DETROIT — If anyone knows what Michigan football can do up front, it’s former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.
The last team Saban ever faced, and will likely ever face, was the Wolverines, who beat the Crimson Tide, 27-20, in the Rose Bowl. Saban retired the following week and afterward started doing NFL draft analysis for ESPN.
When Zak Zinter was selected by the Cleveland Browns, Saban had some strong remarks about the Michigan front.
“Michigan has the best-coached offensive line of anybody,” Saban said. “And they have great technique and they play together.”
On Thursday at SMSB, new Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore was asked about Saban’s comments and though he wasn’t aware, he revealed some new information: he’s spoken to Saban since taking over the Wolverines head coaching job for advice on the position.
“Yeah, I didn’t even know that. That’s cool,” Moore said. “I saw something about like, J.J. and I didn’t even hear that comment. But that’s an awesome statement from, probably, arguably, the best college coach in college history. So I’ve had the chance to talk to him about a couple of times just about head coach life and things like that. So it means a lot, it means a lot to me, it means a lot to the players. But ultimately, to me, it’s what the players did. So they were phenomenal that and excited for the rest of these guys to keep picking up the slack.”
It’s been something of a concerted effort for Moore to pick as many brains as possible — not just Saban’s or his mentor, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Moore says that it’s key to understanding best practices and how to run an organization to consult with those who have a solid footing on doing just that. So he’s leaned on Harbaugh, Saban, and several other coaches — even within Michigan athletics.
“Yeah, I think if you’re not, if you’re not learning as a coach, then you’re failing,” Moore said. “Like, there’s no coach that just knows it all. So I think you have to continually learn from everybody from every avenue any resource that you can get, I definitely try to (consult with) different coaches, whether it’s football coaches, basketball coaches, different coaches. I mean, our softball coach, she’s a legend. So yeah, I ask her stuff, too. So everything within an organization and how to run innovation.”