Skip to main content
michigan logo

Confident Semaj Morgan expects to produce for Michigan offense: 'Y’all will definitely see how special I am'

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•09/27/23•

CSayf23

Semaj Morgan
(Photo by Lon Horwedel / TheWolverine.com)

Michigan Wolverines football freshman wide receiver Semaj Morgan is a gamer, and he’s performed well under pressure. Longing for a U-M scholarship offer in the summer of 2021, Morgan had a big day at the Wolverines’ prospect camp.

“I want them to realize that I’m a playmaker,” the West Bloomfield (Mich.) High product told TheWolverine.com heading into the camp.

The offer came on the spot.

Morgan, who has “favor” tattooed on his neck because he believes “God favors me,” exudes tremendous confidence, and he “most definitely” expected to earn playing time right away his freshman season. He joined the Wolverines for bowl practices just weeks after signing his National Letter of Intent last November, went through winter conditioning and spring ball, all of which led him to seeing the field early on in his Michigan career.

“I feel like my work ethic is second to none, and I feel like I have some talent that I can put to use,” Morgan said Tuesday. “Hard work — cream is always going to rise to the top.”

It wasn’t an easy process in the early going, though. There were days during spring ball in which Morgan said he “wanted to go home,” but he stuck it out, and things started to “come a little bit easier” around summertime.

“Spring ball — I ain’t gonna lie, I had never experienced anything like that,” Morgan said with a smile. “I came straight out of high school, straight into that. My head was spinning. I didn’t know what to do. But we got through it.”

Morgan had a 35-yard catch in Michigan’s win over Bowling Green, which came on a free play due to the Falcons jumping offsides. That was in mop-up duty, but he earned some snaps early in the Wolverines’ Big Ten opener against Rutgers, catching a screen pass and gaining 12 yards and hauling in a contested 18-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy on a slot fade, fighting off pass interference.

“I kinda did know that the ball was going to come to me, because all week when we were running over the stuff, it was like if it was man [coverage], it’s coming to you,” Morgan explained. “He was pressing me, and it was man, so I ran the route. J.J. threw a great ball, and I had to make him look good. That’s what I did. I’m just thankful that he trusted me with that, for real. That’s big. That’s real big.”

The pressure was on, and Morgan delivered.

The 5-10, 176-pounder said he expects to continue to have a role going forward, and remaining focused on the details will help him.

“Lining up, route depths, making the right reads on the route,” Morgan said of what he can improve. “Sometimes, we have some type of routes that we can run different things out of, and I feel like sometimes I can miss a read based on the coverage. Lining up and reading coverages are where I can get better.”

He feels that his skill set has yet to be fully unleashed.

“If I get worked in a little bit more, see a little bit more of the field, then y’all will definitely see how special I am.”

You may also like