Semaj Morgan has a huge opportunity to bounce back in 2025

Can Semaj Morgan bounce back from his sophomore slump? With what transpired this offseason, it’s more than possible. Today, we detail the Michigan wide receiver’s journey so far and his outlook for 2025:

When we look back on the 2024 Michigan Wolverines , the absolute last thing people will remember is the passing game. Michigan was 130th out of 133 teams in the FBS in passing offense (129.1 yards per game) ahead of Navy, Air Force and Army. Michigan’s leading wide receiver last season, Tyler Morris, had just 248 yards.

With a new quarterback and offensive coordinator, things are looking up for the Wolverines’ pass attack in 2025. And one player in particular, junior wide receiver Semaj Morgan, could greatly benefit from the breath of fresh air.

The story so far

Morgan was a three-star high school recruit in the 2023 class. The West Bloomfield native committed to Michigan over other offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Purdue, Maryland and more.

Despite his low ranking, Morgan saw the field right away as a freshman. Playing in every single game in 2023, he racked up 22 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns, as well as four carries for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

In addition to his contributions on offense, Morgan was also electric as a return man. He has yet to return a kick or punt for a touchdown in his career, but he came *this* close in the Big Ten Championship. He was awarded All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by the coaches and media as a true freshman.

However, Morgan took a major step back in 2024. He only caught 27 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown, with his lone score coming in garbage time in the loss to Texas.

Former offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell constantly called plays for Morgan to catch the ball behind the line of scrimmage, resulting in negative plays time and time again. Most of his targets last year (16) came behind the line of scrimmage, per Pro Football Focus , while another 14 targets came within 0-9 yards of the line of scrimmage. He caught one pass in 2024 — the aforementioned Texas touchdown — that went for more than 20 yards

For a player that was “lightning in a bottle” in high school, per 247Sports’ Allen Trieu , the way Morgan was utilized was completely unacceptable. It was total malpractice for Campbell to continuously put his guys — Morgan and Donovan Edwards, especially — in positions to fail. It’s a shame Sherrone Moore allowed this to happen for an entire season.

I’m not saying that was the only reason for Morgan’s sophomore slump, but there’s no doubt it played a big role.

Outlook for 2025

Heading into his junior year, Morgan has a phenomenal opportunity to bounce back under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, a coach known to scheme his receivers open and provide them with opportunities to rack up yards after the catch.

Of course, Morgan will very likely get passes thrown his way in the screen game near/at the line of scrimmage, but it would also be beneficial to have him run some slants, hitches, quick outs, etc. Having him do more than just end arounds and screens would make things less predictable and put him in better positions to succeed.

Even Morgan recently said as much:

“I feel like when coach Lindsey came in, he’s seen the type of player I was throughout the spring,” Morgan said . “It’s already night and day because I’m running more routes. You know what I’m saying? And that’s what I really do. I’m a technician when it comes to routes. So I don’t like want to be running bubbles all day and stuff like coach Campbell had me doing. That’s not me. That’s not my thing.

“Coach Lindsey really understands me. He has me running routes down the field. I still run bubbles and stuff, but I’m a receiver. I’m a complete player. So I’m not just like a bubble guy or end-around (guy). So that’s how I feel. I feel like coach Lindsey, like knew he was getting with me and he can’t wait to use me and I can’t wait to play for him.”

Michigan’s pass game can’t be much worse this year than it was last year — hell, it was the worst FBS team in passing offense outside of three service academies — so the hope is that Morgan can bounce back in 2025 and get back to where he was at as a freshman.

Moore did his best to help the wide receivers this offseason by landing Bryce Underwood and hiring Lindsey. If Lindsey and the offense can unlock the explosiveness Morgan showed as a freshman, he could be one of the Wolverines’ most valuable weapons in 2025. All we can do now is hope the days of Michigan wasting dynamic pass catchers are behind us.