The faces of Sound Mind Sound Body: Meet Dante Moore, Semaj Morgan, CJ Carr

The sun has yet to rise on the east side of Detroit.

Headlights from three gigantic charter buses provide some much-needed light as hundreds of kids try to figure out where they need to be. With snow flurries pouring down and frustration settling in from a bunch of people that woke up way-too-early, Curtis Blackwell takes control.

Arguably the most influential recruiting figure in the Motor City, Blackwell, co-founder of Sound Mind Sound Body, speaks with an intimidating yet soothing voice. It’s hard to describe, but it certainly commands respect. Soon after, the buses are loaded without much issue.

Next stop: Richmond, Kentucky.

Youth players, elite recruits, high school coaches, parents, volunteers and everybody in between are set to make the near six-hour voyage to Eastern Kentucky University for a college visit. After that, it’s off to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a club 7-on-7 tournament.

“We’ve been mentoring young student athletes for 20 years now and helping them get ready for college,” Blackwell said. “It’s all about college readiness and making sure young people have the skills to survive on a college campus. When we first started doing camps, it was for exposure and offers. Now, we want our guys to be ready when they get there. We try to travel around, compete, visit and network.”

Sound Mind Sound Body was formed in 2004 while Blackwell and ex-Michigan Wolverine defensive back Deon Johnson were on staff at Detroit King. At the time, metro-Detroit was extremely under-recruited, and exposure was hard to come by.

Johnson recalls putting together the first-ever Detroit Football All-Star Academy camp on a soccer field littered with crabgrass close to Wayne State in downtown Detroit — the university denied access to the football stadium.

Around 50 kids showed up and continued to come back. Tutoring and mentorship services were eventually provided, and the organization adopted the name Sound Mind Sound Body.

“We noticed that there was a need for a vehicle to get colleges in here and kids exposed to the college football world,” Johnson said. “Then came the idea of Sound Mind Sound Body and the football camps. The sound mind part is getting these dudes to realize you’re going to have to use your mind three times as much as you’re going to use the physical part. That will help you achieve what you want when you also have a sound body. We went from doing Saturday workouts and a tutoring company to what it is now.”

Now, Sound Mind Sound Body welcomes more than 200 local kids every winter. The academic side has only become more of a focal point. Some of Sound Mind Sound Body’s biggest stars such as 2024 prospects Jacob Oden and Jeremiah Beasley boast almost-perfect GPAs in the classroom.

While Sound Mind Sound Body still runs local camps and events, it’s also branched into the club 7v7 scene. Sound Mind Sound Body sponsors teams from the youth division all the way up to the high school division and takes kids across the country to compete in the best tournaments nationally.

Appropriately named Maximum Exposure — or Max Ex for short — the 7-on-7 component of the organization travels by bus and stops at several schools along the way to events. This year alone, players have been able to see Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland and more.

The Midwest continues to have a bit of a negative connotation when it comes to football recruiting. The trips not only provide exposure but also allow Detroit kids to compete against top players from the Southeast, DMV and more.

“I think Sound Mind Sound Body has benefitted our family in an amazing way,” said Erika Morgan, mother of Michigan wide receiver commit Semaj Morgan. “Coach Blackwell and everybody here does an amazing job with the program. They not only help you grow as an athlete, but they also minister to the mind. They talk to our boys, help them with the mental state and help them with academics. It’s more than just athletics.

“Sound Mind Sound Body also helps them go everywhere. Not only do they compete in the Midwest, but they also go down south and around the country. A lot of kids in the inner city don’t get the opportunity get out of Detroit. A lot of kids have received scholarships because of Sound Mind Sound Body.”

At the end of the day, earning scholarships is the primary reason most kids partake in Sound Mind Sound Body. But once the offers come, the competition doesn’t stop.

Every player had their own motivation for boarding the bus on that frosty February morning.

Dante Moore — The Face of Detroit

Dante Moore was the first person on the bus. Little did he know he would be stuck with a bunch of rowdy middle schoolers for the entire journey to Tennessee.

As soon as he sat in his seat, Moore put on a hoodie, hiding his signature big hair, and tried to go to sleep. Nobody really knew Moore was on the youth bus until it stopped at Eastern Kentucky. That’s when the infectious smile and magnetic personality came out.

Moore took down opponent after opponent at ping-pong at the EKU football facility — well, expect for the guy writing the story — played some basketball at the student gym and ate plenty of food at the cafeteria. Moore likes to keep his guard up in front of the media, but in reality, he’s just a big, goofy 16-year-old kid that everybody loves to be around.

I mean, come on, the dude still loves apple juice and even hides bottles of it behind the bench.

“Apple juice is something that touches my comfort,” Moore said. “I used to be really nervous about games in little league. I needed something to help me calm down. Apple juice is one of the best things in the world. I drink it on the sideline during games, and it helps me stay comfortable.”

Of course, Moore also happens to be a five-star quarterback for prominent Detroit King high school coming off a state title. With five-star cornerback Will Johnson off to Michigan, Moore has become the face of Detroit.

Moore moved to the city from Cleveland when he was still in elementary school. Now, Moore reps Detroit everywhere he goes, often saying 3200 — King’s address is 3200 E. Lafayette St. — with no context and sporting King and Sound Mind Sound Body gear.

“I’ve basically lived my whole life here,” Moore said. “People might say I’m the face of Detroit, but I still have a lot of work to do. Winning a state championship was the goal. I got that done with my brothers. I love being the hometown hero. It’s a blessing.”

Being from Detroit isn’t always easy, though.

Moore lives in the city with his father, Otha, who owns a landscaping business. When he’s not practicing with his team, touring the country with Sound Mind Sound Body, or visiting colleges, Moore is doing what he can to help the man that raised him.

“I appreciate my father a lot,” Moore said. “He’s bent over backward to help me travel and put money in my pockets. The past years haven’t been how we wanted them to be. We sacrifice a lot and put in work until late at night and early in the mornings to make sure we’re alright in the city of Detroit. I help out with cutting grass, painting walls and more. That’s going to help me be a better man. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Then there is the lack of respect.

The 2023 recruiting class is an especially strong year for quarterback. You have Arch Manning, the No. 1 overall prospect nationally who comes from football royalty, and your two superstars from Los Angeles in Malachi Nelson and Nico Iamaleava.

Moore is often forgotten about. Left out of the No. 1 quarterback discussion. Dropped in the rankings. Forget the fact that he’s younger than some of 2024’s top signal-callers, he’s from Detroit.

They don’t play real football up north. It’s too cold. They’re afraid to play at night in the PSL. Have you seen their facilities…. lol. King plays no comp!

Moore’s heard it all before. It only drives him.

“100 percent, most definitely, yes” Moore said when asked if Detroit players are disrespected. “A lot of players get overlooked. Look at Sauce Gardner. You see what he’s doing now. He’s probably going to be the No. 1 defensive back off the board in the draft. I feel like a lot of coaches need to come here and look at us. There is great competition in the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan.”

Moore doesn’t have to be on this bus. He wants to be on this bus. It’s the same reason he flew to Los Angeles last year to compete side-by-side with the aforementioned Nelson at the Elite 11 regional. He wants to prove he’s the best — not only for himself but for the entire city of Detroit.

Beyond that, Moore wants to give back and make sure the next generation isn’t held back by bias.

“I want to do this and do camps to show kids that they always need to better themselves,” Moore said. “Kids come up to me and joke about my stars and offers. But I always tell them to keep working, live life and enjoy every day. This process can be overwhelming and stressful. Enjoy these great days. That’s what I try to tell them so they can be better in the future.”

Semaj Morgan — The People’s Champ

Erika Morgan is done playing games with her son.

Despite Semaj Morgan’s plea to get on the bus, she’s not having it. Semaj must remain in the car with his parents — Erika tapes the games and Semaj Sr. coaches the top 15U team — as they drive from Eastern Kentucky down to the tournament in Gatlinburg.

After the end of the event, the plan is to head straight down to Atlanta to compete in the Under Armour camp — much like Moore, Semaj is willing to travel wherever to prove he’s the best.

As Moore groans about having to hear consistent screaming for another three hours, Morgan pouts because he can’t be a part of it.

Moore enjoys being a mentor but can only take so much. Morgan LOVES the youth team. Hanging out with the middle schoolers might be his favorite part about traveling with Sound Mind Sound Body.

“I always wanted a little brother, and I never got one,” Morgan said. “They are like the little brothers I never had. They’re really funny. They’re just kids. It’s cool to be around them. I love those kids.”

Morgan recalls being lost when he was in that position.

Morgan played quarterback and didn’t transition to the wide receiver position until the end of eighth grade. At Sound Mind Sound Body workouts, Morgan had to go head-to-head against former five-star cornerback recruit Will Johnson. Needless to say, Morgan lost more reps than he won.

But that only made him better. With Johnson serving as a mentor instead of a bully — Detroit is known as The Family, after all — Morgan developed into one of the best slot receivers in the nation and an eventual Michigan commit.

Now, Morgan wants to do the same for those looking to learn from him.

“My first year I was going against Will and all the big names in Michigan,” Morgan said. “The way they carried themselves helped me learn how to carry myself. I’m not going to lie, I can be childish. I learned how to be serious. Now, I have these kids following me, so I have to make sure they’re doing the right thing. They always ask me how to get to where I’m at, and I just tel them to work. For real, bro, that’s the best advice you can give a kid. You feel me?”

No member of the Max Ex team talks with a more Detroit accent than Morgan.

He embodies the city. Every person you ask about Morgan will describe him the same way — a dog. Standing at just 5-foot-9 and only carrying a three-star ranking, Morgan plays like he’s the biggest and baddest dude on the field. He’s gritty, tough and backs his loud bark with plenty of bit. The West Bloomfield (Mich.) High product is a pitbull, plain and simple.

“He’s a fighter, man,” Blackwell said. “He’s going to scrap it out. He has a lot of pride. That’s the type of guy you want on your side. He’s going to win those rivalry games because he’ll run through a brick wall for his coach. He’s a program building block. His popularity in the state is so wide, so people respect him. He put in the grind to get to where he is. He’ll take 1,000 reps to be No. 1. That desire and passion is what sets him apart.”

Morgan may be a Michigan commit now, but he did the same thing last year. A viirtual no-name on the recruiting trail at the time, Morgan attended every Sound Mind Sound Body event and school camp possible before earning his dream offer from the Wolverines.

Sound Mind Sound Body was the driving force behind his relentless pursuit of playing at the highest level.

“I didn’t even know you could get offers to go to schools,” Morgan said. “I was just playing for fun. Sound Mind Sound Body taught me that there is a business to football and also, that there is more than just football. Blackwell makes it a priority to teach us more. We have SAT and ACT programs. They teach us to talk to coaches and just people in general. It’s helped me so much.”

CJ Carr — The Legacy

Anybody that follows Michigan football knows the last name Carr carries plenty of weight around the entire state.

Elite 2024 Saline (Mich.) High quarterback CJ Carr has grown up in the spotlight his entire life. He grandfather, Lloyd Carr, led Michigan to its last national championship in 1997. His father, Jason, donned the winged helmet and played quarterback for the Wolverines in the early 90s.

The Carr last name is a blessing, but it can also be a curse.

When Carr entered the Saline season opener this past season, his own student section booed him after a couple of off throws. Carr shook it off and led his team to a thrilling victory in The Big House.

Some questioned whether Carr had legitimate offers early on or if he just racked them up because of his last name. Carr has more than validated the offers with his play on the field.

Now, Carr is ranked way too high. Carr just smiles and shrugs it off.

The ugly truth is Carr is easy to hate on.

But that only fuels his fire. From 5 a.m. workouts at Saline when nobody is looking to drives to Chicago to train with quarterback guru Greg Holcomb to joining Sound Mind Sound Body to compete against the best around the country, Carr is all in on silencing the critics.

“I’m excited to prove myself,” Carr said. “Some people thing I might have all the offers because of my last name or that I’m a lock to Michigan. That’s pretty far from the truth. I want to blaze my own trail. I want to be great.”

So what should people know about you, CJ?

“I’m here to compete,” he says. “I’m here to win.”

That’s it.

Carr is laser focused on the task at hand. There is no time for anything else. He lives and breathes football — literally. He’s grown up around the sport and will stop at nothing from accomplishing his goals. Good luck on finding a more fiery competitor than this guy.

When a coach complains about a call during the tournament, Carr turns around and says a sly comment that makes his teammates smile. Carr trash talks through the drive until the referee tells him to cool it. Carr quips with a quick ‘yes sir.’ After another ‘questionable call,’ the opposing coach files another complaint. This time Carr looks back at the guy typing this story and says ‘come on EJ, tell him the truth? He’s not getting that call here or in a real game.’

Carr is hilarious in his own way. But he ultimately made his way to Gatlinburg to do exactly what he said — compete and win.

Sure, there are rumbles that’s he’s not a ‘real Detroit kid.’ But at the end of the day, Carr is quickly earning the respect of everyone around him.

“CJ is doing an excellent job of doing what it takes to be a leader,” Blackwell said. “He’s immersed with all the kids from the city and is understanding how to lead all those guys. That’s what it takes to go into a college locker room and command guys. I respect him for that. A lot of kids are afraid of the challenge. I’m looking forward to seeing him finish the year strong. He’s a great athlete and comes from a great football pedigree. He’s going to be a great quarterback when it’s all said and done.”