Fredrick Moore’s path to Michigan football, outlook for 2023

With former top receiving targets Ronnie Bell and Luke Schoonmaker off to the NFL, several young, hungry receivers will look to make their mark as viable options at the position this season for the Michigan Wolverines.

Some obvious names include Tyler Morris and Darrius Clemons, but beyond that, a dog fight exists inside the walls of the receiver room. With so much up for grabs, Fredrick Moore may be an interesting player to watch here.

The story so far

The former three-star prospect out of St. Louis, Missouri arrives in Ann Arbor following a spectacular season at Cardinal Ritter College Prep, which saw the wideout lead the Lions to a 14-0 record on their way to a Missouri Class 3A State Championship.

As a high school senior, Moore served as an absolute weapon. The former two-way player was the proud recipient of 28 touchdowns, which included 24 on the receiving end. He also intercepted three passes on defense, and returned kicks and punts. Moore ended his season with 67 receptions for 1,504 yards.

Checking in at 6-foot-1 and 176 pounds, Moore was ranked the 72nd-best receiver in the 2023 class on the 247Sports composite. What remains to be seen is whether or not potential will lead the way for playing time behind a loaded wideout room that will see plenty of deserving candidates in line for playing time this season.

While the statistics may not properly reflect it, there’s certainly no shortage of talent at the position for the Wolverines. Returning starter Cornelius Johnson led the team in receiving in 2021 during Ronnie Bell’s absence, while Roman Wilson has consistently contributed explosive performances of his own on many occasions.

Additionally, many are already anticipating that Morris, Clemons or Peyton O’Leary could step into the Ronnie Bell-sized hole that’s been left. With all of that said, though, where does that leave Moore?

Outlook moving forward

Currently, the freshman appears to be getting some of the Clemons treatment after impressing during the Wolverines spring game in early April after putting up four catches off five targets for 62 yards. This included a 41-yard grab thrown by Alex Orji that landed the Blue Team within the 30.

It was just the kind of high-flying playmaking the Michigan faithful thirst for. And while it’s unlikely we’ll see much, if anything, of Moore in crunch time this season, the Wolverines will undoubtedly work toward getting him some time to help hone his skills for future seasons.