Sherrone Moore is promoted by Michigan, and Jim Harbaugh, the offensive coordinator, is elevated to coach by the Wolverines

 

 

After Jim Harbaugh left to join the Los Angeles Chargers, Michigan promoted offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to head coach of the team, the university said on Friday. Moore was on the Michigan staff for the previous six seasons. In 2023, he filled in as Michigan’s interim head coach for four games when Harbaugh was suspended twice.

“I am thrilled to be the head coach at the University of Michigan. I have been prepared for this chance for my whole coaching career,” Moore said in a statement. As a team, we’ll exert every effort every day to carry on the 144-year tradition of championship football played at Michigan. We won’t be lowering our standards. We will be a championship-caliber football team that is intelligent, resilient, tenacious, passionate, and plays with a winged helmet, the game, and each other in mind. We’ll keep striving for success in the classroom, in our communities, and off the field. I can’t wait to get started in this new position with our staff, coaches, and players.”

The action indicates Michigan’s desire for stability during an unfavorable coaching change. Following the team’s first national title since 1997, the Wolverines are already adjusting to the departure of many standout players in preparation for the NFL Draft. By elevating Moore, an emotional leader and well-respected staff veteran, Michigan should be able to stop talented players from leaving through the transfer portal.

Incentives for conference titles ($500,000) and College Football Playoff participation are included in Moore’s five-year contract, which has an initial base salary of $5.5 million.

Following the program’s sign-stealing controversy in November 2023, Moore became a prominent figurehead and spokesperson for the initiative, making decisions on the sidelines while Harbaugh was suspended for three games. Moore’s national profile was boosted, in particular, by his moving on-field interview that took place after the Wolverines defeated Penn State.

Athletic director Warde Manuel stated, “Sherrone has proven to be a fantastic leader for our football team, especially the offensive line and guys on the offensive side of the football.” “He is an intense, competitive, and energetic person who brings out the best in the athletes he coaches. The players like spending every day in the facility with him and playing for him.”

Moore, 37, started his coaching career at Louisville under Steve Kragthorpe and Charlie Strong in 2009–13 after playing offensive guard at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops. Since then, he has been employed in the state of Michigan. Before taking a position in the same capacity at Michigan in 2018, Moore served as the tight ends coach at Central Michigan from 2014 to 2017. In 2021, he was named co-offensive coordinator; in 2023, he became the only offensive coordinator.

Over the last three seasons, he has also overseen a superb offensive line that has helped Michigan win back-to-back Joe Moore Awards in 2021 and 2022.

Moore is in a unique situation since Harbaugh is only the fourth coach to leave after winning a national title since World War II. The good news is that all three of the previous coaches who have won national titles in the last 50 years have been successful.

Following Johnny Majors’ departure from Pitt for Tennessee after leading the Panthers to the national championship in 1976, Jackie Sherrill took over and went 50-9-1 over five seasons with four top-10 finishes before soaring to the Texas A&M position. Jimmy Johnson was the next, taking over for Howard Schnellenberger in Miami after the Hurricanes won the national championship in 1983. Prior to departing to take a position as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson went 52-9 and won the 1987 national title.

Frank Solich, who took over at Nebraska following the Cornhuskers’ 1997 championship victory over the legendary Tom Osborne, is the most recent and least successful example. Solich has six seasons with a 58-19 record. Although his record fell short of the program’s high standards at the time, it was still excellent by Nebraska’s current standards. Following a 9-3 season, he was let go at the conclusion of the 2003 campaign.

Even if Harbaugh had stayed, the 2024 season was already looking like it would be somewhat of a rebuilding year for the Wolverines. A challenging schedule and an ever-changing roster are also to blame for that. Whatever perspective you have, Moore will have his hands full leading the Wolverines to a fourth consecutive Big Ten championship.

In nonconference play, Michigan will host Texas in Week 2 of the next season. The only college football playoff team from the previous season to have their head coach back is the Texas Longhorns. In one of the most anticipated games of the 2024 calendar, they will present a formidable challenge with the return of ace quarterback Quinn Ewers. Next, as the conference welcomes an influx of elite West Coast institutions, the Wolverines take on a Big Ten schedule that includes USC, Washington, Oregon, and Ohio State.

The fact that 12 Michigan players are ranked among the top 215 prospects for the 2024 CBS Sports NFL Draft shows how much skill the program is losing from its championship-winning squad. J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback, is one of them; he leaves an unclear quarterback room behind. Moore will need to address a number of important problems in the coming months, one of which is the position’s future.

Moore’s elevation probably stopped the coaching business from seeing yet another massive upheaval. If Michigan had chosen to go after Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz or LSU coach Brian Kelly instead of Moore, the carousel would have probably started up again. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd considered both coaches as potential candidates to watch.

Five more Division I head coaching positions (at Washington, Arizona, San Jose State, South Alabama, and Buffalo) opened up as a result of the retirement of famous Alabama coach Nick Saban earlier this month. A comparable chain reaction may have been triggered if Michigan had chosen a different head coach than Moore, particularly if it had been a current SEC head coach like Kelly or Drinkwitz.