's Gallonness:

He has excellent ball skills. One-handed catches and tough grabs away from his body are routine. In general, he is a dynamic playmaker.

While he thought Morgan was best "used similarly to how the Wolverines deploy AJ Henning or Mike Sainristil," when Trieu took in a WB game early last season he noted…

really good short-area quickness and ability to create separation with that. He has very good ball skills which he showed making a couple of tough grabs, one in double coverage and another along the sideline that he snagged and kept his feet in.

and told Sam Webb that's not the end of it:

You look at him and you think slot receiver, but he's stepped up and shown that he can play outside receiver.

This is some Kremlinology, but I did note Michigan gave Morgan a "go get it" fade against Ja'Den McBurrows despite not having the ideal look for it. McBurrows covered it too well for Morgan to get more than a hand on it, so the fact they tried it is the only thing we have to go on, but could suggest they saw something in practice they wanted to show us.

That drive ended, FWIW, with Morgan executing a flawless pick route to get Barner open.

Holland agreed that Morgan is a natural pass catcher.

ran through the wide receiver gauntlet with ease, showing off strong and soft hands. I love the way Morgan can start and stop. It really gives him the ability to sell routes. He’s obviously done a ton of release work as well. Morgan is extremely dangerous on slants on drags out of the slot, but he can also take the top off a defense and stretch the field vertically. Despite poor quarterback play, Morgan was still able to win some deep 1v1s and had an impressive 40-yard touchdown during the 7v7 portion of the showcase.

Lucas Reimink credited Morgan with solid acceleration, route running, and agility. Touch the Banner was writing in December 2021 but wasn't sure about the second part:

I would like to see Morgan clean up his route-running. He telegraphs some of his routes and doesn’t always use the suddenness that his physical talent allows.

This may have been a point of emphasis he fixed over the last year and a half, according to his old trainer/SMSB assistant Javid James:

I think the most notable thing has been his ability to maintain winning in the route and his catch radius.

James also said he hadn't seen a guy of Morgan's stature get off the line as well he does, something that was evident in the spring game.

Watch the slot #12

For a Guy of His Stature…

Mostly James would not stop talking about Morgan's catch radius.

Whether a defender is within that radius or not, I’m banking on eight times out of ten, Semaj pulling the ball down with very little difficulty. He makes difficult catches look easy by purely being in great position. When I’m training other guys, I’m exemplifying Semaj as what that should look like because he has worked to be very close to perfect as far as foundational principles—stance and start, releases, engaging a defender in a secondary release and slipping coverage versus avoiding. All those things and being detailed has been his calling card.

James also told Wiltfong that Morgan's catch radius is "exceptional" and brought it up again when EJ Holland asked about something else.

I will not stop talking about his ability to make catches outside of his radius. We’re talking about arms extending horizontally, just outside your fingertips, with the longest finger being your middle finger. His one and a half outside of that radius and ability to make a catch is unmatched. Some people chalk that up to natural ability. That is something we work on. I would say those are the top things. Again, winning in phase one and being physical in that, attacking the football and making catches outside of his radius look easy.

There's some evidence beyond the trainer that Morgan found Gallon's old Go-Go-Gadget jet-pack. He claims a 36-inch vertical (and a 4.03 Shuttle) on his Hudl page, which is for a wide receiver under 6 feet is on the upper end of expectations at the NFL combine. Trieu credited Morgan more for "good ball skills in tracking it in the air and making tougher catches," which suggests this is a "for a small guy" caveat. Reimink also named "solid ball skills" and "strong hands" for contested catches as positives in Morgan's game before contradicting himself.

One downside to Semaj’s game is his jump ball capabilities, which because of his size, he is marginal at. He has good leaping ability, but the lack of size and length really hurts him in jump ball scenarios. He also has marginal play strength, which will show up more at the next level when college defenders try to get physical with him off the LOS.

I guess a big part of that question is where's he starting? One of the rules in recruiting is if they say a guy is 5'10" he's probably 5'8" or on the lower end of 5'9", and if they say he's 5'9" he could be 5'7" or 5'5". They still call Morgan 5'9" but they've been saying that since they got his measurements at those 2021 camps. If we're using 6'4" Jim Harbaugh as our baseline, Semaj has to be closer to 5'10" than 5'Hart.

From seeing him in spring and photos with the other receivers, I'd guess 5'10" or just below it.

Speed: Working on It

Other that Trieu's Brandin Cooks comp above, nobody is giving Morgan credit for elite speed. Touch the Banner thought his "upside somewhat capped because of his size and lack of breakaway speed."

The most Morgan's supporters will say is he's quick or he's working on it or (e.g. Holland) both:

Morgan is quick, has great acceleration and is getting faster straight-line—he’s spending a lot of time focusing on track this offseason.

Trieu lamented the only verified speed were track times from spring 2021, and they were willing to move Morgan up the rankings if he proved he'd gotten faster by 2022 (they did not move him up). Touch the Banner compared this to Gallon.

His top-end speed is also somewhat limited. Much like Gallon, he has the quickness to pull away initially but can get tracked down once he’s in the open field.

Wiltfong said as of July 2022 that Morgan's work on his speed "showed up in [a 7v7] setting" but even then Morgan admitted this was an Area for Improvement that he was working on while hanging around my kids' day camp.

“Speed is the main thing that I’m working on whenever I come in here,” Morgan said. “That’s the main thing, to be honest with you. I’ve been working with Nate since I was a little kid so being able to get back out here with him to get faster and strong has been great.”

Collins also said they're "working on getting him faster and stronger."

Working on his flexibility and working on his speed.

Why Did His Rankings Drop?

One of the rules for rankings is guys who move up never move up enough and those who drop don't fall far enough. Morgan dropped, but not in the usual way.

Oddly the 7v7/camp star was one of the more scouted guys in his class but also got his rankings late. Usually the services use sophomore seasons to set the shape of the class, but because of the pandemic the 2021 camp season kind of did that for this one. Morgan was a 4-star to Rivals, a high-ish 3-star to 247, and not yet ranked to the other sites when he committed, and that was true up until the 2022 season started.

Trieu addressed the lack of a 4th star after (a 1000+ yard junior season and) all of those camp performances in the offseason, and one game of 2022:

I know the immediate question is, will he get his fourth star on 247? Typically, the review for seniors comes after the first few games, so he will get his look from the national staff in the first few weeks, but he made his case in week one.

And?

At least he moved up. ESPN gave him a 78 (akin to the 88 he used to be on 247) and not having much interest in a player who wasn't returning Ole Miss's phone calls, left him there. Then there was the Rivals component. They had him the highest, but in June 2022 they came out with a Top 250 and Morgan was surprisingly not on it despite, as one of their writers noted, being "one of the most outstanding players throughout the camp circuit this year."

As for On3, a month after Morgan committed, EJ Holland was still promising a rating.

Morgan is currently unranked by On3, but he should be getting a rating soon. I could see them starting him off as a high three since national hasn’t really seen him live, but I would grade him closer to a low four. Again, Morgan is very much on the short side, but he checks a lot of boxes and is perfect for the Henning role at Michigan.

In February they debuted him at the #131 receiver, and #11 in the state, then just left him there. On3's low ranking drove the composite down when you'd expect it to be going up (camp season). I think the three sites that do re-rankings were probably as impressed as they were going to be by Morgan in a camp or 7v7 setting, and were waiting to see what he did as The Guy at West Bloomfield. The first couple of games were Semaj Morgan Shows, and then he hurt his wrist.

That was it for recruiting deltas, but in spring there was a lot of chatter, both from the program and from people who got to peek into practice, that Morgan was already pressing AJ Henning.

Returner? Defense?

Morgan might be an option as a returner after handling kickoffs and punts for West Bloomfield. Morgan told On3's Clayton Safie he wants to compete for punt returner. Clint Cosgrove of Rivals seems to think it a good idea.

The first team all-state athlete put up ridiculous numbers this season with 61 receptions for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had ten kick returns for 291 yards and a touchdown. Morgan's greatest attribute is his ability to make big plays.

Trieu emphasized it to Sam Webb, Wiltfong suggested his elusiveness shows up in the return game, and just about everyone mentioned the Swiss Army knifeness of Morgan's skills. That includes Morgan playing nickel safety, IE the job that Mike Sainristil took over last year after three seasons of offense. When Harbaugh talked about Morgan, it actually sounded more like they were recruiting an Athlete than a dedicated slot.

Here’s a guy who plays all over the field—wide receiver, quarterback, plays safety, DB, QB, great athlete. And did a heck of a job at the US Army Bowl game on Saturday, catching three passes, also had an interception that was—I think it was called back for roughing the passer. But still heck of a play by Semaj.

Morgan told EJ Holland it's not a big deal.

Morgan definitely flashed on the defensive side of the ball, recording a handful of highlight-reel interceptions throughout his final year of high school. “I’ve never been focused on one position,” Morgan said. “My dad taught me to play every position early on. I had to learn to play football, not a position.

“I think I’ll move around a little bit. We’ll have to see. I think they’ll put me on the field wherever they need me.”

Broome said there's "a craftiness about him" and made the obvious Sainristil comparison a few times.

Class captain

The other Sainristillian attribute here is Morgan is the member of the class most likely to stand on a bench and rally the troops in Columbus. Broome:

If we were to compare his game to a current Wolverine, he fits the mold of a Mike Sainristil-type. He brings leadership, savviness and a high level of execution to whatever he is asked to do. Whenever the powers that be decide to re-rank him, he seems worthy of a fourth star.

Curtis Blackwell, back running SMSB now, called Morgan one of the hardest working players he's ever had. Harbaugh credited Morgan for helping to recruit the class. Josh Henschke named Semaj the MVP of it.

Morgan was instrumental in landing multiple in-state recruits and did a great job representing the Wolverines through the "down" times of the 2023 class. His loyalty to Michigan is admirable and he's the type of guy you want in your locker room.

Zach Libby reported Morgan, Samaha, and Cabana created the group Snapchat for the class, noted Morgan's recruiting at 7v7 camps, and started getting poetic when profiling the kid.

Ask anyone about 2023 West Bloomfield (Mich.) wide receiver Semaj Morgan and the answer remains the same. Confident. Swagger. Fiery. Humble. There's an aurora to Morgan unlike any other rising junior in the football recruiting world. It's probably why so many people gravitate towards him. Doesn't matter who it is or where they come from, they know Morgan's name and understand his game.

First look at Morgan from last weekend's Battle 7v7 Tournament in Washington D.C. gave clear indication on what all the talk was about. He would walk onto the field draping an army green Battle windbreaker, flat brimmed hat, and earrings that reflected off the clear sky.

Javid James argued the intangibles will make a difference.

Relentless. Good character kid but more importantly on the field consistent. I feel his consistency long term will outweigh those elite tangibles.”

Etc. Created his own humanitarian foundation. Never liked Michigan State. Does NIL work with Ben Dietrich/4EVR Sports. Harbaugh did the dishes. Dad on what negative recruiting he got:

“He gets a lot of phone calls, and the conversations go like this ‘why would you go to Michigan if they don’t put receivers in the draft?'"

I mean, it may be because everyone but Ronnie Bell (7th) and transfer Daylen Baldwin, since the DPJ (6th) and Nico Collins (3rd) class is still playing, but whatever.

Why Mike Sainristil? If you remember Sainristil as a receiver it's a pretty close comparison: excellent hands, strong build to break tackles, not a lot of height, but a good route runner, etc. Remember Sainristil in the back of the endzone against Rutgers? Remember the Sainristil they went to for key conversions at MSU? Also remember the guy standing on the bench at Ohio State? Had Sainristil played for a major program and gone to camps all over the country instead of coming from Everett, Massachusetts, I think he'd have exactly the profile of Semaj Morgan.

I'm not saying Morgan is going to move to nickel down the road, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out either.

Guru Reliability: High. Went to all the camps and 7v7s, played for the biggest program in the state, AA game. Slight disagreements are the standard ones between the sites based on NFL potential/college readiness. Falls short of Very High because the wrist injury precluded a complete senior season, though he still managed to play through it at the All-Star game.

Variance: Low. Size limits him, and he's already very far in his development. Seems like he will be at minimum an effective slot receiver, asking him to be an All-Big Ten caliber slot corner might be a bit much, but that's in the cards.

Ceiling: Medium-plus. If he had greater speed or was already an amazing blocker we could push this up a bit higher, and again I'm not going to project him to become Mike Sainristil the nickel unless he moves to nickel.

Flight Risk Level: Very low. His position coach is basically family, he's as much as Michigan fan as anyone reading this, and he's the kind of player who can find things to do even if he's not playing his primary position.

General Excitement Level: High. Baseline 5; +1 for hands, +1 for already well-developed, +1 for has already shown he can get open half of the elite DBs in college, +1 for class captain, –1 for size will always limit him, –1 for non-elite speed, +1 for I invoked Sainristil.

Projection: With AJ Henning gone there's a spot open immediately for Michigan's Calvin Bell Memorial End-Around artist, though since Morgan is smallish and likely to stick around I think they should just give Edwards that job and a bunch more of the slot stuff besides while letting Semaj redshirt. Projecting a redshirt, how Michigan finishes at receiver in the 2024 class will matter a lot to how much the guys they recruited for this year are going to need to feature outside, and where everyone in this class shakes out.

Next year there's only Tyler Morris, Darrius Clemons, Peyton O'Leary, and Cristian Dixon between starting jobs and redshirt freshmen, so the 2023s are going to factor heavily in the near and far future if they can play. I expect Morgan to at least be the next AJ Henning in this offense, with more slot usage than that dictated by which of the above they hang onto, what roles are seized by other 2023 and 2024 recruits, and how much slot work is actually available when there are tight ends and fullbacks contending for the same snaps.