Class of 2023 Athletes: Where are they now?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Class of 2023 is beginning to make its mark on college football. Yes, most are still about a year out from starting, but a select few have already made their mark as sophomores / redshirt freshmen. Here are five athletes that have already earned quite a bit of playing time!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["162651"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66fcc3c87303d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Most publications had Semaj listed at #5 or lower, but I'm proud to say I held strong with him at #2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Right off the bat, Semaj produced for the Wolverines. If you watched any sort of Michigan football in the past year, you've definitely heard Semaj's name. Last season, Semaj totaled 204 receiving yards, 67 rushing yards, and 101 return yards. A true Swiss-army knife, Semaj was a great impact player for the 2023 National Champions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season, Semaj has 78 receiving yards on 13 receptions. He also has 74 return yards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Michigan's offensive struggles are incredibly well-documented. Semaj remains one of Michigan's best athletes, and I'd be shocked if he wasn't a Sunday player in a few years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/MaizeCrusader/status/1736051597166215617","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MaizeCrusader/status/1736051597166215617 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["178996"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66fcc3c873093"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Evan is in the middle of a breakout season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So far, Evan has totaled 17 receptions, 253 yards, and 1 touchdown. As a redshirt freshman, these are GREAT stats. I can't tell you how many players commit to D1 schools to then either get buried in the depth chart or wind up in Transfer Portal Hell. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With his size and athletic profile, Evan has a ton of potential at the X or Z. I'm extremely excited to see what Evan does moving forward! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, you'll find a highlight of Evan's first career collegiate touchdown. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/CMU_Football/status/1829311494632427631">https://twitter.com/CMU_Football/status/1829311494632427631</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["407081"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66fcc3c8730d4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Talk about a success story- Mason came into SVSU and immediately started making an impact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So far this season, he's 69-120 passing with 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He's also at 7.6 yards per attempt for 911 total passing yards, which are both impressive. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you remember him from his Caledonia days, you'll know that Mason is also a talented runner. So far this season, Mason has 330 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It's incredibly apparent that SVSU is tailoring the offense to fit Mason's strengths, and I absolutely love seeing him perform so productively this early in his college career. Mason has a major test in two weeks against #2 GVSU, and I'm very excited to see how he performs there. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/svsu_football/status/1835025283453218968">https://twitter.com/svsu_football/status/1835025283453218968</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["323573"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66fcc3c873111"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Colin is another QB who has received a good amount of playing time early in his career. This season, Colin started against Michigan Tech, Ashland, Findlay, and Northwood. In those games, he's totaled 666 yards passing alongside 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming out of High School, Colin was an excellent pro-style passer, often being regarded as a GLAIC prospect. He ended up going to Hillsdale, and it seems to be paying off as he's earning playing time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["635852"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66fcc3c87314e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Last on this list is Elijah Baker from Roseville. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He isn't a starter quite yet, but he has earned some playing time for the #2 Division 2 team in the country. He only has five tackles, but he's made the most of those tackles, as he also has one forced fumble. Another optimistic sign is that Elijah has played in four of GVSUs five games. It looks like he's not far from being a starter for Grand Valley, and that is extremely impressive! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->