ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football is heading back to Florida to play in the Tampa-based bowl game for the first time since 2017. The ReliaQuest Bowl will pit the Wolverines against the Alabama Crimson Tide for the second time this calendar year, with the two teams playing on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl and now again on Dec. 31.
On Tuesday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media to discuss the matchup, his thoughts on the transfer portal, Chase Herbstreit’s commitment, the offensive coordinator search, and more.
Here is everything he had to say at his Tuesday press conference previewing the ReliaQuest Bowl.
What’s your reaction to getting to play in this game against Alabama, having a rematch against them, and how do you kind of look at a game like this, with some guys looking like they might go to the NFL beforehand, and how much you may want to work in some of the future guys?
Excited for the opportunity to play. I mean, again, a rematch of last year, and I know that was probably part of the bowl match up, but, just excited for a great program that we get to play and an opportunity to play football again. So our guys are excited, and all the guys that that’ll be there will be ready to play.
We’re just locked and ready to go. We’ve had two really good days already, kind of game a week off to just kind of going to get their minds right, their bodies right, and finals and stuff and study, and got back into it yesterday, and it’s been great. So just excited.
I know you guys want to win the game regardless, but do you see this as kind of closing the chapter on this year? Is it more getting foot ahead for next year?
Kind of hype for that — just want to win. We’re gonna do everything we can with with all the guys that we have there to go win. That’s the No. 1 goal, to go win. And we talked about recommitting, just like we did two weeks ago in the bye week, to recommit to your why, recommitting to each other, and doing everything we can to be successful. And I think we’re in a really good place right now, mentally, physically, spiritually, and just want to do everything we can to win.
Mason announced to the NFL draft earlier today. What is your reaction to that? When you have a conversation with these guys who are maybe projected to be first round picks, what do you talk about them with, maybe coming for this next game, coming for the next year, and making that decision?
Yeah, a lot of factors. You know, Mason, I already kind of knew that was going to happen. So I support them. I support those guys who’ve done a lot for this program in their three years, four years here, and I support them in any way. I want to be there for them, love them, care about them, anything that they need. For me, I want to support them. Obviously, want them to play in the game, but support their decisions and their family decisions, and the guys that are here ready to play. We’re going to be ready to play the game.
You to play the game when you’ve got guys entering the transfer portal. Jaden, listen lineman, what are those conversations like? Are they hard? But like, how do you kind of empathize with these guys as they make this decision?
Yeah, the portal is part of college football now, right? So you got to deal with it. You got to have have those conversations. So there’s decisions that we have to make with the 105 and roster, and how we’re reshaping the roster, and what we’re doing from a depth standpoint to make sure we have the right guys. So the conversations are fluid. It depends on the person, and they change from person to person. So very transparent and direct with those conversations. When we have them, there’s no beating around the bush. There’s no gray area. And we just have them, and we’ll keep those conversations private internally.
How challenging is it to operate in this kind of dynamic environment as a head coach, and what did you learn over the past year, and especially last off season, about dealing with that just from the roster, what you want to do from that standpoint, but also even adding to your coaching staff?
I think the biggest piece that’s different from this point last year, and obviously we were in the playoffs and all that. But even like when I first got the job, the transfer portal was closed, so it was just people trying to take our guys and it was constant defense. Now we get to play a little offense, and we get to go out the portal and get the right guys, the right fit for us. So that’s where it’s advantage us now, where we feel we can build the right people, get the right people, and it’s still about fit right. You got to get the right fit and right type of guy that wants to be here, that wants to support the block M and be a part of Michigan, and not be selfish in their endeavors of what they want. But ultimately, you gotta want to help the team. It’s got to be team over me, and those are the type of guys we want here.
How do you balance loyalty? Of like players are coming up, but seeking, maybe perhaps better alternatives? Obviously, in the NFL, you sign over some guys over players, if they’re not working out, is there some of that where you have to kind of balance both in the sense that you’re rewarding some of the players that are sticking to the program?
Definitely, all the guys that have been here, been through the fire, been through the adversity, and had success and been through this adversity this year — absolutely, we want to take care of them first. They’re the priority first. And then adding to the roster, adding to the depth, is the next piece. And then, continuing the recruiting in the high school phase, because that’s huge, as you guys seen, like we got to continue to do that, too.
Chase Herbstreit, kind of seemed like it came out of nowhere? I guess can you kind of detail a little bit more about that recruitment and how it came about, and share a little bit more about him?
Yeah, Chase is a guy we’ve had on our (radar) for a while, and had a really good career at St. X and obviously no Kirk pretty well. But more had to do with Chase and his abilities and what he can do to help us as a team down the line in the future. So just been something we’ve been a relationship we’ve developed with him and and feel like he’ll help us in some way on the team.
How much did you interact with with Kirk during the better recruiting process?
I mean, yeah, you always interact with the parents, so pretty much as much as I would any other parent. So there’s definitely that interaction there.
And looking ahead to next season with 105 roster limit, did you expect all the players to be on scholarship, or do you still think those are still going to be a place for walk-one?
I think that’s something, conversations we have to have, because all the 105, stuff’s not completely done yet, so all those things are gonna be ironed out.
There’s already a lot of buzz around Mason going in the top five picks.
He deserves it. He deserves it.
What’s your pitch as to why a coach should take him top five?
He’s a complete player. He’s a game wrecker. He’s an outstanding worker. I mean, just turn on the film like you can’t block him with one guy and it takes he can wreck a game, as he’s done in many games throughout his career.
I mean, vividly remember spring ball his first spring, Trevor Keegan saying he was the best defensive tackle he faced all year. I was like, bro, it’s spring. Like, what are you talking about? He’s like, coach, he’s the best one. And he was, like, one of the top overall picks in the spring game draft that year. And he just continued to get better and better and better and better. And just is who he is right now, impacted every game in a huge way. You go back to the Rose Bowl, had the big tackle for loss. You go to this last game, Ohio State, just unbelievable. So, I mean, he’s a generational talent inside. He’s a guy that can stop the run, rush to pass it, which is very hard to find with those guys inside, plays with great leverage, great hands, great, great effort, practices with great effort. So an extremely smart football player. So, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first pick in the draft.
Where are you at in the search for new OC?
Pretty close. So thinking the next day or so I’ll have an answer.
Do you have a sense of what the roster’s gonna be like for the bowl game?
Yeah, still having that conversation still fluid. We got a good nucleus of guys that are there, so feel good about the guys we that we have getting ready for the game.
Have you had conversations with Davis about his fifth year, and do you expect he’ll be back?
Yeah, those conversations are ongoing. He’s in practice. He was just in practice there today, so he’s ready to go for the bowl game. So we’ll just go from there.
What’s your message to Jadyn Davis in terms of where he fits into the future? Obviously, a big name freshman coming in. What do you say to Jadyn?
Yeah, just compete, man. And nothing’s given, you got to go earn it. So just compete. And that’s what he wants to do. So he’s always wants to do that, since he’s been here. So that’s just a message to him.
Quite a few offensive linemen announced from the portal. I don’t know what Myles’ future holds. And Josh — how do you feel about the offensive line that you’re gonna be able to cobble together?
They will be good. We think we’ll be in a good shape. I know some guys left, and those guys are guys that are in their last years and feel like they have a better chance to go play somewhere else in their last year. So, support them. Excited for them and but I think we’ll be, we’ll be ready for the bowl game.
How much urgency have you felt in the OC search, given that the transfer portal is now open for underclassmen? How do you balance that urgency with finding the right guy?
Yeah, you got to have urgency in everything you do. So I always got, I always had that urgency all the time in whatever I’m doing, but we want to make sure we found the right fit, the right person, that not only scheme wise, football wise, development wise, like I talked about, but also how to love for this place, that when they walked into this building, you could feel the love that I have injected in them, you know? I want, I want that type of person to lead our offense, and I think we’re in that place.
Yeah, obviously, a big part of being in a bowl game is you get these extra practices. How important is that? Is there anything that you do differently with managing personnel or just running those that’s different than two weeks ago?
Yeah. I mean, what we won’t do is just practice back to back to back to back to back. So we have it set up where it’s a different format, where we’ll get some, maybe walk through skill practice stuff type, and then we’ll have a practice, and then we’ll get some in between. Then we’ll have a practice. And then as we get closer, you get more practices in a row, and then you get to that game week where you’re hitting it. So that’s really the biggest thing, but try to get everybody as good as football as possible, and get the best guys playing, and get ready to go.
How many upperclassmen, especially, do you expect any of them to play in the ball game? And the other thing is, do you have any updates on Will Johnson?
Will Johnson, I think Will is kind of in the same place where he was — from an injury standpoint, getting better, definitely getting better. So we’ll see. And then those guys, you know, those conversations are fluid.
And then also, obviously, throughout the year, because he played a lot of tight games, you didn’t get as many underclassmen on the field. How important is this game, in the sense, to be able to evaluate those guys and maybe prioritize and play them?
It’s gonna be great for practice. You know, just watching guys out right now, running practice is awesome. So, yeah, we’re just the number one goal is to win. So whoever’s gonna give us the best chance to win, that’s who we’re gonna play. That’s who we’re going to play.
What would you say the quarterback depth chart looks like right now? And do you expect to maybe see more than one guy that snaps that quarterback?
I think we’ll get probably two — at least some of what we’ve been doing the last couple games with Davis and Orji, and then we’ll see from there. Obviously,
I’m sure you guys would have been like watching the Selection Show as a team and the chance at the playoffs this year. But did you watch it all and how it all unfolded? And your thoughts on the ball team playoff this year?
Love the 12-team playoff. I can see it expanding to 14. And I think our conference is as good, if not better, than any other conference. This is competitive from top to bottom, and it’s physical. It’s fun to watch. So appreciate our conference and the teams we have in our conference, a competitive nature of our conference and what it is. So I think it’s great. I think it’s great for college football. I think it’s got to continue. It’ll probably grow. But as far as the selections and all that, I don’t got much opinion on, like, just got to win. So all that stuff takes care of itself.
How big of a priority is it to add a quarterback in the portal? And are there any other positions that you’re focusing on?
Yeah, I mean, there’s a lot of positions that we’re adding depth and adding spots to help fill. So the specifics of that, I guess you guys will have to see. But we’re definitely looking to a quarterback in the portal, and we’ll go from there.
And what do you look for in quarterback?
Yeah, experience, a guy that is going to be a great leader, great teammate, obviously have the ability to play and yeah, gotta be a great fit that’s gonna be on one piece.
Are those quarterbacks asking you who the offensive coordinator is? Don’t you have to have the OC before you land a quarterback?
They are, but they trust me, so we’ll be in good shape.
How important is it to have an offensive coordinator that has play calling experience? I know you did. It worked out pretty good. Is that something you have to have?
Yeah, I mean, I think, like, I mean — we can go back to that question. People didn’t believe that I could call plays, you know, Jesse didn’t call plays, and look at Jesse now, so I think that’s not necessarily the piece. But the guys that I’ve been looking at have that experience, called plays.
Dominic Zvada is coming back next year. What was your reaction and anyone else coming back?
Yeah, it was great conversation. Obviously, an elite, elite player at the kicking position should be, should have won the Groza, but he didn’t — he wasn’t even a finalist. So I know he’ll be looking out for that one next year. But yeah, conversations are ongoing, and so we’re having really good conversations with our guys.
I was talking to a former assistant coach in college football, and they were saying you learn a lot about who the head coach is in bowl week because they’re taking the team away for a week for the first time. What are you hoping to learn about yourself in this week?
Oh, man, that’s a good question. Just want to get better. Like, just want to continue to get better. And, like, I told the team, like, want to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Like, not just them, but me, that put myself in uncomfortable situations to continue to get better, and that’s all I want to do. I just want to get better. I want to make our team better in however way I can, from a practice standpoint, from a roster standpoint, and just make us the best team we can be as we go into the bowl game.
In the week or so since you guys got back from the Ohio State game, are you doing more evaluating of yourself and what are some more of the things you’d like to emphasize this off season in terms of getting better?
Yeah, I mean, just kind of like you saw in that game, the physicality, I want to turn that up to another level, the toughness, the strain that we had in that game was was outstanding, but want to get bigger, want to get faster, want to get stronger, more explosive on offense, because I thought defensively, we played as good as a game as you could against that team. And so I want to do that and just continue to build as a team, because that’s what it’s really all about. And there’s a lot of there’s gonna be a lot of talented individuals on our team, but being the best team possible is that the only way you win. So just want to continue to build our team and be the strongest team that we could be and be the best team for Michigan.
When you you’ve had conversations with Davis, obviously, you say he’s practicing, but you bring up the fact that you’re looking for a quarterback in the portal, and how does that go?
how does that, yeah, yeah, very transparent with all with all our guys. I don’t ever say one thing and one the other. So he’s very he’s aware of it, and, you know, he’s okay with it, and we’ve talked about it, so he’s very aware of it.
And when can Bryce Underwood practice?
Yeah, Bryce, he can’t practice or do anything, but he’s around because he’s doing stuff. So he can do that through compliance, but he can’t practice or be in meetings. And then those guys don’t they’re not here until the 20th or the 19th. So when finals are done, then they can all be here. And then they can, yeah, but they’ve got to go through a whole protocol. They’ve got to do physicals, they’ve got to do baseline testing that we have with the strength staff. Got to get cleared, and then they can start to practice.
Then they got to go through a protocol of helmet, two days in helmet, two days and shoulder, and then they can go full pads. So that’ll be fun. That’s awesome. I mean one, then they can see, like, yeah, I can do this. Yeah, I can play here. Because I think there’s always that little bit of doubt. You know, you’re high school kid, you’re coming in when, I mean — I remember last year Blake Frazier and Jake Guarnera was like, What is going on? It was just like heads were spinning and but I think that the vote of confidence of themselves to see that they can do it is huge.
But also then them just getting around the team, getting acclimated with the team, how we practice, the speed of practice, and then, yeah, when they get full pads on, we have a little young guy scrimmage and let them get after it, so you can see who can make plays. You keep it pretty simple. See what they can do with the ball in their hands, if it’s a receiver, see what the quarterback can do. See who — guys run the football, what it looks like. So it’ll be awesome.
