The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ W I D E R E C E I V E R S ] THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 63 Freshman Receivers Are Ready For An Opportunity Michigan receivers coach Ronald Bellamy knows talent, having emerged as one of the bet- ter recruiters in the country. When he first saw Fredrick Moore out of St. Louis Cardinal Ritter College Prep, he knew something was amiss — and it had nothing to do with the standout's talent. No, it was all 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. "I knew Fredrick was vastly underrecruited," Bellamy said. "It was a blessing to us that he committed as early as he did, and then we were able to kind of hide him. He finished with 1,300 yards and 28 touchdowns to win the state championship. "Coach Harbaugh and our re- cruiting department did such a great job assisting in recruiting him. … And then what a heck of a spring he had." Arriving early was to his ben- efit, Bellamy continued. "You like when kids ask in the recruiting process about being a mid-year enrollee," he said. "As coaches, we encourage that simply because you get an op- portunity 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." Moore is joined by a pair of talented freshmen, another early enrollee in Semaj Morgan of West Bloomfield (Mich.) and Karmello English of Phenix City (Ala.) High, the highest rated of the three. 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, 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," Bellamy said. "He looks mature beyond his years. He's strong, physical and highly competitive. He has the 'it' factor. He's go- ing to be a really good football player for Michigan." As for English — the Wolverines snagged one of Alabama's best, a 6-foot, 186-pounder with great speed and moves. The On3 Industry Ranking listed him as the No. 202 player and No. 28 wide receiver nationally. "Out of the three guys, he was the highest recruited," Bellamy noted. "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, he said, should be part of some prolific offenses in the near future. — Chris Balas ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR The Wolverines will expect more out of sophomore wide receiver Darrius Clemons this year, but classmate TYLER MORRIS is also one to keep an eye on. A former high school teammate of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Morris has the connection and skill set to be a solid safety valve over the middle of the field for the passing game. He runs clean routes and has a built-in rapport with QB1. With plenty of snaps up for grabs at wide receiver, his emer- gence will be worth keeping an eye on. "Darrius had a very good spring. He's com- ing along," Bellamy said. "Last year there were just older, established guys in front of him. He did play, but probably not as much as he would have liked. He understands what it takes now, having gotten an opportunity to travel to every game, to practice and play in games with some meaningful snaps." The attrition has opened a door, he added, and Clemons has been approaching it seriously. He's paying more attention to the "little details" and to putting in the work this spring. "There's technique and detail that comes with [transitioning from high school to col- lege]. I think Darrius really took that to heart this spring." Finally, a pair of veterans are in the mix to make waves this fall, one with his speed and another with his experience. Senior Eamonn Dennis has contributed mostly on special teams to this point in his career — he shared Most Improved Player on Special Teams hon- ors last year — but moved over from defen- sive back to add depth to the room. He's one of the team's fastest players, a quality that gives anyone a chance at the position. "He's coming off a procedure this spring, so he didn't do much. I'm anxious to see what he does when he gets back," Bellamy said. Fellow veteran Cristian Dixon has caught only 1 pass in his two years for 7 yards, but the junior has continued to progress. "Cristian had a really good spring," Bellamy said. "He's a solid guy and one of our more physical receivers. He's super physical. … He's creating opportunities for himself, and he defi- nitely did that this spring." He and the rest of them will get their op- portunities this fall in what's sure to be a com- petitive battle for playing time among a very talented group. ❑ Fredrick Moore totaled 28 touchdowns last fall as a senior at Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis, and he made a strong impression during spring practice after enrolling early at Michigan. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL