More on the Michigan freshmen wideouts turning heads

Last year, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh raised eyebrows in talking about a trio of freshmen receivers he called the “freak show” for their incredible athleticism. Amorion Walker, Darrius Clemons, and Tyler Morris impressed from the moment they arrived on campus, seemingly a great sign for the future.

Morris seems primed for a breakout season, while Clemons has great potential. Walker is now a cornerback, though it’s possible he’ll play both ways down the road. Joining them — another freshman threesome Harbaugh believes is also special.

“That’s a whole group there of really good players,” Harbaugh said Tuesday of the Michigan freshmen pass catchers. “I’ll start with three of the freshmen — Karmello English, Fredrick Moore, and Semaj Morgan. Those three have really come in and asserted themselves right off the bat. They’ve taken reps with the ones; they’ve taken reps with the twos. They’re not playing like freshmen.

“Karmello and Fredrick and Semaj, their ability to get out of the break, we haven’t seen that from any freshmen, let alone too many receivers that have come through here. Their ability to track the ball … Fredrick Moore’s ability to track the ball is as good as I’ve seen. Semaj Morgan is quick, fast, and shorter stature, but he has a very big catch radius. He can catch the balls away from his body, and he can high point. He’s been really good.”

When Michigan receivers coach Ronald Bellamy first saw Moore at St. Louis Cardinal ritter College Prep, he felt something was amiss — and it had nothing to do with the standout’s talent. It was about the ranking, one that was far too low for a kid who put up crazy numbers in high school. Moore committed to the Wolverines early in the process (July 1, 2022), and Bellamy held his breath that others wouldn’t discover one of the best-kept secrets in the 2023 recruiting class.

“Coach Harbaugh and our recruiting department did such a great job assisting in recruiting him … and then what a heck of a spring he had,” Bellamy said, adding arriving early was to his benefit. “You like when kids ask in the recruiting process about being a mid-year enrollee. As coaches, we encourage that simply because you get an opportunity to get a head start on everything academically, socially, spring ball, the weight room. Fred is one of those guys that came in a bit raw, and to just watch his transformation through the 15 practices was awesome.”

West Bloomfield (Michigan) standout Morgan and Phenix City (Ala.) High’s English, the highest rated of the three, have also impressed. Bellamy knows Morgan well, having coached him for two years at West Bloomfield before taking the job at Michigan and for a long time before that, even, when Morgan was just getting started in the sport. It was logical that he’d join his coach in Ann Arbor given how respected Bellamy was at West Bloomfield (and now at Michigan).

“I’ve been around Semaj since he was 5 or 6 years old,” the Michigan receivers coach said. He looks mature beyond his years. He’s strong, physical, and highly competitive. He has the ‘it’ factor. He’s going to be a really good football player for Michigan.”

As for English … Michigan snagged one of Alabama’s best, a 6-0, 186-pounder with great speed and moves. The on3 Industry Ranking listed him as the No. 202 player a d No. 28 wideout nationally, but Michigan thought much more highly of him than that.

“Out of the three guys, he was the highest recruited, “Bellamy said. “Karmello played high level football in Alabama and comes from a great system. All the details, the film study, the weight training … he’s been part of it. He went against five-star, four-star defensive backs every day in practice. His team was loaded.

“When you watch his film, you see him compete against the elite teams they played and how productive he was against those teams. We are super, super happy to be able to land Karmello.”

And all of them, really, hoping one or all can contribute for the 2023 Michigan team.

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