It’s been more than 48 hours since Sherrone Moore was elevated from Michigan football offensive coordinator to the 21st head coach in school history, but it’s been unclear as to which staff members intend to remain in Ann Arbor rather than follow Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.
But it appears one is destined to remain, and it’s one Harbaugh almost certainly wanted to join him in Los Angeles.
According to Maize & Blue Review’s Josh Henschke, Moore was able to retain Grant Newsome, the tight ends coach of the past two years, and has elevated him to offensive line coach.
With Michigan expecting a handful of departures on its staff, new head coach Sherrone Moore was able to get one win on the staff.
Multiple sources have confirmed that tight ends coach Grant Newsome is expected to be elevated to offensive line coach under Moore’s staff.
It’s the first known confirmation of a concrete position in the Moore era in Ann Arbor.
Newsome came aboard in 2015 as the left tackle of the future for the Wolverines before having suffered a career-ending injury in early 2016 against Wisconsin. Since, he’s served as a grad assistant and then as the tight ends coach, starting in the 2022 season. Former head coach Jim Harbaugh has often praised Newsome as an eventual head coach, proclaiming that he’s wise beyond his years. Taking over the offensive line duties was the planned next step in his trajectory, Harbaugh once said in a radio interview.
“(Grant Newsome) is the tight ends coach now, but already grooming him to be the offensive line coach,” Harbaugh said. “And then, once he has maybe a year or two under his belt as offensive line coach, just like Sherrone Moore, he’ll be the coordinator. And then, at that point, when we can’t give him any more money or any more titles, somebody will snatch him up to be a head coach. Mark my words, and mark them well. That will happen.”
For Moore, it’s a big win to keep Harbaugh from taking him with him to the Chargers and it further cements the stability needed for the program with increasing departures in the past week.