Kirk Herbstreit calls Sherrone Moore 'star in the making,' rightful successor to Jim Harbaugh

If Jim Harbaugh leaves for the NFL in 2024, Sherrone Moore is the rightful successor, according to Kirk Herbstreit.

Moore was the acting head coach five times this year, winning all five games in Harbaugh’s place. Why not promote from within at this point?

Moore’s exactly the type of coach to fill Harbaugh’s shoes moving forward, according to Herbstreit.

“Based on what happened this year, Sherrone Moore is a star in the making,” Herbstreit said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I mean this guy came in 2021, Jim Harbaugh took a chance on him. He not only he’s calling plays these last two years, he got him back to their identity, which is a dominant offensive line that really sets the tone for the entire team and these last three years, that’s been very evident.” 

Moore is the perfect guy to continue Harbaugh’s program should the latter leave. Herbstreit made the case how he’ll keep the style moving in 2024 and beyond after the long rebuild of an identity.

“Now I’ll tell you from our guy Rich Rod,  they recruited a different style of Michigan offensive lineman,” Herbstreit said. “It’s taken a long time for them to get it back over 10 years. But Sherrone Moore deserves creating that culture in that room and then the play calling and taking on the head coach responsibilities when Jim Harbaugh was down at the end of the year.

“But I’ll tell you, man, more than that, you know, we often watch these college games and it’s quarterbacks and it’s receivers and it’s a spread system. How refreshing for these old school guys that the blocking and tackling and a fullback and a tight end and huddling. Yeah, I mean, they are kind of an old school approach.”

Ahead of the national title win over Washington, Moore was very complimentary of how Harbaugh ran his program. If that’s any indication, Moore sounds like a future head coach, potentially in Ann Arbor.

“Really it’s more fundamentally with the quarterbacks,” Moore said. “Doesn’t step in with the play calls, doesn’t step in with what we’re doing in the game plan. He might say, Let’s look at this, Let’s look at this. 

“And obviously we’re always going to take a look at it because I mean his experience and his valued opinion on anybody that I’ve ever been around. So extremely phenomenal coach in all facets, knows the game inside and out. And whatever he says, we’re going to listen to. But he doesn’t really step in and try to adjust things that we’re doing.”