Michigan Football: How Semaj Morgan earned the number zero

One of the most intriguing players for the Wolverines heading into the 2024 season is sophomore wideout Semaj Morgan. During his freshman season, Morgan proved he could be a dangerous weapon with the ball in his hands. He was third among all wideouts in receptions (22) and receiving yards (204), and second in touchdown receptions (2). He added two more rushing touchdowns on the ground, and led the team in both kick return yards (186) and punt return yards (101),

Heading into his sophomore season, Morgan will have a bit of a different look when he takes the field this fall. Earlier this off-season, he announced that he was switching his number from 82 to number zero – a number that carries a ton of weight after U-M legend Mike Sainristil made it famous over the last two seasons. But making that switch wasn’t as easy as asking for it, it was something that had to be earned. Head coach Sherrone Moore elaborated on the number switch this week during Big Ten Media Days.

“He’s done an outstanding job of changing his body in a good way to maintain the speed,” Moore said. “Got a 4.0 this semester. So that was a big change to allow him to get the number zero, which he wouldn’t stop bugging me about. He’s done an outstanding job and excited about what he’s going to do this year.”

Along with putting in the work in the classroom, Morgan has also established himself as one of the hardest working players on the team. At 5-10, 176 pounds, he certainly isn’t the biggest target on the field. But as his head coach explains, Morgan plays much bigger than his physical size.

“Semaj is probably one of the best-practice players on the team,” Moore said. “I mean, he practices so hard that he probably loses about five to six pounds every practice and he’s got to gain it back. But the guy runs hard. And for being a guy that’s so little in stature, he plays like he’s 200 pounds… and he’ll tell you that too.”

After losing their two top receivers to the NFL Draft during the off-season, there’s no doubt that the Wolverines will need several of their younger wideouts to take a big step forward this fall. While there’s no shortage of candidates who could rise to the top, it seems like Morgan is best positioned to have an extremely productive year in 2024.

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