How Michigan football WR Semaj Morgan has improved his blocking

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Most often, first-year wide receivers don’t see the field much if at all, but Michigan football wideout Semaj Morgan saw the field early and often in his freshman season.

He may not have set the world on fire, but he did showcase that he’s ready to make a big contribution in 2023 in terms of production (Morgan finished with 22 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns), but it allowed him to get acclimated to the college game. Now Morgan is expected to be a starter, and despite his diminutive size at 5-foot-10, 174 pounds, he’s been spoken of this offseason as being a more complete receiver and not just a gadget player.

So what has gone into that? Morgan says he’s been fueled by a hunger he’s had since he was young, but also he’s been dedicated to not only improving upon that which he wasn’t good at, but also that where he was already thriving.

“I’ve really just been attacking it the same way because my foot has always been on the gas since I was six years old, anyways,” Morgan said. “I just feel like going into this season it is a different role. I feel like the guy that I work out with, man, he is gonna have me in the right position to go, to be ready to go. Then also, when I get to Michigan, my coaches, I feel like they’re gonna put me in the best position to succeed. As a complete receiver, I feel like I can run routes pretty good, I feel like I got pretty well hands. I just feel like I work on everything that I feel like I’m good at too, not just what I feel like I’m not good at.”

One of those areas that Morgan feels like he’s improved the most is blocking.

Michigan is obviously a run-heavy team and though there’s some speculation that the offensive playbook could open up a bit in 2024, it will likely continue to run the football more often than not. With that in mind, Morgan has set his mind to making sure he can’t be taken off the field…