Why Michigan will be fine with either Jim Harbaugh or Sherrone Moore in 2024

As great as Michigan’s season could end up being, a cloud has hung over it for quite some time this fall. Part of that storm includes the question regarding the head coach with plenty of unease around Jim Harbaugh’s position as the leader of the program in the future.

On3’s Andy Staples and Richard Johnson of Sports Illustrated agree on that elephant in the room in Ann Arbor. As Johnson described it from Pasadena on ‘Andy Staples On3’ on Sunday, there’s just a mood around the Wolverines heading into the playoff where those on the outside would think that’d be the case.

“There’s just a feeling. There’s just a feeling around this team,” said Johnson. “I know a lot of them probably won’t say it. But there’s a feeling around this program that, like, he’s going to hightail it.”

However, no matter who the head coach is next season, both Harbaugh and Johnson acknowledged Michigan’s stability moving forward. That’ll especially be the case if their perceived heir, Sherrone Moore, is in fact the next head coach.

“Sherrone? It’s funny because people are like, ‘Oh, well, Harbaugh’s superpower is in-game adjustments’ and all that sort of stuff. Which, yeah. Okay, sure,” said Johnson. “But Sherrone Moore was the guy in the Penn State game who said, ‘To hell with the pass’ with 30 straight runs, you know?”

“I do think the Sherrone Moore piece of it, just knowing that he’s there? Like, my thing is, whether it’s Jim Harbaugh or Sherrone Moore as their head coach next year? I’m not worried about them,” Staples chimed in. “They’re going to be a very good program in the new Big Ten. They’re going to compete for playoff berths. Based on what we saw in the Cotton Bowl, they’re going to be favored over Ohio State again. I think Michigan is in a good place.”

Losing Harbaugh would be very significant, especially in the wake of everything off the field this season. He has been back at Michigan for a decade now after coming in from the NFL. Now, over the past three years, he has built them into one of the sport’s best teams.

Still, Moore more than proved his worth in Harbaugh’s place this season. He had to take over responsibilities more than once this year, and in some important spots, while helping the Wolverines to maintain their unblemished record.

Michigan could very well be dealing with a coaching search after the conclusion of the season, disregarding any way it could end. Even so, whether it’s either Harbaugh or Moore, neither Staples nor Johnson have any concerns about the state of the Wolverines come 2024.