Father of Semaj Morgan talks Michigan, Amir Herring, recruiting families
As the father of 2023 four-star wide receiver and Michigan commit Semaj Morgan, West Bloomfield (Mich.) High assistant coach Semaj T. Morgan continues to be as adamant about the Wolverines as his son.
The eldest Morgan, who's also the founder of the West Bloomfield Lions, a youth football organization, has been coaching at the high school for over ten years. His decade-long experience with the Lakers has included a state championship run two seasons ago and dozens of former players reach their goals of playing collegiate football.
Maize & Blue Review caught up with Morgan last week at the SoundMind SoundBody 7on7 showcase at Lawrence Tech University to discuss his son's commitment, Ron Bellamy, Jim Harbaugh, Amir Herring, and his own recruiting efforts when bringing more bodies to Michigan.
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On why Michigan was the right fit for Semaj:
"First of all, as a father, you want to make sure that you hand off your son to coaches who have some fatherly instinct and influence. It's tough as a father to just say 'hey, here's my son,' and just give him away to another man. You want to make sure that you hand your son off to some coaches who hold those father and family qualities. That's one of the biggest things for me because I know (Semaj) is going to be taken care of. Not just from a sports aspect but also spiritually, mentally, emotionally. I know that he's going to be taken care of in that regard too."
On the benefits of Michigan outside of the football aspect:
"The strength and conditioning program at Michigan is off the hook. My son and I talk about it all the time. I tell (Semaj) 'when you get there, your body is going to transform.' Also, the nutrition staff, who will help him in the weight room to transform his body. You have to eat properly and rest properly so information like that is critical when you're trying to play on the college level. You just have to be ready in all areas."
On Ron Bellamy being a factor in Semaj's commitment:
"It definitely helps a lot more because (Ron and I) have been around each other for a long time. I know what type of person he is on-and-off the field so that makes it even easier. Like I always say, coach Bell is one of the best people that I've ever met. That helps tremendously. At the end of the day, no one is going to work like coach Bell. He's going to study, use resources, going to connect and take care of the kids, and he's a student of the game already. With him going back to his position in college and having that short stint in the NFL, he's going to be even more of a student of the game. It's a match made in heaven."
On past conversations with Jim Harbaugh:
"Harbaugh has caught a lot of slack but I don't know why because he's a really stand up guy and is so down to earth. A couple of weeks ago, we sat down and talked about everything, with football being probably one of the last things that we discussed. I really enjoy being around Harbaugh and getting to know him more-and-more. He's a great guy."
On recruiting both players and their families:
"It's kind of funny because recruiting is something that I like to do. I have been doing that for over ten years just from being at West Bloomfield school district. I also have a little league program so I was able to get the best athletes like Dante Moore, Maxwell Hairston, Sterling Miles, Kenneth Jones, my own son. And when you look at those kids at the collegiate level, they're doing well, and they came through my little league program. I'm basically feel like I'm able to recruit these families because I'm going to be transparent and real with them. I'm going to tell them how it is and what it ain't. So when they get there, they won't be surprised, because I'm going to tell them the truth. The good and the bad."
On the message given to Michigan targets:
"Michigan is the place to be. Recruiting is going to be super elite and they have a great coaching staff. For all of the guys that are in the process of making a commitment in the next couple of weeks, Michigan is the place to be."
On recruiting Amir Herring and his parents:
"Amir is my baby! His mom and his dad are close with me. I always say 'Go Blue' to them. They are an awesome family and they're going to make the right decision. When the time comes to make that decision, we'll see how the cards fall. Amir is such a great kid and he fits Michigan to a T. If you want a kid to play for Michigan, Amir Herring is a model of that."
On the future regarding the Michigan-West Bloomfield relationship:
"We have a lot of talent at West Bloomfield and it's up to us as the coaches to develop that talent and to build that relationship with the staff at Michigan. That's going to be the key. Even though we have great players, we still have to mold them to play for a great school like Michigan. They don't just hand out offer to anybody. They won't hand our players offers simply because they come from West Bloomfield. They're pretty fair in their assessment and evaluations. But when they do put those offers on the table, it's a great option for our kids. The pipeline is there and I think we can keep it going."
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