Sherrone Moore addresses Michigan's offseason roster overhaul, why he's not concerned
Michigan has a new-look roster in 2024 after having 13 players drafted in this year’s NFL Draft. However, head coach Sherrone Moore still feels good about the talent the Wolverines have on both sides of the ball.
Moore joined The Pat McAfee Show on Friday and revealed that the Wolverines still have plenty enough talent to win big.
“I mean, the best part about it, I mean, you look at the o-line, there’s only one guy that’s a redshirt freshman that’s starting. Everybody else is juniors and seniors,” Sherrone Moore said. “So it’s guys that weren’t the starters last year, or full-time starters, but they’ve all played a lot of football, have a lot of experience. All the guys that are playing had an opportunity last year to go play.”
While the Wolverines have several players back who have contributed before, there’s not a lot of experience at quarterback after JJ McCarthy was selected in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft.
Save $30 on your first month of Fubo by CLICKING HERE NOW! For a limited time, you can get your first month of Fubo for as low as $49.99. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and 200+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)
Junior Alex Orji did play some during Michigan’s run to a national title last season, but senior Davis Warren, who got the start and received most of the snaps against Fresno State, did not complete a pass last year.
Sherrone Moore shared that he is confident in both quarterbacks heading into the Texas game on Saturday.
“I think when you lose a guy like JJ, that’s always going to be a story,” Moore said. “But we feel really good about the guys in our room. We’ve had a really good week of preparation, so excited for tomorrow.”
Desmond Howard explains why he’s not worried about Michigan’s offense vs. Texas
In addition to Sherrone Moore, ESPN analyst Desmond Howard also feels good about Michigan being able to replace its talent lost from last year.
The Michigan offense wasn’t exactly impressive in last week’s season opener against Fresno State as the Wolverines finished with only 269 yards of offense in the win.
Despite that, Howard isn’t worried about the Wolverines ahead of Saturday’s Week 2 matchup against Texas. The Longhorns are loaded on both sides of the ball, but Howard expects to see an improved Michigan offense this week.
The Wolverines legend joined ESPN First Take on Friday and explained why.
“Well, if you look at what took place last week against Fresno State, you knew coming into the game the big storyline was the quarterback battle throughout camp — Alex Orji or Davis Warren — which one was it going to be? And so Sherrone [Moore], he implemented a two-quarterback system where he was playing both quarterbacks.
“But before we get to the quarterbacks, you have to start really with the offensive line. Five new starters. Those guys trying to gel at the same time against a Fresno State team that’s a pretty talented team. So there were some bumps, some bruises, some hiccups, things that we aren’t used to seeing from a Michigan offense.”
Howard expects Michigan to work better together on the offensive line against Texas after playing a full game together, even if it was against lesser competition and even if it wasn’t the best debut.
He added that he believes Sherrone Moore purposely didn’t show a lot on film in order to keep the Longhorns guessing.
“If I was a head coach, going up against Fresno State, knowing the next week we have to play host to the Longhorns, I’m not going to show a lot,” Howard said. “I’m trying to see what I have. And I think that was kind of like what went on last Saturday night against Fresno State.”