Michigan freshman WR Semaj Morgan earns respect on and off field

West Bloomfield – Michigan freshman receiver Semaj Morgan looked around the field at West Bloomfield High last Saturday and saw a couple hundred youngsters running and learning football drills as part of a camp he ran supporting his foundation. Morgan, who recently turned 18 and is a West Bloomfield graduate, created the Semaj Morgan Foundation to make charitable contributions and to work with children, as well as adults, in need. In May he had his first “Mother’s Day Giveback” and provided gift bags to mother’s who have lost children, and last Sunday he had his first “Father’s Day Giveback”. “The foundation is important to me because I get to give back and help people,” Morgan said. “It’s in my heart and it’s what I like to do. I’m glad I’m in the position to give back.” That he established the foundation when he was 17 and preparing to enroll early at Michigan seems a bit unusual at such a young age. “But my whole life I’ve been unusual, so it’s really usual to me,” he said. “My whole life, people say I’m a different kid, and they see things in me like that. I guess I’ve always been kind of different.” Javid James, owner of Beon WRs who has worked with and coached Morgan, said he is never surprised by the positives Morgan does on and off the field. “It’s a culmination of things. It’s like a gumbo pot. Nothing mysterious about it,” James said after Morgan’s camp. “It is what it is -- the proof is right there in the pudding of Semaj Morgan Jr. He is an extension of his father and his mother, and he’s so unique in being true and unique in being respectable and humble and putting others first. That’s who he is. There’s not an adjective that describes him. It’s like a lifestyle.” These are the last weeks before Michigan opens preseason football camp on Aug. 1, and Morgan and fellow freshman receiver Frederick Moore have a spring practice under their belts after enrolling early. Now it’s about offseason workouts and conditioning to get ready for what might happen in the fall. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Morgan said he felt he had a strong spring. “I feel like I earned respect from my teammates, respect from some coaches, but I feel like I’m still not done,” he said. “I haven’t touched the field yet. I’m not going to be done working, done pushing until I can lay back one day and provide for the people I love.” Morgan said he impressed the coaches by excelling at the small stuff, like always being focused in practice, and also big stuff, like running crisp routes and finding ways to get open. “He has and is and will be continuing to do the work that’s necessary,” James said. “It’s less about the moment and more about being consistent in the big picture of things with Semaj. That’s what we have cultivated and instilled and continue to cultivate in him, like just being where your feet are. And that not only how he carries himself and represents himself, but also his actionable things, what he’s doing, maintaining a consistent off-the-field schedule with his schooling and his engagement with the community represented here. He’s really good at compartmentalizing and handling what’s at task immediately.” After the early signing period last December, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh talked about Morgan’s versatility, his ability to play all over the field. Harbaugh called him a "die-hard Michigan guy" for several years who also helped the coaches recruit the 2023 class. Morgan, who joins West Bloomfield teammate Amir Herring, an offensive lineman, as early enrollee freshmen, said he knows people focus on his height, but he never thinks about it. He said he has a 40-inch vertical and runs fast, so size – or what some might say is a lack of – doesn’t matter to him. “Because I always play big. People say I play big,” Morgan said. “I’m shorter, but I play like I’m 6-2, 6-3. It’s never been a factor for me, but people used to count me out because of that. But I feel like without me being my size, I feel like I wouldn’t be unique if I was a taller player.” As he enters the upcoming season, Morgan said he aspires to be academic All-American and academic All-Big Ten. “All the football stuff is good, but my goals are mainly for school,” he said. While Morgan arrived at Michigan with his West Bloomfield teammate, Herring, he also rejoins former West Bloomfield coach Ron Bellamy, the former Michigan receiver coaching the position there now. Bellamy had coached the Lakers for 11 seasons before joining Harbaugh’s staff. Morgan’s face brightened when asked about reuniting with Bellamy. “He knows what type of kid I am and the type of player I am,” Morgan said. “He can mix both qualities and coach me based off that. I really appreciate that because some coaches don’t get kids. They won’t even try to understand kids, but coach Bell always took that extra time with me to make sure I was good, and I appreciate that.”