Sherrone Moore says Semaj Morgan has ‘got to be better’ in one key area as competition brews

The Wolverines need to see improvement here.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan has had ups and downs in 2025, but both the offense and defense have steadily improved as the season has gone on. While the Wolverines are improving as a team, one area that continues to struggle is special teams. Michigan hasn't had as much success in the kicking game, punting the football, or at punt return.

During the MSU game, Semaj Morgan -- the Wolverines' main returner -- fair caught a ball at the five-yard line, which raised a lot of questions amongst the Michigan fanbase. Morgan is averaging 2.2 yards per return, and according to Pro Football Focus, he ranks 542nd in the nation with his return average.

On Monday, head coach Sherrone Moore was asked about Morgan and fair catching the ball against Michigan State. Moore said Morgan does need to be better in that situation and communication is key.

"Yeah, the fair catch at the five. He’s just got to be better there," Moore said of Morgan. "There’s just communication things when your gunners or your jammers are playing. He’s got to do a better job communicating with those guys to stay away from the ball."

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Competition in the return game?

Fellow WR and true freshman Andrew Marsh was back for a punt in the MSU game. Coach Moore was asked if there was a chance Marsh might take over for Morgan, and the Wolverines will continue to have competition.

"We’ll see as we go through. It’s always competitive," Moore said. "There’s always competitive battles there. It’s not just him. It’s the return game as a whole. You’ve got to get the blocks.

"You’ve got to get the hold-ups. The gunner’s got to do all those. Everything’s got to be aligned and in sync. Then there’s a lot of punts that you’ve just got to fair catch. I think those pieces are part of it. We’ll keep working to get that better."

Morgan has done a nice job of catching the football -- only muffing one punt this season. However, he has a tendency to let the ball bounce, which hurts Michigan's field position at times. Whether that's Morgan's doing or coaching is unknown. What we do know is that Michigan has to get the punt return unit fixed in a hurry.

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