Name: Semaj Morgan
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 174 lbs.
High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Junior
Jersey number: #0
Last year: I ranked Morgan #16 and said he would be a starting wide receiver (LINK). He started four games and made 27 catches for 139 yards and 1 touchdown, ran 6 times for 32 yards, and returned 9 punts for 100 yards.
TTB Rating: 76
After a breakout freshman season in 2023, I thought Semaj Morgan would have a fun 2024. He was a bit of a jack-of-all trades who could catch, run, and return punts.
And then he did absolutely nothing in 2024.
You want a fun statistic? Out of 177 players in Michigan history with 19 catches or more in a season, Semaj Morgan's 5.1 yards per catch is tied for the lowest . . . and the person tied with him was running back Anthony Thomas (33 catches, 168 yards in 1999).
Want to know what's arguably worse? The only player with 17 catches or more in a season who had a lower yards per catch than Morgan and Thomas's 5.1 was the 2024 version of Donovan Edwards (18 catches, 83 yards).
In other words, the passing game in 2024 was historically bad. Not that you didn't already know that.
On the plus side, I think Morgan is better than that. He was better in high school and he was better as a freshman. I'm going to chalk up the pitiful 2024 campaign to poor quarterbacking and poor offensive coordinator-ing, and both of those positions have been upgraded going into 2025. I think offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey will have a better idea of how to use Morgan, and I think Bryce Underwood/Mikey Keene will be able to get him the ball in more advantageous ways.
Prediction: Part-time starting wide receiver; 30 catches for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns
Morgan's speed comes with potential ... dude needs to go from a guy who once made a play to a Playmaker!
ReplyDeleteYep the QB play was so atrocious I think all the receivers get a pass or maybe an incomplete grade, in their honor.
ReplyDeleteSee what I did there?
Here's a sobering fact: The #1 receiving target got elevated from being the #3 target in 2023 and saw his yardage production go DOWN. Woof!
The best receiving TE in Michigan history and a first round NFL pick couldn't surpass 600 yards! We talk about wasting Nico Collins but even he topped 700 yards. What happened with Loveland, Morris, Morgan and company last year was a debacle.
I hope with Bryce/Keene and Lindsay the passing game is a lot better this year and the receiver production will bounce back accordingly, even with a lot of the same faces (save Loveland of course). Sounds like McCulley will get a lot of the targets but I'd look for a big bounce back year for Morgan too -- especially if Lindsay delivers on his reputation as a guy who likes to use the screen game. Feels like Michigan is long overdue on this front, to counterattack defensive aggression against the run.
Morgan in particular would be a beneficiary if screen passes are functional. I still like his game and his aggressive attitude.