Tag: Sherrone Moore

Michigan football announces Sherrone Moore has signed his contract

About time! #GoBlue

On the eve of Michigan football’s season opener against Fresno State, some odd news hit the wire when it was revealed that new head coach Sherrone Moore still had not signed his contract that was offered back in January.

Many speculated as to what that was about, with some jeering the Wolverines for what appeared like a contract signing at the time he was offered. Moore was operating (and had signed) a memorandum of understanding and later insisted that he was being paid as the head coach and that the signing of the contract was just a formality.

Said formality has now been concluded, apparently.

According to Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel on Wednesday, Moore and the university brass have all fully executed the contract and are moving forward as expected.

“We are excited to announce that the full contract for University of Michigan Football Coach Sherrone Moore has been signed by all parties,” Manuel said. “He is a proven leader and has been a great ambassador during his seven-plus years representing Michigan. Our university and athletic department leadership is behind Coach Moore, his coaching staff and the great student-athletes that compete on the field and in the classroom. We are excited to see our team take the field this Saturday against Arkansas State.”

Of course this was just a formality and a head coach can operate under a memorandum of understanding for quite some time.

Regardless, Moore shared in his statement that he’s excited to move forward in fully official capacity and that his focus has remained on the team rather than just himself.

“Our University of Michigan administration led by President Santa Ono and Athletic Director Warde Manuel has been tremendous throughout this process, and I am excited to have this full contract completed,” Moore said. “Their support for our team is greatly appreciated and all three of us are aligned in our goals for this football program. We want the attention to be on the players that work so hard to represent this team and university at the highest level. All of my focus is and always will be centered on the mental, physical and spiritual development of the young men that suit up to play for Michigan. Go Blue!”

Two games into his official capacity as the head coach, Moore is 1-1, having beaten Fresno State 30-10 before losing to Texas, 31-12. Up next, Moore hopes to get his team right against a 2-0 Arkansas State team.

Sherrone Moore teases more Alex Orji snaps as season develops

Interesting. #GoBlue

All offseason, the expectation outside of Schembechler Hall was that Alex Orji would earn the starting quarterback job for Michigan football and run with it. However, that’s not how it worked in reality.

The narrative was so pervasive that Orji is the default starter in the all-new EA Sports College Football 25 video game, however it was Davis Warren who beat him out in fall camp. Warren went 15-for-25 for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception against Fresno State while Orji was 1-for-2 for three yards and a touchdown.

On his Monday appearance on Inside Michigan Football, head coach Sherrone Moore said that there was a plan to utilize Orji in spots and that’s exactly what happened. Unlike last year when Orji was out there to run the wildcat, however, this time the intention would be that he’d make his second pass attempt in a Michigan uniform. And it worked to perfection as he threw his first career passing touchdown.

“We had a plan of, we were going to put him in — the first time he’d be in there, he had that play action and throw it,” Moore said. “Thought that he’d be a lightning bolt — they’d say that he’d be running the ball — so he did a really good job of executing the play, and it was a really good job by Donovan of making the catch.”

That said, fans can expect to see more of Orji moving forward, perhaps starting this week against Texas.

“He’ll have an extensive package of what he does throughout games and it’ll grow and grow every game,” Moore said.

Orji’s second pass attempt in Week 2 was a huge miss on what was essentially a routine roll out and pitch. His passing game may still be a work in progress but his athleticism and ability running the football is undeniable.

If Orji can figure out the passing aspect of his game, then it could be a huge boon for a Michigan team that looked awfully disjointed offensively in Week 1. And Orji, a Texas native, would certainly love an opportunity to show out against his home state team — especially since the Longhorns never offered.

Sherrone Moore confident that little things will get cleaned up for Michigan before Texas game

It wasn’t a confidence-inspiring showing in Week 1 but that doesn’t mean it’ll be bad in Week 2. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh used to always say that players and the team make their biggest jump from Week 1 to Week 2, and certainly Sherrone Moore is hoping the same of his team.

The Wolverines played a good Group of Five team in Fresno State, but despite the 30-10 outcome, the fact that Michigan didn’t pull away until late in the game left it far too close for comfort for many fans. And considering No. 3 Texas is coming to town in Week 2, the Wolverines need to step things up considerably.

There were a lot of good things and a lot of bad in Week 1. But one thing we noted while watching the game live was that Michigan was relatively vanilla, particularly on offense. There were few motions and complexity pre-snap compared to what we usually see from the offense. And a lot of the types of plays that usually are successful for the Wolverines didn’t quite pop off as they might have in years past.

Moore said on Monday that he liked what he saw from his team but often one player would miss an assignment and that would cause certain plays to fail.

“Yeah, you saw guys weren’t scared of the big stage. Obviously, a great atmosphere in The Big House,” Moore said. “But I think players played extremely hard offensively. We got in a rhythm at the end of the game, really felt the line jelling. Got a rhythm of everything going on. I thought offensively, they definitely picked it up there.

“Got things to clean up, as we always will — and running game technique, fundamentals — it’s the tale of 10 guys, and you got one guy that doesn’t do his job, and then the play fails. So we got to continue to get better at that. But we will this week. We’re going to put our hard hat on, and we’re going to work our tails off this week to have a great week of prepping.

“I thought defensively, they flew around. They were violent, they were physical. Had a lot of fun. Big thing there we got to clean up, we just got to be stable emotionally. We had that one drive where we had a couple of penalties that can go either way, but we can’t have them. So for us, we’re going to eliminate those and just play our style of football.”

One surprising thing about the game in Week 1 was the new-look offensive line — but not in a good way. The line got pushed around at times but by the end of the game, it finally looked more in-line with what you expect from Michigan football.

Moore says that’s usually how it’s looked in his time in Ann Arbor, and after going back to the tape from the past three years, it confirmed that the offensive line has often struggled in Week 1 before settling in come Week 2.

“Never where you want it to be. And I think it’s probably — it’s definitely got to get better,” Moore said. “But I thought the attitude, I thought the strain was there, the details and technique have to continue to get better. And that’s a product of your first game as an offensive line, and even the first year, last year, the year before that, before, I’d say the exact same thing. I went back and watched the past three years in first games and watched the second games, and it looks like two different lines. So I expect those guys to be a lot better. I know Coach Newsome will coach them really hard this week.”

Fans will certainly continue to feel uneasy until the product on the field matches their expectations. Either way, rubber meets the road on Saturday with kickoff against the Longhorns coming at noon EDT.

Sherrone Moore trusts Michigan’s development over returning production ratings

A lot of these players have played big parts in big games. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football is No. 128 out of 134 teams in terms of returning production, according to ESPN’s reporting early in the offseason. But that doesn’t faze new head coach Sherrone Moore.

In terms of players who were starters a year ago, yeah, the Wolverines lost a lot. The entire starting offensive line, quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Blake Corum, both starting receivers, one of the two starting tight ends, both starting edge rushers, both starting linebackers and two starting cornerbacks. That’s a lot to replace.

But in their stead, you have at least three offensive linemen who started games in the past two years (Giovanni El-Hadi and Myles Hinton with Michigan, and Josh Priebe at Northwestern), two linebackers who have started in their careers in Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham, and a ton of other players who have experience — namely on last year’s national championship-winning team.

For Moore, he believes in the team’s development and what they’ve been able to do from that standpoint. And that’s not only given him confidence but it’s actually shown him in fall camp that there’s a lot of depth — many outside of Schembechler Hall may just not know about it yet.

“I think the No. 1 thing we’ve done here and we will continue to do is develop,” Moore said. “So you’re going to have a lot of depth. You know, those guys, a lot of those guys that are going to be starters on Saturday have played. Whether they’ve played here, they’ve played other places, they’ve all played in college football. So it’s not like we lack that much experience. It’s just they have to play together. And they’ve done that training camp, and we’ve started to build that synergy on offense and on defense. And you can start to see that take shape. So excited to see them on Saturday.”

Because many of these players have been around, Moore isn’t concerned about a letdown in the season opener. It’s always a possibility — just ask Florida State, which was ranked No. 10 in the country, how it’s feeling after a Week 0 loss to unranked Georgia Tech.

But with Michigan having a huge Week 2 contest hosting Texas — only the second meeting between the two schools who were both in the College Football Playoff last year — Moore is reliant not only on the depth, but the maturity of his group, as well.

“Our guys, we’ve got a really mature culture, and obviously the past few years we’ve done what we’ve done, but I think it’s all about really today,” Moore said. “You can’t be worried about two or three days from now because then you’re going to lose today, so you’ve got to get the advantage today on what you can do to get better, and we know they’re a good football team. Last year (Fresno State) went to Purdue the first game of the year and beat them at their place, so there’s no cakewalks anymore in college football. So wherever you play, you’ve got to be ready to go.”

Michigan opens up the season against Fresno State on Saturday evening at The Big House.

Is there a new leader for Michigan football at center entering 2024?

There could be a shakeup at center and right tackle. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football is making the finishing touches when it comes to the starting lineup for the 2024 season with just five days before the home opener against Fresno State.

There are just a few positions that aren’t decided — quarterback being the big one — but one still being worked out is the player who will get the ball in the QB’s hands every play.

In spring, it was a foregone conclusion that Greg Crippen, a fourth-year player out of IMG Academy, would finally get his chance. But the spring competition ramped up between him and former Detroit (Michigan) Cass Tech center Raheem Anderson.

However, another name entered the fray, and he has a good chance to win the role.

Dominick Giudice from Freehold (N.J.) Mater Dei was the second-lowest-rated commitment in the 2021 recruiting class, ahead of only punter Tommy Doman. Giudice came to Ann Arbor expecting to be an edge rusher before transitioning to the middle of the defense as a tackle. Last year, he made the switch to the offensive side of the ball and he’s in the thick of it as the potential starting center, battling with Crippen.

“Right now, at center, we’ve got a couple guys,” Moore said. “We’ve got Dom Giudice, we’ve got Greg Crippen, and we’ve got Raheem Anderson. Right now, it’s still a competition. So we’ll see who does it. I think Crippen and Dom have been the top two in camp so far. So we’ll see how they compete this week.”

The right tackle battle, likewise, was expected to be an obvious win for either Andrew Gentry or Jeff Persi, but second-year tackle Evan Link has made an imprint there.

“Then our right tackle, Andrew Gentry, Evan Link, have been the top two candidates there,” Moore said. “So we’ll see what happens this week. But I feel like we’ve got a good — we’ll have more insight and cement as we go through the rest of the week.”

So what has allowed Giudice and Link to make such an impact that they very well could end up starting for the Wolverines on the first snap against Fresno State?

Moore said both are talented and both know what they’re supposed to be doing. But really, it’s Michigan’s cross-training that has allowed them to find the positions that work best for them.

“I think just one, from a knowledge of the playbook standpoint, knowing what to do and how to do it, both have the talent, both have the ability, but the toughness and the mental toughness to withstand all the strain,” Moore said. “And as you go through camp and different things happen, be able to be flexible. Play right, play left, play center, play guard, and be one of the best five. Because that’s all we’re going to do is try to find the best five. That’s how we built the line, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

Sherrone Moore thinks he has a starter at CB2, breaks down safety depth

Good to see some of these young guys stepping up! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There are a few spots on the Michigan football roster that are question marks and while quarterback and wide receiver get the most attention, on defense, there’s really only one position that’s potentially concerning entering 2024.

The cornerback spot open opposite Will Johnson.

The thought in spring was that DJ Waller would fill that role but he unexpectedly transferred to Kentucky following the spring game. Michigan brought in two transfers over the summer in Aamir Hall from Albany and Ricky Johnson from UNLV — both starters at their former schools. But as it turns out, the likely starter is the one who is homegrown in sophomore Jyaire Hill.

“Yeah, right now it would be Jyaire,” Moore said. “Jyaire’s really taken hold of that position and doing a really good job. ‘Sug,’ he’s been phenomenal, tough, just a gritty dude. One of Kankakee’s finest. And he’s been great. So I think it would be him on Saturday that would line up across from Will Johnson.”

Safety has the opposite problem. There are so many players but just two positions on the field.

Moore broke down the depth and noted two players that have taken massive steps in fall camp who could end up being in rotation. And they’re not the two transfers, per see (Wes Walker and Jaden Mangham). Though both will likely be seen in rotation, two more homegrown talents have asserted themselves this fall, and Moore is excited to see their development.

“Right now, obviously, Makari’s been phenomenal. Quinten Johnson’s been great. But you’ve got Zeke Berry in there. You’ve got Wes Walker in there. You’ve got Jaden Mangham,” Moore said. “You’ve got Brandyn Hillman, who’s really, really taken his level of play to the next level because he’s got some elite traits and ability that people haven’t seen yet, and we’re super excited. It’s finally getting there for him. But him and a guy like Zeke Berry, who’s really all he needed was the confidence.

“And it would be funny because I’m talking to Rod, I’m talking to Will, I was like, ‘Who’s the guy in the background?’ And this was in the spring, like, Who are you guys most excited about?’ They said, ‘Zeke, Zeke.’ And to watch his evolution as a player, he’s made some plays in camp, just wild plays. And they’re like, yeah, that’s routine of his skill set. So he’s really stepped up. So that room’s super deep and ready for it.”

Berry shared with the media on Monday that he’s equally cross-training between nickel and safety. Does that mean we’ll see him move around or stick at one position? We’ll find out more on Saturday when Michigan hosts Fresno State for the season opener.

Sherrone Moore preparing for the unknown with Fresno State in Week 1

Don’t want to end up like Florida State did in Week 0. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — At long last, it’s game week and the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines will start what they call ‘the road to Atlanta’ on Saturday when they host Fresno State for the season opener at The Big House.

One not-so-different thing between the two teams is that both will have first-year head coaches — Michigan with Sherrone Moore and Fresno State with Tim Skipper. Skipper served as the team’s linebackers coach before he was the acting head coach for the team’s bowl game. Incumbent head coach Jeff Tedford eventually stepped down from the program over the summer due to health concerns.

For Moore and the Wolverines, especially with Skipper having a defensive background compared to Tedford’s offensive bona fides, the maize and blue have to be prepared for anything and everything come Saturday.

“I think, first of all, whenever you have a new coach, obviously being a new coach, but whenever you have a new coach, there’s the unknown,” Moore said. “There’s the not really sure. Coach Skipper has been in the system. He’s been there. He’s been with them, so he’s evolved in the culture. It’s something that’s been very successful, so I don’t see him diverging too much from what they’ve done.

“I know he was a defensive coordinator, so I don’t know how much evolved he will be with the defense or not, but I can see that there’s definitely going to be some wrinkles and things that we’ve got to be prepared for, but they’re a good football team. They went 9-4 last year. They’re tough. They’re blue-collar. They play extremely hard, so it’s going to be a challenge for us to make sure we do the same thing.”

The biggest concern when it comes to defending the Bulldogs comes in the way of junior quarterback Mikey Keene.

In 2023, Keene completed 67.1% of his passes for 2,976 yards, with 24 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Moore says that the biggest key to the game, at least defensively, is to get Keene off-balance and work to force him into some mistakes.

“Yeah, I think it starts, No. 1, with their quarterback, Mikey Keene,” Moore said. “He’s not as big as a lot of quarterbacks, but he gets the ball out quick. He’s mobile. The offense all goes through him, so for us to be successful against him, it’s about how we stop him, how we contain him. He’s going to make his throws. He’s going to do some really good things. He’s going to be able to scramble outside the box, so we’ve got to keep him contained and confuse him a little bit with coverages and things we do and make it messy for him because it really goes through him. When he’s healthy for them, he does a really good job of ball control and controlling the offense, and you can see that the offense has a lot more confidence with him in the game.”

Fresno State wasn’t a slouch defensively last year, either, ranking 48th in yards per play allowed in 2023. Michigan’s goal, of course, will be to show that it can move the ball, complete drives and score touchdowns instead of settling for field goals.

Michigan football freshmen who are standing out to Sherrone Moore in fall camp

These are definitely names to know NOW! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While fans usually expect more each year from the known commodities, a few players always come from out of seemingly nowhere. Sherrone Moore talked about a few Michigan football players who have improved the most throughout fall camp, but what about the players who have yet to play a down of college football?

The Wolverines routinely have had freshmen step up in Year 1.

Going back to Jim Harbaugh’s second year (2016), those players were running back Chris Evans, left guard Ben Bredeson and linebacker Devin Bush. In 2017, it was two wide receivers, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black (before his Week 3 injury). In 2019, it was running back Zach Charbonnet. In the much-maligned 2020 season, running back Blake Corum was the first tailback to receive a carry. Defensive tackle Mason Graham made some big plays in his first year as did cornerback Will Johnson (2022). Wide receiver Semaj Morgan was that guy this past season.

So who is standing out thus far in 2024? Sherrone Moore has a few candidates.

“Yeah, there’s a couple of them. Start at the quarterback position: Jadyn Davis, he just has the ‘it’ factor, makes plays, competitive,” Moore said. “Obviously, was a three-time state champion player of the year, but poised, has ability. We’ll see how it progresses.

“His teammate, Channing Goodwin — he’s a playmaker. He’s a dude that’s going to probably help us this year in some way, shape or form. And always said that it’s easier to play the farther you are from the ball, especially early. If you’re a lineman, D-lineman, it’s harder to play early. So those guys, those guys up front, those linemen, especially O-linemen, it’s harder for them to play early. And they’re all going to be really good players, but those two, from a skill set standpoint, I think offensively will be the guys, and then the tight ends have been awesome.

“Jordan Marshall is probably the next guy. He’s got a chance to be special, dynamic.”

Moore was quickly interrupted so that we could learn more about Marshall. Could he be that third tailback, usurping the snaps of some of the others who have been in the program? Given what he’s seen from the veterans, it will be a difficult proposition.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Moore said. “Ben Hall is — you know, having guys like Jordan Marshall in the room will make you play fast and physical. And Ben Hall has played, all of 230 pounds he is, so he’s run physical, fast, so super excited how he’s hit and how he’s gaining momentum.”

There are also two defensive players who could see the field early and often in 2024; both early enrollees. Michigan needs depth at edge rusher and has relied on freshmen before: Rashan Gary in 2016 and Derrick Moore in 2022 to name two. And though there’s some depth at linebacker, there’s one name that’s stood out, Moore says.

“Dominic Nichols is probably the guy that jumps out the most as a freshman. That’s really because he’s been here in the spring and he came here and he’s been in the fall. So he’s a guy that I think as a freshman has got a chance. And then probably one more guy is Cole Sullivan.”

Sherrone Moore singles out two Michigan players who have made meteoric rises in fall camp

Not your usual suspects here. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fall camp is about halfway over and eyes are focused on the Aug. 31 season opener against Fresno State.

Every year, you can count on a player moving from obscurity to viability in the preseason or early season. With months of development between spring ball and fall camp, the period is a prime time for players to hone the body and skills. Sherrone Moore sees two players who are stepping up; both are veterans who have bided their time.

WolverinesWire asked Moore on Tuesday which players have made the biggest jumps from the end of last year. The first player he mentioned is someone who received a lot of praise in the spring but hasn’t had much of an opportunity to see the field.

“The guy that really has been where he was in the spring and taken the next step in fall camp is TJ Guy,” Moore said. “He’s a guy that’s really taking that next step of — you got Josaiah, you got Derrick, and you got him, and you got other guys that are chomping at the bit, but he’s really taking that step to be an elite player and be that guy that — there’s not that much of a drop-off, like last year. So feel really good about TJ, and he’s changed his body. He’s done a lot of great things.”

Guy is a former three-star edge rusher who didn’t come to Ann Arbor with many accolades or much fanfare. Still, he saw the field a bit in his first season. He even notched a sack in the penultimate regular-season game at Maryland, taking down a threatening Taulia Tagovailoa.

The other player Moore mentioned is one who was a little more expected to make the jump.

“Another guy that just jumps out is a guy that has started games for us — Gio El-Hadi,” Moore said. “I mean, he’s changed his body, and I think being behind Keegan and Zinter the past couple years, he’s really done a really good job of learning. We always say watch, emulate, surpass and that’s what he’s trying to do.

“So those guys have all — the whole team’s been outstanding. But those two, I could think specifically — and ironically, they’re really, really close. I think they were roommates, so good to see.”

El-Hadi has had time on task for a few years and has, as Moore notes, started games when Trevor Keegan was injured. Moving from left to right guard this offseason, the former four-star from Macomb County has potential. He has had to wait until his senior season before he was able to earn that starting role.

Michigan needs both to step up; it needs an edge rushing rotation beyond Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart and bruising road graders on the offensive line. With Guy and El-Hadi potentially being the two most improved players, especially given the offseason accolades, that bodes well for the maize and blue.

Jim Harbaugh won’t be back for 2024 Michigan football season opener after all

Rival sping coming in 3…2… #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — They say timing is everything and when it came to the timing of the revelation that Jim Harbaugh was coming back to Michigan football to be the honorary captain for the season opener, pundits of the Wolverines were particularly upset. Harbaugh was just issued a four-year show cause and a one-year suspension by the NCAA due to his alleged obfuscation with the governing body regarding what otherwise would have been lower-level recruiting violations. Michigan didn’t announce Harbaugh would be returning as an honorary captain, it was revealed on a podcast with Warde Manuel, which was recorded before the NCAA issued its ruling that it would give Harbaugh a show-cause. However, in the eyes of many, this was Michigan thumbing its nose at the NCAA and the system. However, new head coach Sherrone Moore says that the decision to bring Harbaugh back this year was made shortly after he was installed as the leader of the program. And given that the NFL doesn’t start its season until a week after college football, the timing — for Harbaugh — would have made sense. “I actually just talked to coach yesterday, and really what went into the decision is — we made that decision like in March, or, I think it was January, February — actually January, February,” Moore said. “So it’s really to honor him, of what he’s done in Michigan for Michigan. I mean, came back for nine years and took us to where we are now. So it was really to honor him, it’s nothing besides that.” That said, Harbaugh’s not coming. Moore continued, noting that Harbaugh told him on Monday that he feels like it’s better for him to remain in Los Angeles as the Chargers prepare for their season. Michigan will still honor him, but will do so with some of his former players as well as his parents. “Yesterday he called me, told me that he didn’t feel that he could leave his team in true Coach Harbaugh fashion, and wanted to be in the foxhole with his team and not want to make it look like he was taking a deep, long bow,” Moore said. “So he’s not going to make it for the game, but we’re going to have some of our guys that are there, and then Jack and Jackie Harbaugh are going to take his place. So super excited about that.” Certainly, this won’t quiet the naysayers and there will likely be spin coming the other way. But, nonetheless, they got their wish that Harbaugh will not be hoisted up on anyone’s shoulders, much like Ohio State’s Jim Tressel was after he resigned from the Buckeyes after NCAA violations of his own.