Sherrone Moore explains importance of prioritizing mental health ahead of national championship

Ahead of playing for a national championship, Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore explained the importance of prioritizing mental health.

Moore explained that the team is in a good place right now, regarding its mental health, thanks to the work that the Wolverines have put in to get to this point.

“Yeah, I think the big piece for us is this is what we’ve been preparing for,” Sherrone Moore said. “From a mental health standpoint, we’re the happiest we could be because these are the moments that we’ve wanted, that we’ve worked for. I think it would have been the vice versa if we wouldn’t have been here.”

Michigan is getting ready to take on Washington for a national championship on Monday night. It’s an opportunity that Moore knows Michigan is excited to have.

“So we really just are excited for the moment. Everybody is as happy as can be. Their smile is everywhere and they’re super excited. We had a walk-through last night and it felt like it was the first day of training camp. The guys are excited, working on the little things every moment, and we’re just blessed and happy to be here.”

For Sherrone Moore, being a national championship-winning coordinator would be another line on his resume as he looks to become a head coach in the future. That’s something that Jim Harbaugh expects him to do relatively soon.

“You’ve already got a glimpse of the shining star that he is. He’s just phenomenal, so smart, works so hard at it. Knows what it’s like to be a player. Was a player,” Harbaugh said of Moore. “And really, really composed. Something goes wrong, three, two, one, let it go. He’s tremendous at that.”

Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy speaks about his mental health journey

For Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, mental health has been an important part of his journey as a football player.

“I got into it because my senior year at IMG Academy I was going through depression. I was in a deep rut for myself, studying all the athletes, their mindsets, trying to adopt them in every way to forge the ultimate mindset as a competitor. I just kept going further from myself and my true nature. I feel like it just — I was in a deep rut for about a month or two and I was like, something has to change. This isn’t who I am,” McCarthy said.

“I started looking up different practices to help improve mental health and meditation was the first one that kept popping up. I gave it a try and the rest was history. It’s a beautiful practice. It’s really hard at first, but I recommend that people continue to press on with it and stay disciplined because the effects are tremendous.”