Warde Manuel: Sherrone Moore 'aced' four-game audition as Michigan head coach

Sherrone Moore was introduced as the next head football coach at the University of Michigan on Saturday morning.

But before Moore was able to make his first comments as Michigan’s new boss, athletic director Warde Manuel sung the former Wolverine offensive coordinator’s praises for the work he’s done throughout his tenure in Ann Arbor leading up to this moment.

“Sherrone has demonstrated leadership abilities and high character throughout his six years on staff,” Manuel said during Moore’s introductory press conference. “And I’m talking about things that go above and beyond juggling roles as offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and interim head coach responsibilities. He’s a great person, not just a great coach.”

While Moore’s work as offensive coordinator was on display on a national scale over the past two seasons in particular, it was the four-game run as acting head coach to end the regular season that made Manuel’s decision to hire Moore all the more easier.

“He proved firsthand that he can lead a team,” Manuel continued. “45 minutes prior to the team leaving the hotel at Penn State, Jim [Harbaugh] and I told him he would probably be leading the team. I gave him the official notice that he was about 90 minutes before the start of the game on the field. He handled it with great poise from start to finish in didn’t flinch. … He kept he guided the players to in a very tough environment and kept them calm and they played great football.

“Going into the season, we didn’t plan on Sherrone having a four-game audition to become the next head coach of Michigan football. But looking back, that’s exactly what transpired. And I would add that he aced the audition and got the role.”

Moore’s promotion is a win-win for all parties involved. Fans can rest assured with the hire as they have a sample size of what Moore can do in the head coaching seat, and the higher-ups inside Michigan were able to swiftly fill their vacant head coaching seat from within the program itself.

The hire wasn’t for convenience sake, either. Manuel is holding Moore to a high standard and is expected to continue the winning tradition that Harbaugh built during his tenure.

“Simply put, Sherrone is the right person to lead the University of Michigan football team into a new era of college football,” Manuel said.

Now, Moore hits the ground running this offseason in the hopes of building the right staff, securing portalers and retaining recruits before the start of the 2024 college football season